To the mama who chooses to comfort nurse, don’t let anyone make you feel bad for it. As new, breastfeeding moms you hear, “Don’t let your baby use you as a pacifier.” Or “Don’t comfort nurse!” Newborns LOVE the smell of their mama. They want to be held close, tight, and loved on. After all, they have been held in a tight little pocket of their mother’s womb for nine months and are then suddenly ripped from it into a cold, foreign world. They are scared, worried, and feel alone. The one who makes that all better is their mama. So let your baby use you as a pacifier, comfort nurse them, I promise they won’t be doing it until they are eighteen, but they do need time to adjust to this whole new world.
For those of you that know my daughter, know she is fussy, picky, needy, and has to be held a certain way, etc. But there is one time when all the world is okay, and that is when she is nursing. It has not been the easiest thing to comfort nurse my daughter but, I know that it is worth it and is part of her adjusting to this life. It has kept me from being able to get up and do a lot, especially in the early weeks of postpartum recovery. It can be frustrating at times when it feels like she wants to nurse all day. But just like us, babies have their off days too. Comfort nursing has created a bond like no other between us. When no one can get her to calm down, even her Daddy, and she LOVES her daddy, I know I always have a way to calm and comfort her. Knowing I have that ability gives me comfort. I know that choosing to comfort nurse is what works for my daughter, my husband, and I. I know that this is just a short phase in life and one day I will miss it. The picture to this post melts my heart and proves just how close babies are to their mamas. Myla does not like being laid down in her crib. Many nights the only way I can get her to sleep is by giving her my shirt to smell until she falls asleep. She hugs it tight and brings it to her mouth to suck on. I was amazed when I first tried this trick and it proved to me even more the importance of the bond between a mother and her child.
Being a mother is knowing what is best for your child(ren). Comfort nursing may not be for everyone, and that is OKAY! You don’t have to and you shouldn’t feel bad if you don’t. But, you shouldn’t feel bad if you do, either. Do what works for you and your family. Make a happy home and listen to your motherly instincts. Because as we all know, Mother knows best!