I can’t say enough how much I love breastfeeding. I have never been so entertained or enjoyed my body like I do when I am a breastfeeder. Today I entertained myself (and others) with my magical inflating-deflating boobs.

If your breasts are like mine, you will go up and down a cup size or two over the course of a day. I hope this entertains you as much as it does me. Today I woke with D cup breasts. I fed my girl (one side only) before my lunch date and not thinking fed her off the small side. My right breast is an over-producer and has always been a little bit bigger than the left one anyways. Except now it is more noticeably bigger. So not thinking, I fed my girl on the left. As I watched my breast shrink back to size, I caught a glimpse of my larger-than-life so-full-of-milk right breast and started laughing. The husband who is home for the week asked what was funny.

“Look at my seriously lopsided breasts!”, I said. What was I thinking, feeding her off the small boob? I’m going to have to wear a jacket to cover up my lopsided breasts. With a mocking come-hither voice, I questioned him, “Do you enjoy watching my breasts inflate-deflate-inflat-deflate throughout the day?”. We both broke out in laughter.

“I get such joy out of it, watching them go fffffp. ffffft. fffffp. ffffft. (imagine the hand gestures here) throughout the day. Big cleavage, small cleavage, big cleavage, small cleavage. It’s better than a water bra.”, I giggled. ”Do you think people notice?” I asked. Truth be told, I hope they do. I love my magical boobs.

I have never worn a nursing top, EVER. Yes, I was a full-time breastfeeder with my eldest daughter, but nursing tops were so freaking homely in 2002, I wasn’t going to touch them with a 10-foot pole. I am a breastfeeder, but I am a fashionable breastfeeder. I just can’t sacrifice fashion for function.

Now that I am a full-time breastfeeder again and will be through the summer, I decided to take a look at nursing fashion to see if it has improved over the past 5 years. I was pleasantly surprised! There are some nice nursing tops out there, in black! Sure, there are plenty of homely tops and tiny floral prints and that “half-shirt” design (who the hell could wear that and look at themselves in the mirror?). But there are plenty of black T’s and shirts that could work.

I brought home a selection of shirts and T’s in different styles. I am going to test them all and report back on those I like and those I really don’t like. Man, I am such a clothes horse.

Oh yes it does! It leads baby to sleep for 3.5-4 hours at a time regularly since the milk supply came in Friday, so to answer my own question, Yes it does last! But I wonder for how long?

Gods I love that my body is efficient. I love that I can see and note the changes. As of our 2:00PM feeding, I officially make milk! It started with colostrum, but about 10 minutes into the feeding I heard those tell-tale gasps, suckles and gurgles that told me she was swallowing mouthfuls of milk and lots of it! I missed those noises.

Sure enough, when I looked down, the corners of her mouth were filling up with warm, white milk. She emptied the right side, moved on to the left and slept for four hours! Gone are the feedings every 2.5 hours, hello full warm belly and long naps. I wonder if this will last?

I can happily announce that daughter #2 arrived safely in the birthing tub in our kitchen on April 18th at 5:37PM EST. I can also happily announce that OUCH! I remember how those first few days of nursing felt. I don’t care how many lactation professionals say you shouldn’t feel pain; when your virginal nipples are getting that much action, they’re going to hurt, or at least be very tender. I mean really, who’s kidding whom? Nipples get very little action pre-nursing, then all of a sudden they are getting wet and suckled with a suction that makes you wonder if your nipple is going to be ripped off and then you’re told they shouldn’t hurt, crack or scab? I know they will be fine in a matter of days. Nipples toughen up fairly quickly.

Really, I shouldn’t complain. This wee little girl came out ready to nurse and has been at the boob ever since. Sore nipples… expert nursers… I love breastfeeding

You can’t squeeze blood from a stone, but you can squeeze liquid gold from a nipple.

Does anyone else get as much joy as I do from squeezing colostrum from your nipples? One of my favourite pregnancy moments is the first time I can squeeze colostrum from my nipples; this pregnancy it was on Christmas Day (2006). Ever since, I try at least once a week to make sure I can still squeeze out a few droplets. It’s proof my body is readying to birth this baby. It’s proof that my body is also getting ready to nourish this baby. It’s proof that I am a bovine lifeforce!