Back to School

As you might or might not know, I am obsessed with boobies. More specifically, I am obsessed with the function of breasts. I mean, other than being spectacular fun bags, of course. Did you know that they can actually be used to feed (gasp!) children!? I know, I know, traditionally that is what we have cows for, and more recently, rodents, but it is true, a long long time ago, when women had babies, they had to care for them and feed them themselves from their husband's favorite toys, their breasts.

Used to be, women learned how to nurse their babies from their mothers, aunties, grandmothers and sisters. It was a tradition handed down for generations and it was simply a fact of life. It was what babies ate. Now, because of an entire generation of women who were turned off from breastfeeding because of greedy doctors, misinformed "science" and that thing that rules us all, fashion, we have a hole in the tradition. In many families, there is no one a new mother can go to in order to learn the art of feeding a child. Due to this country's obsession with modesty (unless you are a preteen with hot pants or an underaged pop star) and certain very uptight prudes, most women have never even seen a woman feed a child properly.

Sadly, women still have it in their heads that even without this constant learning process we have been deprived of, nursing should come naturally. So when they are pregnant, they don't ask questions, don't seek information. They are told it is a natural process, an easy adaptation to a new baby and it's mother. Well guess what people, it isn't. You can't learn to do something if you never are exposed to it. Now, without the support of family and friends who are breastfeeding around us, there comes a need for a specialized job called a Lactation Consultant. The job of an LC is to teach a woman is to work with new moms and babies to learn how to work with each other and to successfully accomplish a nursing relationship.

I have decided to pursue this career for myself. I can't think of a worthier cause than to help moms and babies be healthier and happier! This is not something I can accomplish in a few weeks, it is a highly specialized certification which will take me 3-4 years to complete. I have the course work, which alone will take two to three years. Then of course, there is the 600 hours of counseling experience (through becoming a La Leche Leader) I have to complete before I finally take the leap that is the final test to become certified.

I am so happy that I have found something that I feel passionate about, and that I can accomplish while having babies in my arms and at my feet. I feel like I am truly coming into my own, and though I know that being a stay at home mom is a very difficult job, I need something more. Sorry. I do. I need to use my brain, and my talents and my creativity. I need PEOPLE, I need to learn! I am so so grateful that I have found a way to have both.