Breastfeeding

OK, so this is a shout out to all those women in my life that breastfed their young'ins. Girls, that is hard stuff! I told my Le Leache League leader that I think breastfeeding is the most underrated art form.
I researched pregnancy and childbirth up and down, went to classes, read books, talked to people, got the serious low-down and dirty and really had a decent grasp on what to expect and such for the whole 10 months. I really felt as ready as I could be for delivery and confident that I had the knowledge that I needed for a number of possibilities concerning it.
Breastfeeding however, not so much.
I read the books only so far as it talked about what to do before delivery to prepare, and for the first...oh...week or so. Everything that I heard about breastfeeding I must have put a filter on. I know people said it was challenging, but I just had this, 'but its so beautiful and natural' attitude. I told myself it would be effortless and wonderful and blissful...how could something so simple be hard? Besides, I told myself, if I have trouble I have an army of lactation consultants at my beck and call...what is there to worry about?
Well, I discovered that just because something is simple doesn't mean its easy.
I'm not going to go into the details of the trials of our particular breastfeeding experience, as interesting as it may be, but I will say it involved numerous lactation consults, phone calls, pumps, props, tears, joy, pain, loss of power and a giant ice storm, and ultimately bottles and formula. What I will share is that I am very happy to have experienced the whole thing so that we could get to where we are now, which is ultimately the best place for all parties involved, and the conveyor of an important lesson about the 'Super Mommy' effect and how reality and ideals can and sometimes cannot coexist. Valuable learning experience that.
So here is my shout out to all you breast feeders out there...you go girls :)