paying it forward - Nest of Posies

My friend & sweet neighbor had her baby. You may remember her tummy from this photo. It’s a boy. 😉

My friend is breastfeeding her baby. Most of you regulars know that I hold nursing/breastfeeding very near & dear to my heart. And since this is where I get to journal my thoughts, I thought I would do a little journaling.

Did you also know that this week is World Breastfeeding Week?

It is.

There’s so much to be said about this topic so many strong feelings about it all. Instead of focusing on all the issues, I thought I would focus on supporting any breastfeeding mother.

If you are a breastfeeding mom~

I think you are doing a wonderful thing.

You are also doing a hard thing. Anyone that tells you it is easy, I beg to differ. Breastfeeding is beautiful. A mother learns so much about herself during the breastfeeding months. You become the nutritionist. You discover a whole new side to you, that you’ve never known. You never would of guessed you had it in you to breastfeed & get up all hours of the night. This is where you first learn that your wants or desires take the back burner. As you sit nursing your baby, you realize you are giving, bonding, & creating memories that will last a lifetime. You are also giving the best to start the little life. Breastfeeding all 3 of my kids has been one of the most rewarding things I have ever done with myself and or my body. But it wasn’t always easy. There are many times I sat wishing I could be doing something else, or wishing my husband could be feeding them instead of me. But I also know, that it was one of the most special times in my life. A time, that I will always feel so proud that I did it for my kids & myself as their mother. I loved the bonding. It is an unexplainable joy that will last throughout our entire life, I do believe.

If you are breastfeeding right now, you are doing a beautiful thing for both you & your baby. And I completely support, praise, & commend ALL your efforts to do so.

Now to tell you about my paying it forward…you see when I had the twins, a lady came to the hospital that I hardly knew. We had met briefly 2 times, and I do mean briefly. She brought me the best snacks & treats a breastfeeding (of twins) mother could have. Her snacks were full of fiber, nutrition, & protein. It was all incredibly good.

Fast forward 2 weeks later….this very same lady that I hardly knew brought us a WEEK’S worth of food. Gourmet, high nutritionial food. When I asked her how I could ever pay her back, she said,

“Pay it forward. Because that is what was done to me & now, I’m paying it forward to you.”

For me, there was no better gift then a homemade meal when we had the twins. It was crazy. I was always hungry. Finding time to cook during the first 2 months of their little lives was just insane. I’ll never forget the people who gave their time & the gift of an homemade meal or snack. To this very day, it still is one of the best things I could have received as a gift.

So…if you do know a breastfeeding mama ~ show her some love in the kitchen this week. Just make an extra batch of something. Trust me, it will be one of the best things you could ever do to show your support for what she’s doing.

And before I finish this post, I thought I would include this OPEN LETTER that I found on Marvelous Kiddo’s blog from Gloria LeMay blog a few years ago.

It is hysterical….

but so true!!!!!~

After the Birth, what a family needs:

“Let me know if I can help you in any way when the baby is born.” … “Just let me know if you need a hand.” … “Anything I can do, just give me a call.”

Most pregnant women get these statements from friends and family but shy away from making requests when they are up to their ears in dirty laundry, unmade beds, dust bunnies and countertops crowded with dirty dishes. The myth of “I’m fine, I’m doing great, new motherhood is wonderful, I can cope and my husband is the Rock of Gibraltar” is pervasive in postpartum land. If you’re too shy to ask for help and make straight requests of people, I suggest sending the following list out to your friends and family. These are the things I have found to be missing in every house with a new baby. It’s actually easy and fun for outsiders to remedy these problems for the new parents but there seems to be a lot of confusion about what’s wanted and needed…

1. Buy us toilet paper, milk and beautiful whole grain bread.

2. Buy us a new garbage can with a swing top lid and 6 pairs of black cotton underpants (women’s size____).

3. Make us a big supper salad with feta cheese, black Kalamata olives, toasted almonds, organic green crispy things and a nice homemade dressing on the side. Drop it off and leave right away. Or, buy us frozen lasagna, garlic bread, a bag of salad, a big jug of juice, and maybe some cookies to have for dessert. Drop it off and leave right away.

4. Come over about 2 in the afternoon, hold the baby while I have a hot shower, put me to bed with the baby and then fold all the piles of laundry that have been dumped on the couch, beds or in the room corners. If there’s no laundry to fold yet, do some.

5. Come over at l0 a.m., make me eggs, toast and a 1/2 grapefruit. Clean my fridge and throw out everything you are in doubt about. Don’t ask me about anything; just use your best judgment.

6. Put a sign on my door saying “Dear Friends and Family, Mom and baby need extra rest right now. Please come back in 7 days but phone first. All donations of casserole dinners would be most welcome. Thank you for caring about this family.”

7. Come over in your work clothes and vacuum and dust my house and then leave quietly. It’s tiring for me to chat and have tea with visitors but it will renew my soul to get some rest knowing I will wake up to clean, organized space.

8. Take my older kids for a really fun-filled afternoon to a park, zoo or Science World and feed them healthy food.

9. Come over and give my husband a two hour break so he can go to a coffee shop, pub, hockey rink or some other r & r that will delight him. Fold more laundry.

10. Make me a giant pot of vegetable soup and clean the kitchen completely afterwards. Take a big garbage bag and empty every trash basket in the house and reline with fresh bags.

These are the kindnesses that new families remember and appreciate forever. It’s easy to spend money on gifts but the things that really make a difference are the services for the body and soul described above. Most of your friends and family members don’t know what they can do that won’t be an intrusion. They also can’t devote 40 hours to supporting you but they would be thrilled to devote 4 hours. If you let 10 people help you out for 4 hours, you will have the 40 hours of rested, adult support you really need with a newborn in the house. There’s magic in the little prayer “I need help.”

Hello! I’m so glad you’re here & reading my posts! I’ve started truncating my posts, so please click over to read the rest of the story!
THANK YOU!