With the holidays right here, I have been thinking about what I have to be thankful about. As I sat down to write this post about breastfeeding, I realized I have so much to be thankful for when it comes this topic.

My boiled down to the basic facts breastfeeding experiences …
My oldest child was a non-latcher. I was a determined first time mommy though and exclusively pumped for her until I got her to latch but even then was lucky to get her to nurse once a day. It was pure determination on my part to get her to a year on breast milk that got her to that point. My younger daughter and now Little Dude had no issues latching. They both decided to protest the bottle and wait it out for me to get home so that presents its own set of challenges.

With my both of my girls, I had such an over supply of milk that I started donating milk to families in need. After much research, I went with milkshare.com to donate to breast milk directly to families in need. My experiences and connecting with other moms through that network is something that I will always remember. It was such an amazing gift to give someone and something that certainly can’t have a monetary value. It is all from the heart when you hand over hundreds of ounces of frozen breast milk!

I have had many moms tell me that nursing is hard work. It often is. I know that first hand and had to learn to ask for help! It seems that I have had every issue that I can with breastfeeding during the past 3 plus years. At times I wonder why I put myself through the mastitis, thrush, cracked skin, lack of supply, and over supply but I have to say it doesn’t take long to realize why it is a gift worth giving to your baby. It has been the same with all three kids for me. It takes one look at a chubby, growing baby with breast milk dribbled on their face to realize that YOU have provided them with everything it took them to get that way! It makes every painful, frustrating, exhausting moment worth it and all you can do is smile at the little one in your arms as the love pours out of your heart to them.

Why do I continue to blog about breastfeeding?
My posts on breastfeeding started months ago when I passed along the money savings of breastfeeding in this post here. Since then I have been blessed to provide reviews and giveaways on several products related to breastfeeding with the constant reminder that this is a huge budget saver. It has become a passion of mine to share and offer up tips for breastfeeding moms. I can tell you know it didn’t start as a passion. It started as something I wanted to give a try to save my growing family money in our budget. I never thought I would become a voice for breastfeeding among my friends, family, or even on a blog. I feel truly blessed to have this voice and hope that it has provide some of you with the confidence to keep provide the simple gift of breast milk to your little ones.

Is being able to breastfeed your little one of your notes of thanks to be thankful for this holiday season?

This post is part of my submission to the Blog to Inspire Contest at parentingbynature.com.

If you would like more information and my tips about donating milk through milkshare.com or any other breast feeding related questions, you can leave a comment here or send me an email to simplybudgeted at gmail dot com.