WE MADE IT!

It's just now hitting me. Cooper is a year old. That means... WE MADE IT! We breastfed for an entire year! My original goal was 6 months so I am ecstatic to make it to a year!

Yes, breastfeeding was not hard for us. Cooper nurses like a champ. He latched on quickly and hasn't wanted to stop since. But it was by no means easy! The lack of sleep was NOT EASY. Not being able to let someone else take a turn feeding him so I could sleep was NOT EASY. Taking him out in public knowing I would have to pull my shirt up in front of strangers was NOT EASY. Yes, the technical parts of it were easy for me but there is way more to it than that.

Having said that, breastfeeding has been (and will continue to be) the most rewarding experience of my life! I think we bonded much faster and stronger than we would have if he had been given a plastic nipple full of formula. Jerry was very supportive in spite of the fact that he would not get to share in the feeding for a while. Of course the benefits of breastfeeding are endless. it has been wonderful and I'm so so so glad I did it!