Mom to Mom Monday // 01

Intro to our guest momma
Meet our first mom for this series (#momtomommonday), Amanda Tyler. She is a force to be reckoned with. Amanda takes pride in her post baby bod (which is top notch). She stands strong for normalizing breastfeeding, and is the definition of beauty (inside + out). For those very reasons, I have asked her to share a bit of insight on embracing our breastfeeding versions of ourselves.

Thanks Amanda!

01 

First off, before reading this - my intention is not to shame anyone. If you could not breast feed or it wasn't for you, please don't feel less of a mama because everyone has their own journey filled with different experiences.

When Lila first arrived, I was so nervous. I couldn't remember the last time I changed a diaper and the c-section ordeal was keeping me from being as mobile as I'd liked. It was tough to get in the right position to breast feed - everything was so painful. I kept saying out loud, "we are both learning, Lila - lets keep trying." The nurse would come in and to my surprise she seemed impressed by what was going on. To me, it did not feel natural but felt so strange. That first night with my baby, I slept with her close. I slept naked so she could nuzzle up to my breast and find my nipple if she needed. We were in the hospital for an entire week. Mid-week I was actually enjoying the whole breast feeding challenge. I got to satisfy my baby on my own and even help her expel that jaundice she had from being born three weeks early. I knew it was for me.

I had a conversation with my grandmother about breast feeding, she said it was hard for her to stay feeling sexy and present for her husband while her baby sucked at her breasts every 30 minutes.  That and the painful beginnings of the journey kept her from keeping on. Like everything, the practices of motherhood ebb and flow with each time period and trends change. We are the new mothers, the twentieth century mothers. We can recreate the image of The Mother and everything that comes with it.

It was tough to find the balance between my nudie-selfie-taking me and this new serene baby-nurturing-selfless me. To me, breast feeding is sexy and empowering. We are strong capable women with beautiful curvy bodies and suddenly, we get to put them to work. My breasts have become fuller and rounder and my body has taken on a shape I can appreciate. It's so easy to criticize ourselves and our image, growing up in Los Angeles I definetly felt the brunt of it all. Motherhood gives us a chance to say goodbye to our inner critic and appreciate everything your body can do. It's your time to be gentle, to be forgiving and to be generous with yourself. The confidence that comes with motherhood is like no other. When I feel confident and self assured, I'm at my all time sexiness. 

I will continue to breast feed my baby for as long as she needs to. My sexiness will not suffer because I have a baby attached to my breasts, it will flourish and grow as I continue to cherish my body for what it has to offer my baby. I will continue to follow my gut and keep on a path of self appreciation and generosity because a happy mama is a happy baby. Stay sexy, ladies.