Portrait of Jenny

To my surprise it is World Breastfeeding Week, and thankfully, not to my surprise, today is also my wife, Jenny's birthday.

A quick hashtag search of #worldbreastfeedingweek will provide a plethora of photos and art depicting proud momma with a thirsty babe abreast.  It's a beautiful,natural world we live in.  However, nature does not always go as planned, and this is a post of a different experience involving finding solutions, letting go, and determination.

Our newest son Hiro, was born in February with a cleft lip and palate not letting him get the proper suction on Jenny's nipple to stimulate her milk production and at the same time not get the milk he needed.  These first few weeks were to date some of the most challenging times Jenny and I have faced in our life.  First it was a total shock, next feeding became so so critical and what was the easiest thing about our first son, became an insurmountable challenge.  I cannot even begin to tell you the sense of loss and frustration Jenny felt in not being able to naturally breast feed Hiro.  As all the pro-breastfeeding literature states there are a multitude of benefits associated, as well as being sustainable and a bonding opportunity.  Jenny was heartbroken.

But at the same time, I applaud Jenny's resilience in the moment and putting priority first on feeding this baby.  Enter breast pump and special bottles and nipples, and all the cleaning supplies and procedures.  Thanks to my mom, who came to our rescue to our bohemian Mexican-beach, middle of nowhere fortress of solitude.

And so it goes, Hiro will be 6 months in 2 days.  And Jenny has been pumping on average every 3 hours.  Day and night even while driving back and forth from Nashville to visit her family.  I will say I am the proudest husband for her not giving up.  I know it would be 100 times easier for her to go the formula route.  Knowing mother's milk is best, she finds peace that she can provide that, and has let go of the natural expectation that baby needs to latch.

I think that's the lesson, as parents we strive towards perfection.  But it's tricky because there is nothing we can compare to.  No model of perfection out there, everyone's story is different.  And I think that is the magic in parenting.  Our children won't remember if we were perfect or not, what they remember and hopefully learn is that we try our best, do everything possible, and overcome challenges with grace.  I believe Jenny is deserving of praise for her efforts.

Here is a portrait of Jenny pumping.  Painted for her birthday, but just so coincidentally falling on a date where I can say something and bring some sort of awareness to her experience and the breastfeeding culture as whole.

Jenny Pumping, oil on arches oil paper 12"x16"

Thanks for reading. Much love.  

Breast Fuel

If only breast milk solved all of our problems.  

But then, for some it does.

It's World Breastfeeding Week.  Perfect timing.  Jenny's breast and their contents seem to be the only thing that comforts baby Santiago these days.  So a lot has gone into her breasts; research, diet, sleepless nights, and hormones.  Being the curious intellectual, I thumbed through Dr. Martin's Breastfeeding Book, which has just about all you need to know about the subject.  I was aware of the benefits from classes in college, but having them listed out in front of you is eye opening, and shocking that so many babies are kept from the benefits for various reasons, such as convenience, social awkwardness, etc.  My aunt and cousins are leaders in their communities for La Leche League, an international non-profit working to further educate and mentor mothers on the benefits of breastfeeding.  In a way changing the future for some, one breast at a time.  

So here we were last week, Jenny feeding and I reading some blogs and I come across this post on Drawger.  The art by Edel Rodriguez is chilling and the article on climate change by Bill McKibben is even more chilling.  Please read if you can.  He really breaks down all the research on climate change and the role of politics and money.  

In all the joy and love that has been surrounding me and my family this past month, global warming never entered my head.  My thoughts on the future had me pondering about my son's personality, what color his gray eyes will turn into, how long will Jenny breastfeed, and excitement to be part of his development as an aware being.  But what if what McKibben says is right.  My thoughts have turned into anxiety.  What future are we leaving to our offspring if we continue the course?  

Perhaps, if our leaders and the heads of big oil, thought more about breastfeeding and the generation of little one's who benefit from it, then maybe, breast milk could save the world.