Hello! I’m Erika, a mother of two breast and bottle fed children. I remember thinking, early on in both pregnancies, how badly I wanted to breastfeed for the first year of my children’s lives. It was a journey I knew would be difficult, but it was one I was committed to.
Neither of my kids made it to 6 months. It was REALLY hard to keep up with, even with pumping constantly. My biggest challenge was, I had no time off. No real maternity leave at my previous job. With my first born, I had only 6 paid days off, then I had to work from home 32 hours a week. I tried to breastfeed at my desk but it was almost impossible to keep up with.
With no government mandated support for paid maternity leave, I had no choice but to end my journey with breastfeeding in order to keep my sanity. And my second born was no different.
So why am I telling you all of this? This isn’t to get you to feel bad for me. Not at all. My children are healthy and I kept my sanity with the decisions I made.
I am posting this because it’s World Breastfeeding Week and National Breastfeeding Month. I want to honor all of the mamas out there on their breastfeeding journey. I want to help normalize breastfeeding, end the stigma of doing so in public spaces, and donate to a cause that is working to support mothers from pregnancy through their child’s second birthday, via 1000 Days.
“The first 1,000 days are a time of tremendous potential and enormous vulnerability. How well or how poorly mothers and children are nourished and cared for during this time has a profound impact on a child’s ability to grow, learn and thrive. This is because the first 1,000 days are when a child’s brain begins to grow and develop and when the foundations for their lifelong health are built.“
“Studies show that countries that fail to invest in the well-being of women and children in the first 1,000 days lose billions of dollars to lower economic productivity and higher health costs. It is why several of the world’s leading economists have called for greater investments in the nutrition and well-being of mothers, babies, and toddlers as a way to create brighter and more prosperous futures for us all.“
Through the month of August, we will be donating $100 per breastfeeding/family session booked to 1000 Days to support their mission investing in the well-being of mothers and their children.
Share your journey with me!
https://go.oncehub.com/erikaschoof
Erika Schoof has over 10 years’ experience as a photography studio and production manager. Learn more about our studio at allebachphotography.com or by texting 610.539.6920. Join our facebook group here