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A core concept of Conscious Breastfeeding is Simplicity…Getting Back to the Basics.

Contemplating what Simplicity means in our daily lives reminded me of my own search for a zen simplicity during my travels throughout Japan.  Fascinated by the hot springs or onsens that dotted this volcanic country, I bought a book “A Guide to Japanese Hot Springs” that led me on  an adventure moving through roads less travelled in search of the most rustic springs I could find.   I was especially fond of the rotenburos which were set in the mountains and were outside in nature.  I stayed in Minshukus or family run bed and breakfast establishments. This was the most authentic experience of what life used to be like in Japan and was a far cry from the crowds and neon of Tokyo and the other large cities.  Being one with Nature was extremely peaceful and relaxing.

One one occasion, when my language skills were rudimentary at best I was served the traditional Japanese breakfast of a small fish, miso soup, nori seaweed rice and a raw egg.  Thankfully the hostess asked first.  The nurse in me could not find much appeal in that raw egg and I tried to decline.  At first she didn’t understand me.  With very simple logic and equally simple Japanese I created a new expression:  Tamago is egg and Sashimi is raw fish…so I called it “Tamago Sashimi” and she got my meaning.

That experience taught me a valuable life lesson…distilling language, ideas and information down to simpler forms makes for better communication.  It has powerfully informed my practice with moms and their babies over these past 22+ years.

Albert Einstein is credited with having said…
~Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler~  I fully agree.

As a breastfeeding mother you are travelling in new circles…not necessarily a foreign land, but there are certain parallels.  You are learning to interpret the communications from your baby as you teach them your own formal language. Breastfeeding itself has its own lexicon of terms with which you are becoming familiar:  latch-on, rooting, hunger cues, hind milk, foremilk, let-down, pumping, growth spurts etc. Add on the endless array of gadgets and the stress of weight checks and percentiles and you are a far cry from experiencing the simplicity which is supposed to be found in a breastfeeding relationship.

The elegance of the female body is that is designed to both grow your babies and sustain them beyond their time in the womb…one stop shopping if you will.  Unfortunately, we live in a culture that places such a high value on technology that over reliance on pumping, etc. can diminish our confidence in our bodies and over-complicate the entire experience of breastfeeding.

The inherent simplicity of breastfeeding should afford you quality time with your babies.  Cherish this unique opportunity to be quiet in the course of your day.  It is breastfeeding, not pumping, that connects you with your body’s inner wisdom. Your milk supply is developed in direct response to actually feeding your babies.

Pumping does have a place, but in the beginning of your breastfeeding journey the primary focus should always be on relishing the profound simplicity of just breastfeeding.  Build your milk supply and experience on a solid foundation.

When you reduce the complications and distractions and are focused on your connection with your baby, you will find the simplicity that is…Conscious Breastfeeding.

In the Celtic calendar, 5.01, May Day, marks the mid way point between the Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice.  According to Selena Fox  in her 1997 workshop ”…it is a time of divination and communion with Fairy Folk/Nature Spirits.”

May Day started for me with a tearful message left on my answering service.  This “Mayday call” signaled the distress of yet another new mother and the imminent end of her breastfeeding journey.  In spite of having hired several lactation experts, she had never had a successful latch until she had worked with me on the previous day.  Her confidence had been shaken by weeks of frustration and lack of progress.  She had been pumping and using gadgets (nipple shield, SNS) since her daughter’s birth and was discouraged from thinking she would ever be a successful breastfeeding mother.  She now knew it was possible.  However, she was truly at her wits end because she could not replicate the latch on her own. 

This mom, baby and her husband had embraced the principles of Conscious Breastfeeding but the habits of several weeks were hard to change overnight.  A lot of tears were shed.  Patience and consistency were required to teach her daughter the skill of breastfeeding.  Invoking my inner Irish and the energy of the day, we worked together as a team to rebuild this mom’s confidence and establish new Conscious Breastfeeding Connections.

May Day ended with a very different call from this now joyful breastfeeding mom.   With a nod to the Fairy Folk, the magical alchemy of nature, nurture and our combined intention had brought success.