Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Big Latch On 2012


I waited ALL week for Saturday, August 4th and The Big Latch On 2012. It was also the day of the Tucson Baby Fair and our Big Latch On event was being held in the same building! I think I made my husband crazy talking about it so much. I just thought it was so awesome to get to be a part of something so big. Would we set a new World Record? Would there be many moms there? I was so full of anticipation and I couldn't wait!

 
I'm the one in the white shirt!


Speaking of breastfeeding, maybe THIS is the reason why Josie hasn't weaned herself yet? Maybe she was just waiting for me to get to participate in The Big Latch On? I've been wondering when Josie is going to wean for quite some time now and yes, I know she is only 15 months old. My son self weaned at 12 months and Violet weaned at 15 months. I think in my mind, 15 months was sort of the cap off, which is ridiculous. It's perfectly normal and even recommended for a 15 month old to be nursing still. My reasons for weaning are purely selfish. I never lose my baby weight completely until I stop nursing. I am carrying around 30 pounds that I would rather not be and I just wonder how much longer am I going to be fluffy? Does anyone else experience nursing issues like mine? It's like my body just holds on for dear life in case anything jeopardizes my milk supply. It is beyond frustrating. I don't over eat, I've been working out and yet, the scale doesn't budge. And it works both ways. If I eat cake all day, the scale doesn't go up. If I eat salads all day, the scale doesn't go down. It has stayed the exact same weight and I am so sick of seeing the same number. It sounds insane, but I cant explain it! I'm just going to have to be fat and happy for awhile longer because there is no way Josie is ready to wean. She is still nursing all day and night and NEEDS my comfort. I cant take that from her no matter how badly I want to be thinner. I only get to nurse her for a sort period of time and I'm going to enjoy that.


Anyways, back to The Big Latch On! We got to the Baby Fair at 9 am when it started and decided to check out all the vendors. The latch on wasn't until 10:30 so we got to kill some time. The kids got to eat ice cream at 9 am and popcorn, lucky ducks! We got tons of freebies and I was so so happy to see nursing pad samples and Lansinoh milk bags being handed out! There was a ton of pamphlets and information being given out to mamas and it made my heart sing. I went to this same baby fair about 13 years ago with my aunt when she was pregnant and I distinctly remember my aunt getting a ton of formula samples. It's so refreshing to see it being turned around for the mamas of the world. I even got a coupon for $5.00 off any nursing bra at a local breastfeeding shop! Score! After I hit up all the booths, filled my bag with goodies and entered all the raffles, the kids played in the bounce houses and got their faces painted while we waited until closer to 10:20. A little after 10, we wrangled the kids, put their shoes back on and headed for the exit.


Just as I was opening up the door to the hallway, I was telling my Husband I wasn't sure where they would be. I stopped myself short because as soon as I opened the door, I saw mamas waiting to latch on! I got to meet so many mamas from my online meet up group called Mindful Mamas and also a facebook group called Badass Breastfeeders of Tucson. It was awesome to put a face with their names and they were amazing women. It made me even more happy that we came to be a part of this event. All of their little ones were just to die for and I could not stop smiling. I kept thinking what a wonderful thing we were all gathering to do! Our congressman Ron Barber even came! That made me want to support him even more! At 10:30 we latched for a minute and it was such a peaceful minute. It got quiet and everyone just nourished their babies. The pictures are breathtaking and I seriously just feel so proud. Proud that I have stuck with breastfeeding this long even though I want to lose weight. I am proud of the body that MADE my child and then continues to nourish her day in and day out. Being at this event made me realize I don't have to rush and I dont have to be a stick. If I keep working hard, it will eventually come off and until then, who cares? I feel beautiful and my husband thinks I am too and those are the only 2 opinions that matter!


After the Big Latch On we all snacked on lactation cookies that our hosts made and they were wonderful! If anyone is interested in the recipe, they did give it to us so I could post it here. We also found out that there were 23 mamas there. I am so beyond proud of those 23 mamas, but I cant help but wonder where everyone else was. I mean, 23 really isn't THAT big of a number in the grand scheme of things. It made my heart a little sad that more mamas didn't participate. Maybe they didn't know? Maybe they didn't care? or worse, were there really that little of nursing moms in Tucson? I know of some cities that had over 100 moms show up! I can only hope that word of mouth will make The Big Latch On bigger and bigger every year. I also know that next year I plan on doing everything I can to promote it and make sure other moms know about it! I really think there just isn't enough word of mouth.


Yesterday I found out that we DID set the NEW World Record for moms latched on: 8862!!! Way to go to moms! 

Did you attend a Big Latch On event in your area? How many moms were there?

Our Congressman Ron Barber!

Danielle

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