There are small clusters of women in the world who make life bearable for one another. Often we call them friends, confidants, or simply "The Girls".
I knew breastfeeding AG would be satisfactory as far as health and nutrition. I knew that many women found the experience to be highly rewarding emotionally and hoped that would be true for us. I had no idea it would lead me to a group of women who I can trust with this little piece of my soul that lives outside my body!
So much of motherhood in the media and the "outside" world is portrayed as superficial and pretentious. I had expected to find much of the same in a small meeting room in the basement of the local hospital. It didn't matter at the time; I had a three week old baby, I was in pain, sleep deprived, rather alone* and terrified. I needed help even if it did come with superficial nonsense.
Instead I found a room full of women who just two weeks prior had bawled together over exactly what I was going through. They had taken off the mask and exposed themselves to reality, together. Since then more mothers, with even younger babies, have joined in and yet the sense of raw and sometimes brutal reality has not left us. Motherhood is hard. Breastfeeding is hard. Together it's a little less hard.
These women, and of course their beautiful children, have become a huge portion of my "village". I look forward to seeing updates about the kiddos and life in general. I relish our time together. There is absolutely no way for me to share with them how very much they mean in my life. All I can do is to continue to try being a supportive and real part of their's.
Ladies, you are the very best!
*Sweetie deserves credit here. He has never left my side. At this point he was doing not only his job but my job as well. Plus, two of our employees also had brand new babies so lives were crazy all around. He was doing everything possible to hold it together and did very well, considering all he was up against.
