My admiration for a special mom

I must first start off saying all moms are special. This we know. But every once in a while a certain mom will touch me in a unique way.

I have the pleasure of knowing a mom who society may normally be a little bit "tougher" one. But I can tell you, it seems no one challenges her harder than she challenges herself.

She is a young mom. Perhaps she may not have chosen to be a mother at the young age she did. But she embraced her pregnancy in a beautiful way. She was embraced by her family wholesomely. She embraced and rocked the birth stronger than she thought she would and I think more than anyone else there imagined she would. She feel madly in love with her baby the moment she held her. She mothers with ease, just as natural as everything else she has ever done in life, as if she has done it before. Breastfeeding was the only option to feeding this baby and low and behold, it did not get off to a good start. But the determination and desire to provide breastmilk for her child meant she accepted help, ideas and recommendations to get her and baby on the right track.

This mother also had dreams of going off to school. Many people would have assumed a young mother to set that aside. to be too overwhelmed with mothering to consider adding school to the mix. Mothering is hard work, let alone classrooms, homework, getting work placements, etc. But this mom accepts that challenge. I told you she challenges herself more than others might. She has made arrangements for childcare as well as worked out a schedule to be able to continue to breastfeed, pumping as needed but only as absolutely needed, instead trying to limit the amount of feeds away from the breast directly. And when she has extra milk, she is also donating to other moms and babies in need!

I do not think that this mom knows that she is doing anything that other moms would not do. I do not she thinks much more about it other than she is doing what needs to be done to combine her mothering with her education. But I want her to know she is doing a heck of a job. I want her to know that I often hear moms say they had to stop breastfeeding because they had to go back to school. Or they had to give up school so they could breastfeed. Or they could not breastfeed because they did not get a maternity leave and had to work. Breastfeeding can be really easy to quit. But when breastfeeding is a huge part of how you mother, it cannot just be quit.

Anyways, that is just a little ramble about a mom who touches my heart with her dedication to herself, her baby and her family. You know who you are ;)