nip update- holiday version

We've come a long way from the first days of nursing in public. How do I know? Reflecting on our recent holiday dinner.

Perhaps some people don't consider nursing in front of family the same as nursing out in the general public, but I do. My family is not the most open and sharing. My parents were not at my birth, holding my legs as the baby popped out. After Toddler B was born, my mother advised that I get "properly dressed" and not try to nurse in front of my brother-in-law because it "made him nervous" (which it didn't, and I didn't). Nursing in front of my father during a trip this summer stressed me out to no end.

But on Tuesday, at our Hannukkah dinner, I realized I didn't care anymore. Baby S wants to eat? No problem. I sat myself down on the couch, popped my boob out, and fed her. I didn't bother to try to cover up- what was there to see? I didn't feel nervous, or stressed. I didn't think about what my father, or brother, or mother would think. I just did what I had to do.

I think that my family is more comfortable with it as well. A couple of months ago, my dad and brother would notice me nursing and make excuses to walk out of the room. Now they stay. They're not sitting next to me, but they don't leave the room. I think this is great! Look at how far we have all come, as a family! Nobody talks about it, but it's clear that it has become a normal occurrence. I hope that my sister and sister-in-law notice this- when it comes time for them to nurse, hopefully they won't feel as nervous as I did in the beginning.

I'm happy that I spent all that time forcing myself to do it, and to be comfortable with it. Yay to me and yay to us!