Hey Kathy,
So I started a blog. Of course it’s about breastfeeding! I wanted to find another outlet for some of these lactivist tendencies of mine. You’ve trained me well and I’m keeping my more ostreperous opinions out of the support communities – as it should be.
I was going through some of the old iVillage threads from back in first days of my posting at the Breastfeeding/Lactation Consultant – Ask the LC board. I’m trying to pull together several posts that explain how I came to breastfeeding and the issues I had surrounding my surgery when The Pipsqueak was first hatched.
As I was reading those threads I noticed something. No, it wasn’t how awesome you all were (I’ve known that for over 7 years now), though you did rock the information. It was that I never properly thanked you for all the time you invested in getting me the information that ultimately empowered me to push back on my healthcare providers and bring a wonderful hospital-based IBCLC onboard to help me manage my surgery in real life.
I thanked Paula.
I thanked Kelly.
I kept waiting for the post where I thanked you. “It’ll be the next one. OK, not that one. It’ll be the next one, the next one, then next one”, and then I was done. No more posts.
Holy CRAP!!
I never thanked you properly Kathy. I simply never thanked you and you were just as instrumental as any of the people involved in giving me the tools to stand up, have my voice heard. Because of each of you my baby received only a small amount of expressed breastmilk while I was in surgery and my supply issues weren’t exacerbated by a recommendation to pump a days worth of breastmilk ahead of time so I could pump and dump for 24 hours after surgery. I thanked everyone, except you.
I know how difficult it is to see someone else receiving thanks that should also be directed your way. I am so disappointed in myself that I did that to you.
So here I am, 7 years later late. Sending you the thanks that you so very much deserve and saying that I bless my lucky stars that when I went online I came to a community in which you were a leader. It is because of you that I nursed my second baby until she weaned herself just after her fifth birthday. It is because of you that I became such a lactivist.
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You are toooo much Carol!! I don’t think I ever noticed the lack of a thank you but it’s very sweet that you did and are saying it now. I usually get all the thanks I need when I see mothers and babies go on to have happy breastfeeding experiences. And believe me, it’s only by the grace of God that I have been put in the path of so many women who taught me well. I doubt I ever came up with an original thought that wasn’t brought to me by some awesome strong woman advocate for moms and babies. One of the most wonderfully overwhelming blessings of my life has been all the great women who have touched me……..like you Carol. Many thanks sweetie HUG