Eight Children

I had lunch the other day with an extraordinary woman, who is now 85, and raised 8 children! She delivered her last when she was 47. She breastfeed all of them until they were 6 months old, and all of this occurred in the day when there wasn’t as much support for breastfeeding. She made the switch to formula when they were about 6 months old and eating table food. They are all healthy adults.

The topic came up because one of her granddaughters has a one-year-old, and we were talking about how much support there is out there now compared to 40 and 50 years ago. But I must say, we still have a long way to go. There is more support now for sure, and yet even more is needed. I’m glad that there are lactation consultants available and breastfeeding support groups for moms to drop in on to get help. Let’s face it, for some moms, breastfeeding is difficult, and for others, it’s impossible.

I’m also relieved that there are safe options for babies who, for whatever reason, can’t breastfeed. Babies have to eat, and sometimes breastfeeding doesn’t work out, so having safe alternatives is essential. As moms, the last thing we need is something else to worry about.