Sarah Anthony
"I have been breast-feeding my six-year-old and my one-year-old since the days they were born. I always dreamed of tandem breast-feeding before I had children. The best part about breastfeeding is the lifelong health benefits of breastmilk are the best gift I can give my children. I always knew breastmilk was the best food to nourish my children. My mom breastfed me and her mom breastfed her. The bond we share as a result of breastfeeding is also very important. The hardest part about breastfeeding was the beginning challenges of lip and tongue tie revisions, my milk taking 5 days to come in, oversupply, mastitis, and thrush. My commitment to breastfeeding no matter what helped me the most in my breastfeeding journey. My best advice to new moms is to push through any challenges in the beginning and it will get easier and be well worth it. Get lactation support if you need it. I received great community support from Oakland County Breastfeeding Coalition. A pediatrician once told me that my son’s difficulty listening to me was because he was still being breast-fed at age 3. (At age 5 he was diagnosed with ADHD and I’m certain his behavior at the appointment with the pediatrician had more to do with his condition.) My hope it that more pediatricians and other medical and non-medical professionals working with moms and children will be increasingly supported in continuing their education of normalizing breastfeeding."