In celebration of World Breastfeeding Week, I have a milestone to share. As of this month, I have been pregnant, breastfeeding, or both for ONE DECADE. Consecutively. Ten years that my body has been providing nourishment to someone other than myself. I share this because this is also my last World Breastfeeding Week as a nursing mom.

Trigger warning

This post contains discussion of content that could be triggering for people with pregnancy/childbirth/breastfeeding/chestfeeding/bottlefeeding/babyfeeding traumas or those who are triggered by discussion around medical abuse and mistreatment. Take care of you.

My parenting journey started in August 2013, when I found out I was pregnant with my oldest. I nursed him through my pregnancy with my middle kid and for several months after. My second continued to nurse through my pregnancy with my third, and again tandem nursed beyond her arrival. That’s three pregnancies with overlapping breastfeeding journeys over the span of a decade. If you’re trying to do the math, don’t worry; I break down the details on how old they were when they weaned below; just after the section about judgement. This past November, I had a hysterectomy, so no more babies for me…unless they come to our family by some other way than via my uterus, because I don’t have one of those anymore.