Confessions of a No-longer Breast Feeding Mom

I need to get personal for a few minutes. I feel like we have that kind of relationship by now, don't we? Here it goes...

Five weeks. That was all the milk my body could muster. I dealt with it in my own adult-like way (weeping and sobbing), accepted it for what it was (nature failed me!), packed up the pump (thank the Lord for THAT), put away the breast pads, and moved on to bottles.

But... I couldn't put away my nursing bra. It is the MOST comfortable bra I own. And it shows. It’s white -- mostly -- but does contain some stains in certain areas (what? My baby has projectile vomit, and it usually ends up on me… and down my chest … and all over the white nursing bra!), and while it’s clean (really -- it is), it looks filthy! It’s well loved, and well worn, and my confession is... (insert dramatic drum roll) I still use it. Three months after I stopped breast feeding. In fact, I always reach for it first when I get dressed, and I wear it most days (except for when it’s in the wash). In fact, I have it on right now.

So -- it was quite an embarrassing surprise to me, when I became ill... so ill that I went to the doctor ... last week ... in a frantic attempt to get better ... with drugs. I had a sinus infection that was sinking into my chest and turning into bronchitis. And to my HORROR, the doctor asked me to lift my shirt so he could listen to my lungs. "Um... is it necessary," I questioned. "Yes, I need to know what’s going on in your chest." Needless to say, I was wearing "that" bra.

Oh, how I hung my head in shame while deeply breathing in ... and breathing out.

Lessons learned: NEVER purchase a WHITE nursing bra; NEVER wear an ugly, yucky bra of any kind to a doctor's appointment.

I guess it’s time to grow up and go bra shopping.

Sigh.