Breastfeeding. The most beautiful thing the world. Absolutely (once you and babe figure it out… but I digress). But it the things it does to your grey matter… To wit:
“Why can I not complete a coherent sentence?”
Jane, writing when Cinder was two months old
“I was working towards a salient, cohesive point here, but it’s just been sucked out through my nipples.”
Jane, writing when Flora was five months old
“I had a superbly well-articulated argument for what the real cause of this was and had to take a break to nurse tha’ baby and I think he sucked the idea out of my head.”
Jane, writing when Ender was six months old
And finally, she sums it all up:
“My brain is leaking out through my nipples.”
Jane, writing when Ender was nine months old
N.B. Ender is now officially a weanie. I need to start searching for new excuses…
Photos: Mother and Child by naturemandala; Bernardino Luini – Nursing Madonna.
More like this–I don’t write an awful lot about breastfeeding anymore, and I cringe a bit when I read what I used to write about breastfeeding, but Why Isn’t It Natural is still a pretty powerful post…
For funny nurslings-and-boobiesuckers stories, check out From the mouths of nurslings, The most important word and Nipple malaria.
For evidence-based information about “what’s normal” while breastfeeding and weaning and support, get thee to KellyMom or The Leaky Boob.
Nothing By The Book 
Jane, I never did breast feed, but had a similar experience with my mind and thoughts, in fact I still do. Since I had my kids, I would forget my head if it were screwed on, lol!!
Maybe it’s interrupted sleep then? Or the pace of life that rarely lets you finish or a sentence or a thought? When I was little, whenever I had a cold, I thought my brain was leaking out through my nipples, so I suppose it was very natural to extend the metaphor here!
Yes . . . that about sums it up! I went from being able to actually hold my own in an adult conversation to being like . . . “ummm . . . huh?”
Thanks so much for linking up to the More Than Mommies Mixer on Friday! Hope you had a great time and found some great blogs as well as had a few new readers discover you! Hope to see you back again next week!
Janene from More Than Mommies
Thanks, Janene, ’twas fun.
Jane, you’re a riot! Love the line, “my brain was leaking through my nipples.” Maybe that’s why I forgot to turn off the oven countless times while trying to cook dinner and feed my baby my boob. Soooo happy those nursing days are long gone!
Weaning has, the first two times, been a very bittersweet experience for me–relief mingled with regret and all that. Not this time. Happy to have done it: so happy that stage is over. (Desperately mourning my formerly bouncy boobs. Do they ever come back? Sigh.)
I hear ya. I’m desperately wishing there was a way to inflate my boobs again too!
LOL. How did I miss this the first time? I’m planning to splurge on some 21st century bra technology. 😛
Oh my word – you are hilarious! I am in the same boat as you – I weaned my child almost a year ago, and I still can’t seem to get it together! Nipple Malaria has me laughing. I’m heading over now to read!!
Idea for future post: now that my brain *isn’t* leaking through my nipples, how can I excuse Mommy Brain?
Well you lost all of that brain capacity through your boobs and now your thoughts are divided between yourself, your three children, your writing ideas, your personal life (if/when you have one), your husband and his needs, your extended family, and your friends. You are trying to have it all – makes the brain a little fuzzy not knowing what to focus on. Back that up and just say your brain is now divided by your three children because thats plain and simple the reality – even if we are detached a little we still think about our children all of the time. I think I read somewhere that our brains are actually growing in this stage. I breastfed with only small breaks for 5 years and I still hve to write everything down but not to the same extent. You are very funny my friend!