Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget,
I will not forget you!
Isaiah 49:15
I've been thinking a lot about this Scripture over the last few weeks as Zoe and I have been learning our breastfeeding dance. Lactation experts call it a dance because even though it should be the most natural thing that should come to a mother and child, it is actually a learned skill that needs to be practiced in the context of a relationship.
Once you get your rhythm established and your milk comes in, there's no way you can forget about your baby. You need her, as much as she needs you. There's no amount of pumping that can replace a nursing baby. When it's been too long between feedings, there's a sense of urgency that develops and I cannot rest until we're together again. I love that God uses this as a picture of the relationship He wants with us. He needs us as we need Him.
Compare to feeding with a bottle. It gets the baby fed, but it is not the ideal. The baby doesn't have to work nearly as hard, and does not reap all the benefits that could be received through a breastfeeding relationship. It's an alternative that can never fully satisfy. I wonder, is that how I'm relating to God? Am I looking for something easier that meets my basic needs but doesn't go any deeper than that? How could I not want to enter into deeper relationship with the one who needs me as much as I need Him?
2 comments:
I just wanted to clarify that I fed my three other children with bottles and formula. I attempted breastfeeding with them all, but it just wasn't something I could get to work or was ready to commit to at the time. This time, I was ready to establish a breastfeeding relationship at any cost. I have emerged from 6 weeks of struggling through injury, pain, infections, oversupply, and engorgement and have finally reached a point where I am receiving the benefit.
Breast vs bottle can be a very emotional topic, and this post was not intended to be a criticism of those who bottlefeed, but to present a wonderful picture of the ideal relationship God wants to have with us. For those of us who tried and ended up taking the less-than-ideal alternative, I want to encourage with the truth that God is Redeemer and He will buy back what the Enemy has stolen, if you lift it up to Him.
I too have tried 3 times to breastfeed my girls. Everything always seemed to go wrong despite my best intentions. With Georgia, the midwives were surprised that I was even going to try after having worked with Maya and me. I intend on trying yet again and thank you for sharing your struggle. This time I will think of it as a dance as you have described and and work on that ideal relationship.
Hugs and prayers,
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