I have been looking through my photos of 2012, reflecting on the year that has been. I have been working on our Christmas letter: a summary of our year.

I found this photo, which I took in January this year. I love it. It is one of my favourite photos ever. I remember the day because it had been hectic, and sitting and feeding my baby was peaceful and wonderful. One of the things I loved about breastfeeding was that I could escape to peace and quiet, and just hold my child close to my heart and nourish them. I am grateful that the breastfeeding process was easy and enjoyable for me and my babies thrived on it so well.

I miss feeding my babies. I loved it so much.

I fed Elora until she was 21 months old. One day I offered her a feed and she turned away, saying ‘Yuck!’ I cannot explain the rejection I felt. With our other babies I was the one to stop the feeding, at 13 months and 26 months. That she chose to stop feeding is really a blessing, however. She knew what she wanted. I suffered a bit of heartache but it was the right thing for her, and that made me proud.

To think that I have spent seven years of my life growing and feeding babies!