Penelope Cruz is still basking in her post-pregnancy glow that's a combination of not getting enough sleep but figuring it out because newborn babies are amazing little beings who have this power. The sight and smell of them could turn just about anyone into a pile of mushy love. No one knows that feeling better than new moms.
Penelope's daughter Luna (with husband Javier Bardem) was born in July. And she admits that she is addicted to breastfeeding. I completely understand that addiction.
Thirty-nine-year-old Penelope breastfed her son Leonardo for 13 months, and she plans on going the distance with daughter Luna. She told Allure magazine, "[Nursing] is addictive. It's hard when the day comes when you have to stop."
I can relate. Breastfeeding is a magical thing, an experience between mother and child that is unlike anything in this world. There is a bond that happens that defies words. There is the cuddling, the flow of oxytocin, being so close to that new baby smell ... it can be slightly intoxicating in the most beautiful way. The oxytocin produced when you nurse is that feel-good hormone that literally feels as if you are being filled with love. And you are. Filled with breast milk, that nourishes your baby. It's as if it's super-human. Even stopping breastfeeding can lead to depression. Because you miss that -- the bond, the cuddling, the scent, the feeling.
When I was breastfeeding my twins, I remember the emotions I felt. Amazing stuff. I miss it. I miss the morning cuddling, that baby drunk look after they would nurse. I miss that bond, that sense of purpose in a whole different way. If ever I were having a bad day at work, I'd come home and nurse my kids and it was like all the stress was instantly melting away. Breastfeeding is addicting. A magical addiction.
Can your relate? Did you find breastfeeding addicting?
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