Miranda Kerr and me

Miranda Kerr with newborn Flynn (January 2011).

Remember this pic of Miranda Kerr breastfeeding her newborn baby Flynn? I stumbled across this recently and what was interesting to me was how my perspective on it has changed.

When I first saw this pic I was about halfway through my pregnancy and really had no idea of what I was in for. At the time I thought Miranda choosing this particular image as our first look at her baby was an odd choice and I wondered what picture I would send around when Stickybeak was born. I figured it would be a bit weird if I sent around a breastfeeding one but just to be sure I ran the idea past a colleague. Yep, it would be weird she said. But I guess the rules are different for supermodels*.

Fast forward a year and, my, how things have changed! When I saw the image again recently what immediately struck me was the position of her hand. In my previous post Parenting, it's all in the wrist, I wrote about my wrist problems and her pic is an excellent example of how it happens.

Lots of things combined to cause my injury but breastfeeding was the main culprit. It just took so long in the beginning (up to an hour was the norm) and I was using the football hold which had me cradling his head the whole time ... not good**. I was also so focused on the baby (is he latched ok? ouch that hurts should I try again? he isn't suffocating is he? Is he getting enough milk?) that my own comfort didn't really get a look in and by the time I noticed a problem it was too late. And you know what really sucks, I recently cleaned out all the baby-related pamphlets I collected during my pregnancy and among them was one from the hospital warning against wrist injuries. It even had pictures of what not to do which looked a lot like Miranda's image above. If only I had paid attention! But, what can I say, cortisone is a marvellous thing.

As for her releasing breastfeeding photos, all feelings of weirdness have vanished. I am still not about to send around pics of me doing it but I really appreciate that she did. Once I was ready to try different holds I went off searching for breastfeeding images for inspiration, so it is great to see photos of other women doing it (hear that Facebook?). Now with the benefit of hindsight I am impressed that Miranda could pull off a lying down position so soon because it took me a couple of months at least before it worked for me.
And all of this is a roundabout way of saying that so much has changed for me in a year (I talk about breastfeeding holds for one thing!) and it's funny how one image encapsulates that.

*The rules are always different for supermodels.

**I highly recommend breastfeeding pillows.

-- Natalie