Breastfeeding :: You’re STILL Doing that?!?!

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If you would have talked to me about extended breastfeeding just five years ago, my exact response would have been something along the lines of…  “Ew.”  I just could not wrap my head around how a mom would let a toddler…with TEETH…still nurse?!?  More times than I would like to admit, I think I even uttered the words, “If they are old enough to ask for it, then they are too old to get it!”

Well…my fifteen month old daughter literally just walked up to me asking for “night night” {read :: nurse me to sleep} right before nap, and I happily obliged.  Now, if you’ll just excuse me while I go insert my foot in my mouth.

Extended breastfeeding certainly isn’t something I went into motherhood thinking I would ever do.  Like Chelsea and Heather, my original goal was six months…or until teeth…whichever came first.  But then we found out about Hayes’s omphalocele diagnosis, and my whole selfish attitude on motherhood changed in an instant.  It was no longer about me and what was easiest or most comfortable.  Now, it was all about sacrificing myself to do whatever was best for this little baby I was bringing into the world.

And I knew that without a doubt, breast milk was best.

It was the ONE thing that I could provide him that would help him get big and strong.  Nature’s best medicine, and custom made just for my little man.  But unfortunately, I was up against just about EVERY challenge there was… Thyroid disorder?  Got it.  C-section delivery?  Yup.  NICU stay?  Uh-huh.  The list went on and on.  But you know what?  I had one thing under my belt that trumped those all – determination.

To say it was an easy road would be a complete and total lie.  At the beginning, I suffered through round the clock power pumping and bloody nipples and a debilitating case of mastitis.  And that was all before Hayes even made it home from the NICU!  But we slowly {verrry slowly} got into the swing of things, and Hayes officially made the transition from bottles of pumped milk in the NICU to direct breast at home.  And all the while, I kept seeing the benefits that come with breastfeeding unfold first hand.

Did you know that babies who are breastfed…

• Have a reduced risk of infection, stomach problems, allergies, and asthma
• Have a reduced risk of SIDS
• Are provided with the most easily digested food made just for them
• Are given a boost for healthy growth and development
• Have a reduced risk of developing obesity and diabetes
• Benefit from mom’s immunities too!

And that’s just for baby!  Personally, I loved the fact that breastfeeding…

• Provided the most special bond between me and my babe
• Released feel good hormones that helped relieve the stresses of new motherhood
• Saved me TONS of money in formula
• Oh, and did I mention – got me to well below pre-pregnancy weight by my eight week postpartum visit!  WOOT!

By the time I reached that original six month goal, I couldn’t imagine stopping.  And when my little guy got his first tooth at nine months old, it just took him one or two times of biting to learn that the only thing THAT would get him is a quick unlatch and no more milk.  Hayes was healthy and happy, and I was officially a full-blown breastfeeding advocate.  There was NO stopping us anytime soon!

Well, Hayes is now three years old – and no, he is no longer nursing.  In fact, he weaned himself completely by the time he reached sixteen months old.  It was such a beautiful and natural transition where he gradually just dropped a feed at a time, until he lost interest all together.  No tears or deprivation for him…and no engorgement or pain for me.  Just as it should be.

And this second time around with my daughter?  Well…it has been an absolute BREEZE!  She latched just minutes after delivery, my milk supply came in by the end of that day, and we have been going strong ever since.  Of course, she is her own little person, and the whole breastfeeding experience has been completely different with her.  She went through bottle strikes where I couldn’t leave her for more than a few hours…and I once again suffered from not one, but TWO cases of mastitis.  Oh, and our biggest hurdle?  She doesn’t seem to want to wean…at all.  If it were up to her, she would still nurse around the clock like a newborn.

While some moms may be totally fine with that, it just doesn’t logistically make sense for us.  We are busy bodies – constantly out and about and in situations where nursing a toddler just isn’t a good fit.  So like with all things parenting, I have had to set some pretty firm boundaries and maintain consistency.  For instance, we only nurse at home on the comfort of our own couch.  That doesn’t mean she doesn’t request “night night” or go reaching down into my shirt more often than I’d like, but I just use that as a cue that some of her needs aren’t being met.  So I offer her a drink out of her cup, or a small snack, or make a note that she is getting tired.  And we get through it.  No big deal!

Honestly, my biggest struggle nowadays are the naysayers that I am constantly encountering.  I find it wildly ironic that there is this HUGE push to breastfeed right now, and if you don’t – you’re critiqued, judged, and asked a million questions.  But if you choose to breastfeed, you better cut it out by a year – or you’re questioned and made to feel bad too.  It’s like on Day 365, you just have to quit everything you have worked so hard for cold turkey.  Otherwise, you’ll get “You’re STILL breastfeeding her?” … “When are you going to stop?” … or my personal favorite, “Are you doing it for her – or for YOU?”  While we all know that we don’t owe these critics explanations, sometimes it’s helpful to bring up the extensive research that proves the relationship between higher IQ scores and extended breastfeeding.  Just saying.

Throughout these past four. years. straight. that I have been either pregnant or breastfeeding {not that I’m counting or anything}, I have come to this conclusion…  Breastfeeding is hard work.  Let me say that again – it is HARD work!!!  But for me, all of the sacrifices and all of the challenges have been so well worth it.  I have two beautiful, thriving kids, and I hope that my milk played just a little part in shaping them into the little people they are today!

:: Photo Credit – Momma’s Gonna SNAP Photography ::

Please Note :: We are so very thankful to have A Woman’s Work sponsoring our entire breastfeeding series! They believe that bearing and nurturing children is some of the most important work in the world, and we could not agree more.  If you are searching for products, services, and resources for birth, breastfeeding, and beyond – we urge you to check them out both online and in store!

A Woman’s Work

4101 Greenbriar Suite 210
Houston, TX 77098

713.524.3700