Breast feeding
Baby Boy is nearly 15 months old and I breastfeed him still. I breastfeed him because we enjoy it and I think it is what is best for him (and its cheaper!). It annoys me when people ask me if I am ever going to stop feeding him or pass comment about how often he has breast milk.
When I was pregnant with Top Ender there was no question in my mind that I would breastfeed the baby growing inside of me. I hadn't ever really known anyone else who had breastfed, but I knew that it was what I wanted to do.
Top Ender latched on really well the first time she was offered my breast, I just had to hold my breast back a little from her face as she seemed to want to push her nose right in and suffocate herself! When my milk came in, she seemed to suck harder. I didn't know that she was sucking slightly wrong and it would cause me to have cracked and bleeding nipples. A couple of days passed and I started getting worried because Top Ender appeared to be sucking more blood than milk and of course the pain was excruciating.
My Health Visitor noticed and gave me some advice and even popped back that evening to drop in a free sample of Lansinoh that she had been given by a rep after she had seen me. After a few days they healed and I was once again able to feed Top Ender without pain and blood.
Baby Boy was completely different. He didn't seem interested in the breast when it was first offered and so I tried again a few minutes later where he took it and again was only interested in it for a few moments before he decided to ignore it again. It was only later that he really took to feeding.
Baby Boy now knows that he is allowed to have milk before his nap in the morning and afternoon and before bed in the evening. He still wakes up in the night and he has milk then too. He knows when he is getting sleepy and if I am not with him he comes up to me asks to sit on my knee and then asks for "boob" and just in case I don't know what he means he points at my breast too.
Baby Boy and I will continue feeding until he decides that he wants to give up. Top Ender was about eighteen months when she stopped feeding and it made me sad that we no longer had that link and I am not looking forward to the day that Baby Boy decides to stop as he will no longer be Baby Boy, but Little Boy.
When I was pregnant with Top Ender there was no question in my mind that I would breastfeed the baby growing inside of me. I hadn't ever really known anyone else who had breastfed, but I knew that it was what I wanted to do.
Top Ender latched on really well the first time she was offered my breast, I just had to hold my breast back a little from her face as she seemed to want to push her nose right in and suffocate herself! When my milk came in, she seemed to suck harder. I didn't know that she was sucking slightly wrong and it would cause me to have cracked and bleeding nipples. A couple of days passed and I started getting worried because Top Ender appeared to be sucking more blood than milk and of course the pain was excruciating.
My Health Visitor noticed and gave me some advice and even popped back that evening to drop in a free sample of Lansinoh that she had been given by a rep after she had seen me. After a few days they healed and I was once again able to feed Top Ender without pain and blood.
Baby Boy was completely different. He didn't seem interested in the breast when it was first offered and so I tried again a few minutes later where he took it and again was only interested in it for a few moments before he decided to ignore it again. It was only later that he really took to feeding.
Baby Boy now knows that he is allowed to have milk before his nap in the morning and afternoon and before bed in the evening. He still wakes up in the night and he has milk then too. He knows when he is getting sleepy and if I am not with him he comes up to me asks to sit on my knee and then asks for "boob" and just in case I don't know what he means he points at my breast too.
Baby Boy and I will continue feeding until he decides that he wants to give up. Top Ender was about eighteen months when she stopped feeding and it made me sad that we no longer had that link and I am not looking forward to the day that Baby Boy decides to stop as he will no longer be Baby Boy, but Little Boy.
I too am "still" breastfeeding my RainbowBoy who is also 15mths. This morning I was asked if it felt "weird" feeding now that he's not a baby any more. I tried my best to educate about feeding ages throughout the world, saying that most countries breastfeed until the baby is 4+ and it's not uncommon to see mothers feeding 7 year olds. It makes me sad that we (as in the UK, not us of course) see breastfeeding as something you should do only when the baby is tiny (and even then it should be done indoors!)
ReplyDeleteYup couldn't agree more, I say the same.
ReplyDeleteLuckily as I am already seen as an oddity for making my own Baby food they expect me to do these "odd" things!