Yup, I'm still breast feeding my, now 14 month old son. He's not weaning, he's nursing less because he's eating solid foods but, he still nurses 3-4 times/day and throughout the night. Over the next year, I expect that to gradually dwindle but, he can nurse until he decides he's done.
Why? Because it's good for him. It decreases his risk of many, many different illnesses and afflictions and supports his immune system.
In 14 months, this kid has been sick twice and only had very mild versions of what the rest of our family had. While we were all sick for a week, Reef recovered in a day or two and we wondered if he was even sick at all or just happened to be teething because his symptoms were so mild.
This is important for 2 reasons:
1. Who wants a sick baby? Not me! I want him to be happy and heathy.
2. Kai is immune suppressed. If there is a cold or virus to be caught, she'll catch it and that means hospital time and the possibility of rejection.
I nursed Kai up until her surgery, at which point there were too many factors working against it and, try as I did, she refused to continue nursing. I pumped until she was almost a year old so she could get as much of a benefit from my milk as possible. I was heart-broken when she prematurely weaned because I felt it was the one thing I could do for her.
I love that I can still nurse Reef and give him the comfort and nourishment only a Momma can give. He won't nurse forever and, in fact, he's wanting to be put down to explore and walk around on his own, more and more. This is our special time to snuggle together and, like so many other moments in childhood, it is fleeting.
Why? Because it's good for him. It decreases his risk of many, many different illnesses and afflictions and supports his immune system.
In 14 months, this kid has been sick twice and only had very mild versions of what the rest of our family had. While we were all sick for a week, Reef recovered in a day or two and we wondered if he was even sick at all or just happened to be teething because his symptoms were so mild.
This is important for 2 reasons:
1. Who wants a sick baby? Not me! I want him to be happy and heathy.
2. Kai is immune suppressed. If there is a cold or virus to be caught, she'll catch it and that means hospital time and the possibility of rejection.
I nursed Kai up until her surgery, at which point there were too many factors working against it and, try as I did, she refused to continue nursing. I pumped until she was almost a year old so she could get as much of a benefit from my milk as possible. I was heart-broken when she prematurely weaned because I felt it was the one thing I could do for her.
I love that I can still nurse Reef and give him the comfort and nourishment only a Momma can give. He won't nurse forever and, in fact, he's wanting to be put down to explore and walk around on his own, more and more. This is our special time to snuggle together and, like so many other moments in childhood, it is fleeting.
2 comments:
I think it's fabulous that you are still nursing. :) We originally planned on nursing Aiden until 1, and then until 2 (plans change as you learn more, you know!), and at 2 and a half, he's still nursing strong. This child is very attached to his "mommy's milk." No signs of weaning anytime soon, and it's not something we're going to force. I realize that our plans to get pregnant in the future *could* affect this (or maybe not). Aiden, of course, is sick a lot...well, we know now that all his "colds" have been from allergies (something I've wondered about since they began). So really, he has allergies but doesn't actually get sick like the rest of us. And anytime people ask about weaning, we've been able to say "the allergist said to nurse as long as possible" because of all his allergies, etc. So many reasons, but some people don't want to hear it unless "the dr" said to do so - and this usually gets them to back off easily. ;) Not that we've had problems w/ people...just questions (or that's all we've had to our faces). ;)
And you're right...it's very fleeting. Even nursing 3 years is a drop in the bucket when you think about how much time we potentially have with our children.
I will say...Aiden was always a quick nurser. But as he's gotten older, he nurses long and longer! In the mornings, he nurses first thing and can sometimes go for an hour, if I let him! Before nap and bed...it's about 20-30 minutes. (This is compared to nearly a year of nursing for five minutes at a time!) Anytime I start to get annoyed with how long it lasts sometimes...I remind myself that soon it won't be happening at all and to enjoy it. :)
Oh, and I love the message I'm sending my 11-yr-old son...breastfeeding is *normal* and not something that the parents or others should control. I hope he grows up to marry someone who agrees with that - or convinces her to, if she doesn't already. :)
That's awesome, Daisy! Thanks! :)
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