in the US the statistic for people who still breastfeed at one is 22%, that is up from the 15% that was reported years ago. i am not sure the percentage of people in the US that go on after that year, but the fact that the american board of pediatrics only recommend a year vs the world view of at least two years might mean that number is low. breastfeeding is something i always wanted to do with my children. it was a no brainer. when juniper was born i went right to work trying to do what was natural. it never happened. juni and i struggled so hard to breastfeed. we went to lactation consultants, the la leche league, moms, books, anything to help me. it just wasn't going to work, but instead of me giving up my precious liquid gold and going to formula, i pumped. this was a hard choice for me, it was a hard choice for my body, but gosh-darndit, i did not want to buy formula and we have all heard it, "breast is best." my pump and i were best friends till about 6 months when the stress of exclusively pumping milk on demand for my daughter caught up with my body and my ample supply of milk dried up. i felt like i was a loser, like i wasn't a mom, like i couldn't do my job correctly. it was a hard thing to do, to let go of that breastmilk halo over my head. with lots of love and support i got through it, and when beila came along i was a blessed with a very hungry and snugly breastfeeding champ! we had a great run, 13-14 months, i can't remember. i only stopped because i wanted my body back, i would have gone on forever if i didn't feel like i needed my boobies back, the endorphins running through my body really wanted to stay there, I wanted them to stay there. i was so excited when i found out i was with child for the third time, one of the first things i thought of was breastfeeding!!! i couldn't wait. feeding popi was not without sleepless nights and struggles with the boob. we had plenty of that, the first 2 weeks were hard, but we kept at it, stayed calm, and carried on. we have been breastfeeding exclusively now for one year last tuesday:) she never would take a bottle or a pacifier, that is hard sometimes. beila was amazing, took a paci, bottle filled with b-milk, and boob. i should never compare kids. now i am at the one year mark with kalliope, she is so funny with the breastfeeding. one of her first signs many months ago was milk, she sticks her little fist out and squeezes her hand open and close over and over till she gets my attention. now a days the fist pump happens, she grabs at my shirt, when access is granted she does this dive bomb move, she opens her mouth and face plants my boob, and i mean face plants, she is intense. then there is her new new thing she does while eating, she sticks her bootie in the air while nursing, like she is standing up but still latched on, she wiggles and wiggles on her shaky legs while standing there in this odd position, it is so funny, i took video of it so i can remember it. so, i'm thinking i am just going to take this as far as she wants, but then i think about the kids who ask for "milk" and get freaked out. we are only a year, i don't have anything to worry about right now, i know i might catch some flack from some random peeps out there who see me feed my babe in public, but that is just their weird hang-up, they don't know who they are messing with.
3 comments:
That is awesome Sacha. I wish I would have been more matient with the whole thing, but the whole new mommy role was so overwhelming for me...so when days went by after kiddo was born and like 3 drops came in, I gave up. I think thats awesome it's worked out (overall) for you :)
Shucks, I nursed Carla till she turned 2. By age 1, it was not exclusive and it was only when at home, usually before nap or bed. It was really more a comfort/cuddling measure by then and since I knew she was my last baby, we just hung in there.....we both enjoyed every moment and it was well worth it. xoxo
Good for you! I would still nurse at a year if I had the milk for it! I was so effing happy to have the milk I had (I had to work HARD for it...fenugreek, SNS, etc.) that I didn't care who saw my boobs or how they felt about it. I don't really have enough milk for sustenance but Lucy can still nurse for comfort if she wants to, and sometimes she does.
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