I can't seem to go a day without my family and friends asking me when I will stop nursing. They ask the question as if to imply I should be done by now, or assume I must be tired of doing it, or that I must be annoyed that I can't get wasted.
I'm not exactly sure why they want me to stop or if they understand themselves. Are they uncomfortable with the idea of a 10-month-old still nursing, or are they just regurgitating cultural norms? I do know, in the case of my mother-in-law, she simply wants me to get pregnant again and assume conception isn't as possible while nursing (multiple feedings and night feedings can delay ovulation, but pregnancy is still possible).
To be fair, I used to sound like them. I have said on many occasions, "If the child can ask for it by name, it's time to stop breastfeeding," or "Once they have teeth, that's it!" Now, I'm 10 months into it and I'm still nursing.
I confess: I love it. I don't want to stop. Nursing my son is the best part of my day. It soothes him, it relaxes me after a tough day at work, and it just feels right. It's a special bond and I am the only one who can provide this experience for both of us.
I don't mind the time it takes to nurse him. I don't mind not drinking more than 2 glasses of wine when I do drink occassionally. I'm not a saint, I'm a woman in love.
Nursing fortunately came easy to me, as I know it doesn't for all new moms. I produce plenty of milk and my baby latches and eats well (almost too well, he's massive!). My baby is rarely sick, I suspect due to the antibodies he receives from my milk. And nursing helps him fall sleep. Not to mention, I lost all of my baby weight -- and then some-- from nursing (Plus, my boobs are HUGE!).
I'm not exactly sure why they want me to stop or if they understand themselves. Are they uncomfortable with the idea of a 10-month-old still nursing, or are they just regurgitating cultural norms? I do know, in the case of my mother-in-law, she simply wants me to get pregnant again and assume conception isn't as possible while nursing (multiple feedings and night feedings can delay ovulation, but pregnancy is still possible).
To be fair, I used to sound like them. I have said on many occasions, "If the child can ask for it by name, it's time to stop breastfeeding," or "Once they have teeth, that's it!" Now, I'm 10 months into it and I'm still nursing.
I confess: I love it. I don't want to stop. Nursing my son is the best part of my day. It soothes him, it relaxes me after a tough day at work, and it just feels right. It's a special bond and I am the only one who can provide this experience for both of us.
I don't mind the time it takes to nurse him. I don't mind not drinking more than 2 glasses of wine when I do drink occassionally. I'm not a saint, I'm a woman in love.
Nursing fortunately came easy to me, as I know it doesn't for all new moms. I produce plenty of milk and my baby latches and eats well (almost too well, he's massive!). My baby is rarely sick, I suspect due to the antibodies he receives from my milk. And nursing helps him fall sleep. Not to mention, I lost all of my baby weight -- and then some-- from nursing (Plus, my boobs are HUGE!).
If there are so many positives from breastfeeding, why am I getting so much slack for still doing it? Maybe because they don't want me to end up like Lysa Arryn on Game of Thrones:
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| Lysa Arryn breastfeeding her 7-year-old son on "Game of Thrones" |
I think it's time for a cultural shift, because I feel less like Lysa and more like Olivia Wilde. I don't think I should be made to feel like a weirdo for wanting to breast feed because I'm actually doing what feels right for me and my baby, and it's validated by the World Health Organization:
Here's what the WHO has to say about nursing:
I told my almost 91-year-old grandma this information and it blew her mind. She had no idea breastfeeding was so good for your baby and was actually encouraged by the experts. When she had her babies in the 1950s,
I am not demanding every mom to breastfeed. I'm not asking women, "Why aren't you still breastfeeding?" because I know many women can't (time, physical or economical limitations) or won't. It's their choice and I'm pro-choice for all maternal issues. But I do want people to respect my choice of nursing my child for as long as feels right.
I know there are other moms like me out there. Maybe they don't want to wave their nursing flag for fear of being labeled a weirdo either . But if they came out of the closest, maybe we could all help create the cultural mind shift around breastfeeding this country truly needs.
[Read all about my Home Birth here]
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Olivia Wilde and her son Otis are featured in Glamour's
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"Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended up to 6 months of age, with continued breastfeeding along with appropriate complementary foods up to two years of age or beyond."And a study conducted by researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital says I could be making my baby smarter by nursing:
"Children who were breastfed for much of their infancy may be rewarded with higher scores on intelligence tests at ages 3 and 7, according to a new study conducted by researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital. Researchers found that for each extra month women reported breastfeeding, their children performed slightly better on those exams."
I told my almost 91-year-old grandma this information and it blew her mind. She had no idea breastfeeding was so good for your baby and was actually encouraged by the experts. When she had her babies in the 1950s,
"...the predominant attitude to breastfeeding was that is was something practiced by the uneducated and those of lower classes. The practice was considered old-fashioned and "a little disgusting" for those who could not afford infant formula and discouraged by medical practitioners and media of the time.[19]"Every generation has a different attitude about breastfeeding, and I'm learning that although nursing rates of infants is on the rise in the US (nearly 75% of mothers now breastfeed newborns, up from 24% in 1971), in my experience there is still seems to be a negative stigma attached to nursing a child past three months.
I am not demanding every mom to breastfeed. I'm not asking women, "Why aren't you still breastfeeding?" because I know many women can't (time, physical or economical limitations) or won't. It's their choice and I'm pro-choice for all maternal issues. But I do want people to respect my choice of nursing my child for as long as feels right.
I know there are other moms like me out there. Maybe they don't want to wave their nursing flag for fear of being labeled a weirdo either . But if they came out of the closest, maybe we could all help create the cultural mind shift around breastfeeding this country truly needs.
[Read all about my Home Birth here]