My life without breastfeeding

My son P is nearing his 20^th month and we’re 4 months shy of my 2-year nursing goal.  Now I’m reading up on weaning stories from other moms. I realized, weaning is not easy! You need to be firm in not offering the breast despite the child's pleading.  Gosh how can i do that when breastfeeding is in our routine? This makes me wonder how to initiate the weaning process. Anyway, I have about four more months to reflect on my weaning strategy. Or maybe I’ll see if he weans naturally? Read more on weaning from Kellymom and La Leche League International.

Talking about weaning makes me think of my mommy life without breastfeeding! Hmmm.. A life without breast pump and breast milk storage?  I’d certainly like that! For me, it’s only  the system of pumping and storing breast milk that complicates my nursing life.

Here are what i look forward to when my son finally weans:

No more office pumping

This i look forward to! I'll definitely do more office stuff. Hehehe.. No more checking the time and rushing when it's time to express milk.

I'd appreciate life without a bulky breast pump and all its parts. My commuting life will be easier once i stop carrying the pump and the cooler bag daily from home to work and work to home. Plus, this means no more cleaning pump parts and bottles! Cleanup is among the stuff i definitely won't miss.

No more breast milk storage

I won't be stressing myself about keeping breast milk safe in storage. I won't be bothered every time brownout strikes. This is a relief!

Hooray for more space in the refrigerator, too. I'll free up the ref space once i pull out those BM containers. I won't be freezing the ice packs, too. That means more space in the freezer and lower electricity consumption. Yehey for that!

No more biting

Now this is a relief, right? My child sometimes bites my nipple when he's sleepy or when he's teething.  It really hurts when he does this.  I definitely won't miss all the pain from biting.

More wardrobe choices

I made it a point to wear breastfeeding friendly clothes. This is a must for easy nursing.  I also look for clothes that allow easy access. I usually wear button-down shirts and  v necks. Wearing such is a must when pumping at work,  definitely gives you privacy and ease as you about your pumping business

Nursing is a  major consideration when i buy clothes, Now i can wear round neck shirts and high-neck blouses. Hooray for more clothing options!

[caption id="attachment_2908" align="aligncenter" width="239"] From the start, my son has been an avid nurser.[/caption]

Missing nursing

Nursing has been a great bonding experience between me and my son.  Till now, we still rely on nursing as a main form of bonding, My favorite part is when we nurse during the night, when everyone else is asleep. It's our own "mom and me" time.

Nursing is my own convenient way to soothe a distressed baby. My toddler is fast approaching the "terrible twos", but sometimes,  nursing still works to calm him. Nursing is my secret weapon! My kid learned to sleep on his own, especially during daytime when i'm out. But often, during the night, he comes to me to nurse to sleep. For me, nothing beats the convenience of side-lying position while nursing. I can lie down while my son drinks his milk.

His first word in the morning is "Dede", even if he's not that hungry and will suck on for only a few minutes. At night his last word is "Dede", too as he cozies himself to sleep.

Breastfeeding became a big part of my life! I truly think it’s among my proudest moments. I  exclusively breastfed for 6 months and we're still nursing till now. I think that's a big achievement. This makes me wonder how i'll get started weaning him.

Uh oh...  Sounds like i'm going to truly miss nursing. I think i need more time to prepare for weaning! It's a two-way street. It's not only my son who needs to be prepared for weaning.  I'll need some conditioning as well.  Weaning is among those stages a child must get through. My kid can't breastfeed forever right?

For more tips about breastfeeding, please read my All About Breastfeeding page.

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Nursing my Toddler

Nursing remains our very own bonding session. It gives me much comfort knowing that my "dede" nourishes and soothes my growing toddler. La Leche League discusses the benefits of nursing beyond one year.

But apart from the health benefits extended breastfeeding bring, my very own selfish reason to nurse at this stage is because it's the topnotch way for us to cuddle and connect!  A growing boy like P is always distracted  about learning to talk and walk and in dealing with his emerging social life.  It gives me much satisfaction knowing that he's all eyes on me when he wants to nurse.

However, extended breastfeeding  is not at all a picture of  "mother and child" worthy of a painting.  There's an ugly and frustrating side to breastfeeding a toddler. You'll have to deal with an overactive and distracted child. But just so we're clear, any breastfeeding issue you might have can still be dealt with utmost patience and with the right information.

Here's what i deal with as a milk machine to a one-year old. I also wrote some ways how i deal with such issues.

 

Acrobatic breastfeeding positions

Remember how hard it was to find that perfect latch during baby's first weeks? Well, this won't be as hard when nursing a toddler. He'll know how to place his mouth already. In fact, he has mastered this so much that he'll try sucking in different positions! At one year old, some babies are very mobile they'll try nursing while sitting up, standing or upside down. Name it, P and i might have tried it!  Most of these new positions are just too awkward that it's just not possible to do outside the comfort of our private space.

[caption id="attachment_1775" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Here's our more "decent" nursing picture.[/caption]

As an eager explorer, P has learned to play with my other nipple while nursing. This irks me because he keeps fiddling and pinching my nipple. I guess this relaxes him and helps him go drowsy and sleepy. Again, this twiddling and pinching falls under the awkward category. I've learned to tolerate him.

Pain from biting

At thirteen months, my baby only has three teeth and he's teething right now. He enjoys biting because his gums are itchy. Our nursing session goes like this; he nurse for 5 to 10 minutes then stop. Then he'll bite my nipple. I cringe in pain, sometimes i laugh. I noticed that he would keep on biting if i react, whether i cringe in pain or if i  laugh. I guess he thinks that i like him biting me. He thinks i'm teasing him so he teases me back and biting my nipple!  When he starts biting i take this as a sign that he's done nursing. I stop nursing so he won't be encouraged to bite. He can ask to nurse later.

Asking for "dede"

My baby would touch my breast to indicate that he wants to dede. He does this every time he wants to nurse. When i come home from work, instead of a welcome home kiss, a get some breast frisking from him. Sometimes we would hear an occasional "dede" from him! Yes, my 13-month old can say a few words and "dede" is one of them.

He would also do this breast frisking while we're outside. Sometimes he'll go further by lifting my shirt!  It will help if you will give in right away to avoid a major tantrum. He could be really thirsty for milk, that's why he's asking! I made it a point to cover up to avoid shocked glances from onlookers.

Less breast milk intake and pumping output

A toddler needs more solids for steady weight gain and growth. At this point, he'll need more than milk. That means, we can expect a decrease in the intake of breast milk. I just make sure that i nurse on demand.

Since baby's demand for milk has decreased, expect a decrease in your pumping output as well.  Mine has halved since my pumping heydays during around baby's sixth month.

Shorter (or longer) breastfeeding session

How long a nursing session varies greatly. Sometimes it lasts just 3 to 5 minutes and that leaves me wondering whether he is satisfied at all.  Since he has turned his back on the bottle completely, he makes up for lost nursing time by nursing more at night.

For more information on extended nurse, here's Kellymom's notes.

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