Nursing Toddler Testimonial

At first, I wanted to make it to 6 months with the nursing. After that, I figured, he'd probably be okay without it. The first three months were very hard, and I had constant nipple pain. Brandon as a newborn was a voracious, almost vicious, nurser, and had a *strong* sucking reflex. We called him "shop-vac." After that, however, his sucking reflex decreased, and it was more bearable.

When I was pregnant, I was shocked when my childbirth educator told us her boy was weaned at age three! How obscene! Now, I'm thinking maybe I can come visit my son Brandon at school during lunch for a nursing break. :o)

I really love nursing Brandon. He is so sweet, but not really a cuddly child, so it's one of the few times I get to really hold him and look into his eyes. He nurses in the morning, right before I leave for work, in the evening, as soon as we meet, and at least two or three times during the night. He ranges from about 5-6 times when he feels well and I'm at work to maybe 10 or 12 times ad day when he's sick. I think he still gets a good bit of nutrition from it, but certainly uses it for comfort, too. You nursing moms know there is one best procedure when baby falls down and gets a boo-boo: step 1) Lift up shirt, step 2) attach baby!

It makes me feel good to be able to provide comfort and nutrition so easily and naturally for my baby. Nursing and co-sleeping are two of the major non-negotiable things in our lives. My husband and I both feel very comforted by being able to just glance over and see if Brandon is okay, and he looks so angelic and sweet, sleeping next to us. I think I've gotten a lot more sleep than most new moms, simply from not having to get out of bed and do anything to comfort the baby. Just expose the breast, pull the baby close, and go back to sleep!

Really, I think the hardest thing about nursing in the future will be stopping! I get really emotional when I think about Brandon weaning himself, as I know he eventually will. I want to feel like he needs me for as long as possible, since someday he'll probably be a busy man with a family, and no time for his mommy, much less "na-na." :o)

--Pam :)

Copyright 2000 by author
Used by permission
Article published on April 3, 2000

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The image of nursing toddler is copyright 1997-2000 Lori Thompson Photography. Used by permission.
All stories are copyrighted by their authors and are used by permission.