Nursing in public. Who knows why it still is such a hot button issue? Really, you’d think this discussion would be over now. The fact is, there’s so much attention that moms are often online looking for tips on “safe” places to nurse in public and how to be prepared to avoid controversy. But what if we turned the tables, like blogger Christine did in her Skeptical Mothering blog?
We’re all tired of worrying about being judged on how much or how little breast we show. We’re sick of hearing about how breastfeeding is comparable to other bodily functions or even sex! It’s not. It’s just feeding and caring for a baby.
If you really want people to know how you feel about them possibly seeing your breast while you nurse, why not get one of these hats!
There are a few free patterns online for knitting it.
How comfortable are you with nursing in public? Have you seen anything interesting online about the topic lately?
Did you nurse your babes into toddlerhood? Why or why not? Did you have a piscifec time frame in mind, plan to let your child self-wean, or maybe you changed your mind along the way?What did you gain by nursing your toddler? What do you want other moms to know, especially new moms who are just beginning? What would you tell your younger self? You are welcome to use my comments in any form!I have three different breastfeeding stories, because I have three children, which means I will have three sets of answers for you! I hope that is okay =)My first son was breastfed until 14 months, 11 days old. I nursed him for that length of time because I so strongly believed in breastfeeding as the most natural and healthy way to feed a baby, and I enjoyed the relationship I had with him surrounding breastfeeding. I knew that other women often nursed for longer than 14 months but I knew none of them personally (none from my own generation, that is: my mom and her sisters were all hippies and breastfed forever!) because I was the first of all my friends and cousins to have a baby. This son’s pregnancy had been a huge surprise to me, so being thrown into parenthood without feeling ready for it made me feel touched out and very strongly that I just wanted my body back. So one weekend when I was in a friend’s wedding and my son and I were separated, I got dehydrated and didn’t have time to pump, and my milk disappeared. If I had wanted to I could have worked pretty hard and gotten it back, but I was ready to be done, so I simply stopped. For a month, I felt gloriously free and enjoyed having my body back, and then THUNK! I missed it like you wouldn’t believe. I would feed him his bottle and cry, missing breastfeeding him. So much.My piscifec time frame for him was: one year minimum, maybe some more after that. That fluctuated. At about 8 months he started biting me and I was all That’s it! I’m cutting him off! but then he stopped within a few weeks so I kept breastfeeding. I’m very glad I did.This son was technically a toddler when he weaned, although for a nursing toddler he wasn’t that old. What I gained was memories of closeness and warm cuddles and feeling like a good mom every time I nursed him.I want other moms to know that breastfeeding a toddler is something you grow into. When your infant is tiny, a toddler seems huge. But when your baby is a toddler, he’ll still seem like a little baby to you. Don’t judge, just go with the flow!My second breastfeeding journey began when we adopted our second son. He was 15 months old, and I wanted to pump breastmilk for him and give it to him in a bottle. I took domperidone and pumped 6-8 times a day for several weeks, but I about went insane chasing two toddlers around AND trying to establish a milk supply, so I stopped. When my youngest son was born, my second son was 4. I figured, better late than never! And I got out that trusty pump and started pumping for my adopted son. I snuck it into his regular milk and he never knew the difference (he would be SO GROSSED OUT if I told him)! I pumped about 8 oz every day for him for 14 months. That time, I didn’t have the benefit of the breastfeeding relationship with all the cuddles but I felt more empowered making milk for my four year old than all the other mothering behaviors I did for him put together. It felt like a direct line between us, biologically; a manufactured umbilical cord full of immunological goodness, and mother love. I knew I was right even when people would think it was weird or gross. Our whole family contracted RSV that winter and my adopted son was the ONLY ONE who didn’t get it: he used to be the sickly one of our family and I’m positive it was the breastmilk that kept him healthy. What a gift!I did not have a piscifec time frame in mind that time; I stopped because my supply had dropped and I figured I should probably just nurse my youngest from then on. I had also returned to work part time and was grappling with pumping while at work, so I was getting touched out’ by my pump!! Lol!! What I gained by pumping for this boy was healing from the open wound in my heart that had been there since I had stopped pumping for him when he was 15 months and first adopted. And a feeling of accomplishment as a mother.What I want other moms to know is that it is never too late, a four year old is NOT too old to benefit from breast milk, and that adoptive moms can provide breast milk for their kids, too!My third story is a continuing one my youngest is now 22 months and still breastfeeding. This time, I had in mind a two to three year goal (with an open mind to going longer if mutually desired). My two year minimum is because I have learned that human infants are born the most immature of all mammals and need species piscifec milk for a minimum of two years, and often longer. But the main reason I am breastfeeding him into toddlerhood is because I cherish that breastfeeding relationship so much. They are only little ONCE and it flies by so quickly! I don’t feel touched out anymore, or like I want my body back anymore: I am more accustomed to being a mother now and cherish it. I also firmly believe in child led weaning.The main thing I have gained from nursing my third toddler is the connectedness I feel to my child when I nurse him, and a strong sense of empowerment for knowing I am providing my child with a wonderful gift full of love and nutrition.I want other moms to know that they are wonderful. That nursing is a mixed bag: taxing, hard work, sacrifice! And also love, unique bonding that no one else can provide, perfect nutrition, empowerment, and awe at nature’s design, and that it gets easier over time. I want other moms to know that they are wonderful moms no matter how long they breastfeed for, or how unique that looks (a pump and a sneaky mixing with cow’s milk for a four year old totally counts!!!).If I could go back and talk to myself I would say: you are a good mom, you do the best you can, and it is enough. Don’t feel guilty. Love yourself for the beautiful, creative, self giving thing you do by breastfeeding your child. You are enough.That is what I would say to myself, if I were to go back.I love breastfeeding with all my heart, and will mourn it when I finish for the last time. And thanks for this opportunity to think this all out and write it all down!Melissa s last [type] ..[]