Toddler nursing…anyone who nurses a toddler has stories. The crazy positions. The angry demands. The moments of stillness. The immunity boosts. The crazy positions. The nipple twiddling!
Twiddling!! Enough to drive a saint crazy!!
Why do we do it? Personally, as we have added children, breastfeeding gives the nursling(s) and I a moment to connect. While I have to think about one-on-one time and plan for it with the older children, the time to breastfeed is spontaneous and it happens without much thought. It allows me a minute to breathe in the midst of a busy day, and to just hold and enjoy our child.
Here is a sample of what happened within a three-minute span this morning…
Traditional cradle…all is well…
Wait a minute…let me see what it tastes like on this side…oh, it’s the same…
…might as well pause for a picture then…
Start over on this side…
Wait a minute…let me see what it tastes like on this side…oh, it’s the same…
What if I sit on the table…can I nurse in this position?? (She was actually nursing a second before I snapped this picture)
…and then she jumped off my lap and was into the next adventure of the day.
Although Otter is a very good eater, I will continue to nurse her until she is ready to stop nursing. I know she continues to receive immunities – the female body actually makes more for toddlers than it does for infants. There are days when all she wants to do is nurse: teething, growth spurt, upset tummy…my milk gives her some nutrition on those days. And there is my favorite reason: connection and comfort. I love looking down at her sweet face, knowing that for today, I am liquid love. This is why I put up with the craziness:
This face! Those eyes!!
and this…
…this is MotherBaby love…
As she nears her second birthday, I am making peace with the fact that my days as a breastfeeding mom are numbered. Maybe she will nurse as long as Charger has, maybe not. I am trying not to have expectations.
Here is where I have arrived: When she no longer wants breastmilk, I want to remember that she is not rejecting me and that it is not about me. Because for me, it is the end of a book, one that I treasure, one that I could probably read forever, although it ended up being much longer than I expected. To her, it will simply be the day when she is ready to move on to the next chapter.
P.S. If you need “real” reasons to tell your family about the benefits of toddler nursing…check out THIS page from KellyMom or check out THIS infographic from the Alpha Parent
What drives you crazy about toddler nursing? Why do you nurse your toddler?