With love, from Mom
My little girl is 18 months and I still nurse her. There was a time when that wasn’t such an uncommon thing in our society. It was not unheard of to hear of mothers nursing their children until the age of 5 years.
I support a woman’s right to choose what’s right for her, and it always surprises me how many external factors discourage a woman from choosing breastfeeding. Not because she doesn’t have the desire, but because it’s becoming socially so difficult to do. Lord knows I have firsthand experience of how tough it can be to choose to breastfeed.
The fact is that more mothers have to be part of the workforce to support the family’s income. Despite that fact, however, many workplaces don’t recognize the special needs of a nursing mother. As a matter of fact, the surroundings may downright discourage a mother from choosing to pursue breastfeeding for any extended period of time. This despite years of “Breast is Best” education campaigns locally and studies like the recent study published in the American journal Pediatrics.
I recall returning to work after my second son was born determined to breastfeed for longer than I did with my first (3 months). I refused to sit in a toilet stall and express my child’s food in the bathroom. (Hello, Mr Manager? Would YOU go eat lunch in the toilet stall?) So I was given the “opportunity” to use the stationery room. The dusty room where the stationery, old equipment, mops and brooms, and miscellaneous effects were stored.
It offered no privacy but was it better than the toilet.
Every day, I would lug a chair in there, clean a little area and try to ignore my surroundings for the sake of my little one. It didn’t last more than a month.
With my third, I was determined to make this work. There have been many challenges but we’ve made it to 18 months. 
A week ago decided it was time to wean her since she only really nurses to fall asleep, and only when I’m around. (She’ll take formula in a bottle unless she knows I’m close by.) She eats regular meals with the family throughout the day but she wakes in the middle of the night on the same schedule she’s always been on – twice a night – but I’m convinced it’s more habit than hunger.
But this weekend I noticed that she wasn’t really eating her food. She’d chew and then hold the food in her mouth or spit it out. Or she’d ask for the food, and then refuse to open her mouth and turn her head away. Because she was eating only a few bites at a time, I would try her with food again after about an hour had passed, with the same results. And now, she wanted to nurse during the day as well, although – like with the solid food – just for a few minutes at a time.
I was glad to be able to let her nurse – at least I knew she was getting some nutrition – because at this point she really hadn’t eaten a full meal for the entire day. This went on for a few days until today when she proudly showed off 2 new jaw teeth.
I remember having to go through this with the boys, and feeling so helpless trying to comfort them in their pain. This time around I feel like there’s something I can actually do to help. Like I can let her know that I’m right by her side as she goes through this. It’s times like this that convince me that it’s all been worth it.
Maybe we’ll put off weaning just a little while longer…
4 Responses to “With love, from Mom”
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Nancy C says:
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About Me
A 30-ish mother of 3 and unintentional entrepreneur, I started my own IT Consultancy firm after layoffs at my old job. I balance the world of Corporate IT with my life as Manager of the education, health and well-being of my children.
Blogging from the Caribbean, I give tech advice to moms and write about raising 3 kids under 10, one of whom has been diagnosed with Aspergers.