Saturday, March 12, 2016

Are you STILL breastfeeding?

This question/well, the comments after my answer made me so worked up that I decided to get over my sickness and write a post. 
Yes, I am STILL breastfeeding him. Yes, I am due to in about 3 weeks. Yes, I feel fine. Ok, lately I don't feel fine, I throw up a lot, but I suppose it has nothing to do with breastfeeding. On the other hand, the contractions I'm experiencing while breastfeeding will have something to do with that. But they are not my big concern, I wouldn't mind the girl to be born a bit earlier, especially if I should keep throwing up and generally not to feel very well. 

Here are my reasons for breastfeeding:
1) He didn't wean naturally during the pregnancy, which was something I hoped for. (good news, I don't babywear him any more for 2 weeks now, I hope it'll stay this way till the birth)
2) I somehow consider it important to breastfeed till 2 y.o.
3) I am way to lazy to deal with weaning. We tried some night weaning, but after a few sleepless nights I realized it's ridiculous and I'd rather give him the breast for some short time, so he falls back asleep and we both get ok night sleep. Win-win. I actually did a bit of sleep training, so he is able to sleep through the night or with only one feeding. He also accepts when I take the breast with the word "auch" (breastfeeding in pregnancy IS painful, not always, but often it is), he does not accept "milk is sleeping" or "let's give you milk in the morning" - that makes him immediately awake and angry, I mean seriously angry.
4) On my forum, my attention was caught mostly by examples of weaned toddlers who still don't sleep through the night or who wake up at 5am...that was not something I would want to do. I believe majority of weaned toddlers sleep ok...
5) We both calm down so nicely while breastfeeding if the emotions start to be to intense. 
6) Breastfeeding helps with teething pains (it helps him to fall asleep again) - it was one of the most important reasons why I decided to keep breastfeeding at the beginning of the pregnancy.

Before I gave birth, I was listening from the same person how important it is to breastfeed, when he was born, she asked me if I was breastfeeding, since T. got 6 weeks she keeps asking me if I am still breastfeeding and she tries to teach him to use a bottle whenever she has a chance. Even if I stopped breastfeeding, I wouldn't use formula any more, he's old enough to live without it. 
Anyway, my point is that it's everybody's choice when they wean their child or even if they decide to breastfeed or not...as long as they have their reasons for it and it's not because of the people around them (I believe listening some grandmothers and friends who have a totally different point of view and are repeating themselves like million times per day must be very difficult, I'm lucky to be surrounded by people who don't meddle).

I am still breastfeeding, I wouldn't say I feel proud about it, it's just happening and I'm too lazy to deal with it because it actually works well for us. If I had any health issues, I would probably be forced to deal with it, but I don't, my blood analysis are perfect...so why to look for problems where they are not...

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