I get asked ALL the time when I am going to stop nursing him and I love saying to people, "Well most likely before he can drive."
Lochlan is a healthy, happy and an extremely well-mannered almost 2 year old. There are tons of benefits to nursing a toddler and two of the major ones, for me, is maintaining his nutrition and mood swings.
Most toddlers are fairly picky eaters, at least Lochlan is. One day he will eat everything I put in front of him, including my food and then the next day all he wants are crackers. Even though Lochlan eats a mostly plant and grain based diet he still does not get all of his daily nutritional needs from his food, which is where my breast milk comes into play. It's almost like how I take a multi-vitamin a day...health reassurance.
When it comes to mood swings those are becoming more and more rampant. It is like he's manic. One second he is laughing hysterically and the next he has hurled himself on to the floor and screaming at the top of his lungs in a language that I can not understand. It's frustrating for both Mom and child to not be able to communicate. Luckily, the use of sign language helps that a bit but there are many moments in the day where I don't know what he wants. But the one thing I know I can do for him when he is very frustrated is pick him up and nurse him. He immediately calms down and goes back to a "normal" state of play. I love it. It also allows my busy toddler to take a break and reconnect with Mom. We get 5, 10, 15 minutes of closeness before he goes back to his daily adventures.
Here are some resources for breastfeeding information along with a few quotes that I love.
La Leche League International has this to say on the benefits of breastfeeding toddlers.
"Breastfeeding a toddler helps with the child's ability to mature. Although some experts say a toddler who is not weaned will have difficulty becoming independent, it's usually the fearful, clingy children that have been pushed into situations requiring too much independence too soon. A breastfeeding toddler is having his dependency needs met. The closeness and availability of the mother through breastfeeding is one of the best ways to help toddlers grow emotionally."
"Just as babies do, toddlers receive health benefits from breastfeeding. Your milk continues to provide immunities and vitamins, and can help protect your toddler from illness and allergies. If your toddler does get sick, nursing will help comfort him. In fact, a toddler with an upset stomach may be able to tolerate nothing but human milk."
Per the World Health Organization , "a modest increase in breastfeeding rates could prevent up to 10% of all deaths of children under five: Breastfeeding plays an essential and sometimes underestimated role in the treatment and prevention of childhood illness."
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that "Breastfeeding should be continued for at least the first year of life and beyond for as long as mutually desired by mother and child... Increased duration of breastfeeding confers significant health and developmental benefits for the child and the mother... There is no upper limit to the duration of breastfeeding and no evidence of psychological or developmental harm from breastfeeding into the third year of life or longer."
If you are having issues or concerns with your breastfeeding relationship contact your local La Leche League leader. They are a wonderful free resource of information and support.
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| Lochlan at 12 months. Photoshoot for Nevada Breastfeeds 2012 Calendar |
So, no I am not weird or crazy for nursing my child that is walking around. He is doing exactly what he needs to be doing.
Is there a reason you choose not to pump instead? Just curious, I once read about a British woman who breast fed her 5 year old.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great question. I had to pump when I went back to work, briefly, when my son was 2 months to 7 months old. I did not produce as much when I was pumping and it was quite painful for me. It was very frustrating and my son did not want to take the bottle. Now that I am back to being his full-time care provider it's easier to give him the breast. Granted it makes it difficult to have a nighttime social life but that is okay. He will not be nursing much longer and what's a couple of years of sacrifice for a long lasting relationship and knowing that my son had a wonderful start to his life?!
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