As many of you know, nursing Rosalie has been one of my greatest joys. We enjoyed nursing together until my recent bed rest orders. Preeclampsia can result in premature labor, so the nipple stimulation was not worth the risk. She was only nursing at bedtime and some mornings for just a few minutes in recent months, so she had very limited milk consumption and was virtually weaned anyway. I would not consider her fully-weaned yet, though, because even in recent days she would ask for "mama milk" when she was tired. We would have "mama cuddles" instead and she would snuggle up on my lap. I have been reading a book on tandem nursing, and that may be a reality in our household in a few days.
I never envisioned that I would nurse a toddler who could "ask for it," but that is the path I chose. I am well aware of the stereotype- i.e. Maggie Gyllenhaal's character in the movie Away We Go. Weaning is a process that I decided I wanted to be on Rosalie's terms, and it is where my heart led me.
While I am clearly a proponent of breastfeeding, I have made a point to try to not to push my preference on others. I know that breastfeeding does require a deep support network, and I will provide support to any nursing friends that may need it. I will also openly discuss my experience with expectant mothers, because I had such a pleasant one (don't get me wrong- there were many struggles, especially in the first 8 weeks). This is a fine line amidst a sensitive topic, and I hope I have not offended anyone along the way.
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The hospital gives a free diaper bag to mothers: one for formula-fed babies and a different one for breast-fed babies. They are currently out-of-stock for the breastfeeding bag, and we have so many bags already (thanks to Thirty-One), so we respectfully declined the formula-fed bag. The nurse took a defensive stance, saying "I am not trying to push formula on you, but I want to offer you the free bag at least." I am guessing some have taken offense to the offer in the past. To continue the snobbery, we also turned down the Johnson & Johnson sample, as we use other less-toxic brands in our household :)
The doctor should be here soon to determine next steps!
1 comment:
I admire your efforts to let Rosalie choose...with a new baby in the house, something was bound to be stirred up anyways as regression is common in this situation...maybe the transition will be easier for her with the tandem? I wish I could have nursed Cashel for longer...unfortunately I had to go on a medication that made it impossible to do so because of the risks, but we are hoping to avoid that this time around!
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