Showing posts with label extended breastfeeding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label extended breastfeeding. Show all posts

My Constant Challenge with Extending Breastfeeding

"Welcome to the Milk Mama Diaries Carnival (November). For this month, participants share their experiences on extended breastfeeding.  This includes tips to moms with young babies, as well as barriers and myths which discourage extended nursing. Please scroll down to the end of this post and check out the other carnival participants."


This month marks our 14th month of breastfeeding. I have no plans on weaning nor Y showing any signs of weaning yet. We want to continue for as long as Y wants to (or when I get pregnant again). It's the perfect setting in our home.

But it's not all perfect outside our home. I've blogged about my breastfeeding woes here and here. It's more frustrating now that Y's bigger. I get reprimanded (at home by my grandma) every time I lift my shirt and feed Y. Saying things like: Stop breastfeeding, she's big already. Give her formula, your milk is not nutritious enough, look at her, she's so tiny! You're not eating healthy, how do you expect Y to get fat if your milk doesn't have enough nutrients? And it goes on and on.... I never got the support I needed from them but that didn't stop me.

Breastfeeding a 14th month-old is a challenge, especially in public. I wasn't successful in teaching Y baby signing milk, so whenever she wants to nurse, it's either she'll pull up my shirt, pull my shirt on the neck or put her hands inside my shirt. Nursing covers are a no-no for her, plus she gets distracted at the sound of anything, phones ringing, birds chirping...  but other than that, breastfeeding is easy breezy.

Breastfeeding greatly helped my relationship and bond with my daughter. I'm a working mom, I'm only with her 12/5 (on weekdays), 24/2 (on weekends). It sucks but this momma gotta work. Before I went back to work (after giving birth), I was already preparing myself on how my relationship with Y would be. I would often hear from other moms that their son/daughter wants and looks for their yaya more than their mothers, that breaks my heart but I had to be prepared of that. But that never happened with me. She's always with her yaya yet Y prefers me more than her, she's a mommy's girl. It amazes me.

I wish it's easy to explain (to my family) why I'm continuing to breastfeed Y, it's a constant argument in the house. I wish giving them handouts about breastfeeding would help or at least convince them a bit. It's funny how my yaya and helper knows a lot on breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is so convenient. It's the fastest booboo fixer. Plus it has tons of benefits. Read here.



We want to continue breastfeeding for as long as Y wants to. No pressure on weaning. I love the bond I have with my daughter because of breastfeeding. There are days when I wish I could stop pumping or stop breastfeeding but I just think about it's health benefits for Y and me and I'm good again.


J and the Three Boys - No more "de-de"
My Mommyology - My Extended Breastfeeding Experience
Mommyluscious - Breastfeeding for Two Beyond Two
Truly Rich Mom - On Extended Breastfeeding (a perfectly normal thing to do)
Life of a Babywearing and Breastfeeding Mommy - Still breastfeeding after 2 years
Got To Believe - Breastfeeding Room Story
Homeschooling Mommy - Yes, I've Got Milk
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