Breastfeeding Stories - Child Led Weaning
by Terri Clark
After bottlefeeding my first daughter, I decided to breastfeed with my second. It has been one of the best decisions I ever made.
The nurse in the hospital showed me what to do shortly after she was born. I read all I could about it, too. I loved being able to hold her close and bond with her then. Of course I wondered if I was doing everything right. I worried if she was getting enough or starving. I had some nipple soreness and cracking at first.
After a couple of weeks I was afraid I was going to have to tell my husband I could not do it anymore. It seemed she would nurse for hours at a time in the middle of the night and I wasn't getting much sleep. They had told me in the hospital not to "let her use me as a pacifier". But I followed my instincts and finally brought her to bed with me.
She slept in the crook of my arm so I never worried about rolling over on
her, I always just seemed to be aware of her. And she could nurse whenever
she wanted while I dozed off. I have never slept better! I know some people
would not dream of doing this, but for us it worked.
I originally chose to breastfeed to give her the most nutritious start in
life I could. I figure God put our breasts there for a good reason.
My husband helped me make the decision to do this and has supported me throughout
our experience. I got less support from my own mother, who bottlefed all three
of her children. She told me, "Nobody breastfeeds any more."
Here is the really great part. My daughter is now three years old and we still
breastfeed because we both get a lot of closeness from it. We do not nurse
in public, however. Breastfeeding seems to comfort her, and I always feel
at peace when she is nursing. I think it still helps her in other ways, too.
Recently the whole family got the stomach flu, but she never did. She is rarely
ever sick.
At first I thought we would continue for a year, then two. Now I am convinced
this will be a child
led weaning.
I know attachment
parenting is not for everyone. It is working out very well for us and
contrary to what my mother said, people DO breastfeed and love it! If you
are considering it, please follow your heart on this one.
Check out Terri's new blog:
"How to Nail Jello to a Tree" on www.TerrisTeaParty.com
Read more breastfeeding stories