Breastfeeding a Toddler: One Mom's Perspective

A friend of mine passed along this link about a Mom who is breastfeeding her toddler (3 yrs) and she expresses some of her feelings about the experiences she has had doing so. I enjoyed it so I'm passing it on, too.

http://www.kveller.com/blog/parenting/it-may-be-time-to-wean-my-three-year-old/

Tandem Nursing - Is it for you?

My little one is now 6 months (tomorrow!) and boy have things been busy around here! There isn't as much time to be on the computer as I once had (when he was a sleepy newborn...) but its really fun having an active and interactive baby to play with all the time, too! I'll try to post more often, as I get my time more organized. ;)

I've been thinking a lot about having a second (I know, crazy... my little one is ONLY 6 months!) and I've been trying to decide what I would do as far as breastfeeding. To tandem nurse, or not to tandem nurse... that is my question.

I have been reading some great stuff on Kellymom.com and I thought I'd share in case you were thinking about the same things. Hope it helps you, too!

Thoughts from Kellymom.com:
http://kellymom.com/nursingtwo/articles/tandempregnancytips.html

An excerpt from a book called "Adventures in Tandem Nursing": http://kellymom.com/nursingtwo/excerpts/TN_ch.011.pdf

Tandem nursing may not be for every mom, but some moms may really enjoy it. Plus, if you are faced with the idea of having to wean because of pregnancy or a new baby when your current little one is not yet 2 yrs, this might be a viable option to continue nursing. The American Academy of Family Physicians asserts that breastfeeding during a healthy pregnancy is a personal decision for the mother--indeed, that weaning before two years of age can increase a child's risk of illness. (Another option, if breastfeeding while pregnant, or tandem feeding doesn't work for you, is to have some pumped milk frozen that you can give your little one till they are two. Even 3-4 oz a day would give their immune system a boost as they head into the toddler years, not to mention a nutritional boost - the perfect natural supplement!)

The Distractable Breastfeeding Baby: age 2-6 months and 8-10 months

Latch on, suck a moment, pull off... latch on, suck a moment, pull off. Nurse a minute, pull away to smile at mom. Nurse a minute, pull away to see who just walked in the room. Nurse a minute, pull away to listen to the TV. Nurse a moment, pull away because the dog wagged his tail.

Sound familiar?? Baby starts to nurse and just as soon as your milk starts to let-down, baby pulls off and wiggles around in your lap. Babies aged two to six months are notorious for pulling off the breast at any distraction (real or imaginary) and tend to forget to let go before they turn around (ouch!).

This is a passing developmental stage that can be quite a nuisance - it's usually at it's worst between four and five months. At around 2 months, your baby will become able to see things clearly across the room. At around 3 months, he'll start to stay awake longer and take a greater interest in the world around him.

Distractibility is also common around 8-10 months, and can lead mom to think that her baby is trying to wean. If your baby is younger than a year, it's highly unlikely that this temporary disinterest is self-weaning. It's very rare for a baby younger than 12 months to self-wean.

What Can You Do?

Until this stage has passed, baby may need a quiet place to nurse and/or more night nursing until he's figured out how to deal with distraction. Do take advantage of night nursing during this time - it doesn't matter when baby takes in his calories during a 24-hour period. One study showed that older babies can consume as much as 25% of their total daily intake of mother's milk during the night, probably partly because of daytime distractibility.

Nursing in a quiet, darkened, boring room often helps. Talk in quiet, soothing tones (if you talk at all). Nurse while lying down; nap nurse. Cover baby with a shawl or put him in a sling to nurse. Nursing while in motion (walking, rocking) can also help baby to focus better on nursing. Try to catch your baby when he's more willing, such as when he's just waking up, already a little sleepy, or actually asleep. Baby's initial pulling off is probably not an indication that he is finished - just an indication that he saw/heard something interesting across the room. When he pulls off, try to coax him back to the breast a few more times before giving up.

If baby is not nursing as much because of distractibility, offer the breast often (even when he doesn't "ask" to nurse). Make up for lost time by nursing more often during the night. Older babies may nurse better if you try different and novel nursing positions in which they have more control - baby standing up, sitting on your lap facing you, etc.

Go HERE for the full article and more links at kellymom.com