Mummy here.
I finished breastfeeding Minnie today (Wednesday 22nd January 2014). I didn't realise it a the time, as I was lying in bed at 6am letting her feed whilst trying to sneak in an extra few minutes of rest, but it was her last feed. And probably my last feed.
I have loved breastfeeding. Truly the lazy mummy's way out, it comes with a unique set of joys and mild annoyances. Sure, you end up stretching the necklines on all your prettiest tops, and can't wear anything high necked or unstretchy for months on end. And of course you get occasional nibbles as baby finds their sense of mischief at the same time as their teeth.
But there are endless joys:
- That feeling of closeness to your child that can't be reached in any other way.
- That feeling of pride, being the source of the nutrition that helps them grow, being strong and healthy.
- Being the ultimate source of motherly comfort.
I am lucky. Feeding came easily to me, to you Penny and also to Minnie. No mean feat, given that the slight diffusion issues she had when she was born, where her MRI showed she may have some damage in the part of her brain that manages feeding and swallowing. But Min Min took to the bottle well in the hospital, and to breast feeding too, and I was very grateful as it meant she could be discharged more quickly.
But with Minnie, I had to fight to feed. 6 weeks of expressing while she was in hospital at the beginning of her life was followed up by a 3 week hiatus over the summer while I couldn't feed due to my tonsillectomy, a combination of lack of nutrition, painkillers and antibiotics.
So I intended to feed Minnie till her first birthday, just as I did with you Penny. But, with a little help from my friends, I realised I was doing it for the sake of it, not because either she or I needed it or enjoyed it.
We were down to two feeds a day, first thing in the morning and before bath time:
I finished breastfeeding Minnie today (Wednesday 22nd January 2014). I didn't realise it a the time, as I was lying in bed at 6am letting her feed whilst trying to sneak in an extra few minutes of rest, but it was her last feed. And probably my last feed.
I have loved breastfeeding. Truly the lazy mummy's way out, it comes with a unique set of joys and mild annoyances. Sure, you end up stretching the necklines on all your prettiest tops, and can't wear anything high necked or unstretchy for months on end. And of course you get occasional nibbles as baby finds their sense of mischief at the same time as their teeth.
But there are endless joys:
- That feeling of closeness to your child that can't be reached in any other way.
- That feeling of pride, being the source of the nutrition that helps them grow, being strong and healthy.
- Being the ultimate source of motherly comfort.
I am lucky. Feeding came easily to me, to you Penny and also to Minnie. No mean feat, given that the slight diffusion issues she had when she was born, where her MRI showed she may have some damage in the part of her brain that manages feeding and swallowing. But Min Min took to the bottle well in the hospital, and to breast feeding too, and I was very grateful as it meant she could be discharged more quickly.
But with Minnie, I had to fight to feed. 6 weeks of expressing while she was in hospital at the beginning of her life was followed up by a 3 week hiatus over the summer while I couldn't feed due to my tonsillectomy, a combination of lack of nutrition, painkillers and antibiotics.
So I intended to feed Minnie till her first birthday, just as I did with you Penny. But, with a little help from my friends, I realised I was doing it for the sake of it, not because either she or I needed it or enjoyed it.
We were down to two feeds a day, first thing in the morning and before bath time:
- The morning feed consisted of her being unsatisfied, given my milk levels were low, and me desperately trying to keep her latched on as I tried to catch a bit more sleep.
- The evening feed became a token effort, with her rejecting ever more as she started to eat an enormous pile of food for dinner, with no room left for milk.
Minnie's first birthday is in 3 week's time, so we are only finishing a little earlier than planned.
I am a proud breastfeeder, I would encourage any woman to try it. In most cases, it really is the easy way, to the extent that you feel put out when they start weaning as you need to take food everywhere with you, when for 6 months it has been dispensed from your chest. I also am a strong believer in a happy child needing a happy mother, so if breast feeding really doesn't work for you then bottle feeding is not failure or a disaster, just different.
My two cents ...
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