OK, so I have breastfed all of my children but each to a varying degree! With my first, my ex-husband and my in-laws just weren’t too sure about the whole nursing thing and being a first time mom I was nervous and all about watching the clock etc etc. I remember being invited over to my in-laws for dinner when she was only about 10 days old, we had been out of town for a follow up appointment at the hospital so it had been a long day and we arrived to their house and of course dinner was ready but my little one was also ready for dinner just about that time so my mother-in-law was a bit put out that I was going to nurse my baby in the other room rather than sit down with everyone to eat the dinner she had prepared….. About the time I verbalized the question….”Do you think she is getting enough to eat?” they were all telling me to switch to a bottle…. I think I held out about 6-7 weeks which in the scheme of things isn’t long at all.
Looking back I wish I was better informed and stronger but I guess we are all at different levels of maturity when our children are born.
With my son, he was born about 6 years later, I was in my thirties and I was working full time still as I was with my daughter and I nursed him until I had to go back to work. I remember at the time not being able to get my head around the whole pumping thing and how that worked…..if I pump and then he is hungry I will have no milk??!!??……it was very confusing to me. And my peers, the women I worked with, most nursed their babies but they all stopped when they went back to work…..it seemed the normal thing to do. He had a hard time transitioning to the bottle and I still feel bad about that.
With my third, I was in my forties and in a different place in my life, I had a new husband, we had tried for three years to have our daughter and she was finally here. I was working at the time but able after maternity leave to bring her to work with me. This was a great opportunity for us as a family and it worked great as far as breastfeeding was concerned. The office I worked in was a very small one, 3 people including myself, and I had a big office of my own to set up and have privacy to work and care for our daughter.
I had since met several women who were big into breastfeeding and mentally noted that the idea of this has changed and women were doing it for as long as possible and doing anything they could to continue which I thought was great!
My plan was to breastfeed through the first year, well her first birthday came and went and she still seemed quite keen to nurse so we just kept on, we had a good routine that worked for both of us so I didn’t see any reason to stop and frankly wondered….as I was in unknown territory…..how do I stop? As she grew the frequency of feedings changed because she was eating table food etc but before I knew it, her second birthday had come and gone and we were still nursing with no sign that she wanted to change anything.
I had been in contact with the local Le Leche league for various reasons and gone to a few meetings and they were very encouraging and said she will let me know when she is ready to stop. It was also encouraging that a lot of those women were like me…..still nursing 2 and 3 year olds.
OK, so she will be 4 in March and for the last several months I have been talking to her about the “Nite, nites” (which she calls them!)…..going away! The first time I suggested it she just made a bad face and said….”no mommy, I like nite nites and where are you taking them?” And I say “You are getting to be such a big girl that you don’t need nite nites anymore! “ We have just been nursing at night for a long time and occasionally if she happens to take a nap in the day….I thought hmmmmmmm if I don’t nurse, how am I going to get her to sleep????????
Well, I started a while ago watching the clock and then laying her down awake and low and behold….she slept!!! Yay!! My original stopping goal was December 31, 2008 but alas I did not meet that goal …..oh well! but my bottom line was before she was 4…….and I think we have success…..the last time she had “nite nites” was on Feb 7 and she has really been OK with it, she still asks but then says…..bye bye nite nites….and snuggles in to go to sleep. We have been reading a story which we have been doing for ages but then turning off the light and she snuggles with Abby her bear and she has a thing about my armpits!!! ( I know…..weird and funny!!) so she sticks her little hand up my sleeve and goes to sleep….. I stay for just a few minutes and then kiss her goodnight!
She is an awesome kiddo and I have enjoyed every moment nursing and I will miss it but I think we were both ready to stop, it makes me a little sad as she is my last baby but we will be on to other things together and as long as she can “have my armpits” as her security when she is tired I think she’ll be fine! 
Some may say I am an old hippy at heart and that’s OK, we all have to do what works for us. The only thing I’d change is wishing I could have done the same with my first two.
Blessings!
Grace
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