Search Results for: blog nursing until 1 year and beyond

Life Goes On With Toddler And Baby

I am not sure what I expected life with a baby and a toddler would be like. In fact, I am pretty sure that I did not have any expectations. For some reason, I simply did not think about what it would be like until Blake came along. In hindsight it is probably best that I did not have any preexisting expectations because they may have been completely different than what has actually transpired during the past seven months. The first couple of months were a blur, as things normally are after the arrival of a new baby. Time passed, … Continue reading →

Have You Heard of the Pacifier Fairy?

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A part of me thinks that as parents, we really have way too many make believe creatures. In fact, it exhausts me a little bit. The Easter Bunny, Santa Clause, The Tooth Fairy, etc. all have a part in most everyone’s childhood. But, a small part of me feels bad telling those little lies to my kids. But, then I get over it, and hide those eggs, or fill those stockings. But, I heard of a new fairy a while back while talking to another mama friend. The pacifier fairy. She told me that is how she finally got her … Continue reading →

The Emotional Roller Coaster of Breastfeeding

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The post-partum period is a roller coaster of emotions. At least, it always has been for me. The sleep deprivation, the joy of being a mother all over again, the stress of making sure that you are doing everything just right. Breastfeeding seems to go right along for the ride in that roller coaster. I have been blessed to breastfeed my two older children for 14 months each. It was a difficult and beautiful time in my life and theirs. We bonded. I wanted it to end one day, and dreaded the time I would wean the next. This time … Continue reading →

10 Breastfeeding Facts from WHO

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American society seems to have a different attitude toward breastfeeding sometimes than the world at large. I was shocked when I started nursing my first child a few years ago to learn that the World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding until the age of 2. I had always thought that one year old was the recommended age, although I knew that many cultures breastfeed far beyond that. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding until 1 year. I have always breastfed my children until about 14 months of age. I am determined to breastfeed. This has not been an easy task … Continue reading →

When It Is a Struggle To Breastfeed

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Many women have difficulties when trying to breastfeed. I’ve never really put myself in that class of women because I’ve always had an ample supply, and my babies have always latched on easily. This baby is no different. However, I found myself wanting to give up breastfeeding last week. I was in a lonely place. I was severely sleep deprived due to 3 nights of pretty much no sleep as I trialed eggs in my diet to see if my little guy could tolerate them. He can’t. I realized, that I also have a struggle with breastfeeding, but it is … Continue reading →

Moving Through Frustration

“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field. I’ll meet you there.” (Rumi) Learning is a process, and while the process is often pleasurable, sometimes you come across a knotty problem that you can’t solve, or an activity that you want to master and just can’t quite understand. I’ve always liked the Rumi quote above. Instead of thinking about the field as a place beyond right and wrong, I like to think of it as a place beyond doing things right and doing them wrong. To me, that field is the peace you feel once you’ve experienced … Continue reading →

Milk Problems

I breastfeed. I’ve breastfed all three of my children and I love it. Not only is it the best food for baby, but it gives me downtime with my little ones that is strictly between them and me. No one can substitute for me, no one can take my place. It’s a bonding experience that I couldn’t imagine not having with my babies. But about four weeks ago, I had a really nasty cold. I took some anti-histamines. The next day I found out that it really wasn’t a cold, it was the flu. A flu that was accompanied by … Continue reading →

Nursing and Spitting Up

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I remember when I was first breastfeeding, that I was so worried about getting it “right”. I was constantly wondering, was she getting enough? Is she getting too much? And, I would feed my daughter around the clock. She was a great nurser. She was the type of child who would literally sit at the breast all. day. long. That is if I would have let her. She was content to nurse, stop sucking, but still hang on, and then start up again when she felt like it. Falling asleep at the breast was also a challenge because she was … Continue reading →

Breastfeeding is a Personal Choice

As a mother who has nursed three babies and edits an attachment parenting site, I am a big supporter of breastfeeding. But one thing I’ve noticed is that some people are crazy about it. There are a lot of breastfeeding moms and supporters out there that get kind of nasty to moms that don’t breastfeed. My personal experience was when my oldest quit nursing at seven months old. She just quit. No notice, no warning. Just one day she woke up and wanted nothing to do with my breast. Come to find out I was pregnant, but she didn’t care, … Continue reading →

Nursing Until 1 Year, and beyond

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I wrote an article recently called, The Truth About Nursing. It can shed some light on what nursing is like in those first few months. It seems that these days, people who nurse past 6 months are very rare. I find that more and more of my friends are saying to me, “Wow! I can’t believe you breastfed that long!” and other things like that. I do feel lucky that I was able to nurse both of my children until they were 14 months old. Here is another fact that I realized the other day about my own nursing experience. … Continue reading →