Nursing my 4.5 year old Boob Biter .
I am not anyone in the health services , just a former PE teacher who breastfed her 2nd child until he was self weaned at 4 and a half , and wanting to share an experience .
My son nursed until he was four and a half years and self weaned . My first child had my milk for about a year ( with yours truly pumping for her milk needs ) even though she gave up the breast at 6 months . As I carried on past the cultural-expected-to-be-weaned-by-date , I realised that I had got so used to the routine that it was getting really easier to carry on .
Although I had access to the staff refrigerator for my bottles , my then office administration was not too breastfeeding friendly . I had my former Vice Principal ( perhaps ) out of concern and breastfeeing ignorance try her best to get me to wean my toddler off . Likewise people who saw the milk bottles on my desk were mostly supportive until they realised that the milk and efforts were for a toddler . Through the grapevine , I heard that some colleagues were even embarrassed by the sight of my empty cooler . I was not the only mother of a toddler in the school were I worked but I was definitely the ONLY one who had bottles and a steriliser on my desk . People and one particularly nosy science teacher would ask me more than once ,"Are you still feeding that child ?" . Eventually I gave up trying to discuss matters like that with them . I would deflect all enquries with a ,"It is obvious that I am and It too is obvious that I am not about to meet your philosophy and ideas so why don't we drop the subject ?" . My Head of Department would tell me curtly that she couldn't care less what I did so long as it did not interfere with her programme . That was when I asked for time off to go home and be with my child during a school camp .
Despite the opposition I faced I managed to carry on as I felt that afterall it was my child and I had the right to feed and nurse him till he was ready to give it up . Many who did not have any knowledge at all of breastfeeding would be constantly amazed at the thought of a toddler having all his milk and emotional needs satisfied at the breast . Some were distinctly queasy as the breast to them was nothing more than a sexual object . But breastfeeding has more benefits than just nutrition alone .
A toddler who breastfeeds until he is ready to give it up is for the most part confident and more often than not healthier than if he had not breastfed . To the ex-colleague who asked if it made my child clingy , I only have to say that my son is the more confident of my two children . Furthermore I believe that it is because he was allowed to wean off when he chose to and nurse for an extended period that he is so .
The benefits of breastmilk do not shut down at some pre destined date . Toddlers are by nature curious and mobile Noo-noos on two legs . ( With reference to the Blue Vacuum Cleaner in the popular children's show The TellyTubbies ) . Research has shown that the toddler continues to receive antibodies so long as he continues to nurse or receive EBM . Many more things , dirt , germs etc go into a toddler's mouth than a baby's . Breastmilk offers them extra protection against such germ invasion .
Especially so when they start kindergarten and are immersed in crowds of children who get bugs one after another . A sort of Passing Game . There sometimes comes a point where even the breastfed toddler starts catching every kindy bug that comes along but I have noticed that they tend to make a faster and better recovery than if they had not been breastfed .
I faced all kinds of problems besides having to fight society's perception on how long a child should be nursed or breastfed . I had sore nipples , plugged ducts and a suspect bout of mastitis cum plugged ducts that landed me in hospital before my son was a month old . When another mother grouses about having being bitten and chewed upon by her teething baby I tend to empathise and smile wryly to myself ,"Yup been there done that ." I too however have come to realise that with the proper attitude most breastfeeding problems can be overcome . It is a matter of tackling the problem at its roots before it gets out of hand . Once when my son had sprouted teeth he bit as he fell asleep and in doing so drew blood . I shrieked as it was not the first time he had done so . The Lactation Consultant and I had a good giggle before offering me advice on how to handle the problem . He did eventually stop biting and nursed happily even with a full set of chompers . It really all boils down to how much you want to continue breastfeeding and nursing your child . It used to amuse me that many opted for Formula Feeding without having tried Breastfeeding as Formula Feeding is what most of us in the league term artificial feed . With extended nursing we do not have to worry about having to change the milk formula at such and such a date . When our toddlers come down with gastric upsets there is little need to withhold nutrition to let the stomach recover as breastmilk ( even when the child is throwing up and more so when he is throwing up ) aids recovery .
At some stage when he was old enough to ask for Um Um's and if I happened to be busy and asked him to wait , his majesty used to open my underwear drawer and wave a bra at me with a look that said ,"NOW PLESEEEE !!!" So over the years we stuck to our comfortable nursing relationship until one fine day at 3 years of age I noticed that my son had started cutting down on nursing . It then hit me and hard that my nursing days were numbered . With demand cut down , my supply soon started dropping . I had enough for an afternoon bottle and he got what he needed at night via direct nursing . After a few months of this I found myself having to supplement his afternoon milk feed as he liked ( then and now ) a cup of something milky before a nap . This carried on for another year or so with him gradually cutting down on nursings until he turned 4 plus and started asking for the breast less and less . It was a bittersweet landmark as he was obviously ready to let go soon . Once in awhile he would nip back for a sip as if to remember bygone days . He would then smile and say thank you after each nursing . It was really amusing when he instructed the mobile snack bar ,"I want this side . Yup this side ." Or now that he has given up active nursing ,"Noooo~~~~ I dunwana UM UM today Noooooo~~~~ !" ( sing song voice ) then give me a cheeky smile and run away .
On one hand I miss my nursing days a lot , yet after 4 and a half years I too am relieved . There is an unspoken bond that I have with my son who reads mommy dearest well . Do I encourage mothers to nurse for extended period ? Most definitely yes .
