Recently, I wrote an entry about the fact that my son, at two-and-a-half, has noticed the fact that he and I have different anatomy. In my entry, I just happened to mention that I have taken a shower with my son, which caused quite a stir in the comments section(read it here). Some readers shared that Canadian social services remove children from homes in which young children bathe with opposite sex parents. In relaying this set of events to my husband, he says, "Goodness, what would people think about that friend of yours who is still breastfeeding her two-year-old?"
This got me thinking: "What DO people think about folks who breastfeed for long periods of time?" I've read in Parents magazine about a woman who is still breastfeeding her kindergartner. She believes in self-weaning, so she allows her children to choose when to stop breastfeeding.
The person I know who still breastfeeds her two-year-old does it because it helps him sleep. He is her only child, and she won't be having another since her son was born when she was in her early 40's after fertility treatments. She admits that she spoils him a bit, which she's happy to do. Not only does she find it comforting to her son to nurse, she also enjoys the experience herself.
I have to admit that, while I have heard from breastfeeding women that they really enjoy the experience and the closeness it brings between the mother and baby, I did not experience that at all. I hated breastfeeding. I realize that it's not politically correct to admit that, especially in today's atmosphere of "if you don't breastfeed you're a bad mom," but it's a fact. I found it a hugely miserable experience. My son had some issues with his ability to suck, and I was left feeling like I was unable to feed my own child. My bleeding nipples and I went into hiding after a week of me crying at every feeding and I pumped breast milk for my son until he was six weeks old. I froze a ton of it (I'm apparently a damn good milk maker) and wound up throwing a lot of it out after the doctors feared that he had an allergy to various components of the milk (it turned out he had acid reflux and could have drank all that milk just fine. THAT was depressing).
Even the pumping was difficult. My son cried A LOT of the time (because of the reflux, as we later discovered) and I had my hands full juggling bottle feeding, washing all the bottles, pumping, and washing all the pumping equipment. Balancing suction cups on my breasts while bouncing a crying baby in a bouncer seat and trying not to cry myself was commonplace. It was a rough time in my life, and I don't remember it fondly. Of course, I'm going to try to do it all again with my next kid(sigh) so we will see how it goes.
While I can't identify with the moms who breastfeed until their children are walking, talking, and going to school, I don't really think it's doing their kids any harm (maybe the kindergartner might get teased). I haven't read up on this phenomenon, so maybe there is some research out there showing that it impacts the way children develop mentally. But it certainly puts a child in much closer contact with a mother's naked body than when a mom showers with her toddler or puts on her clothes in front of him. So, what do you guys think about this?
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