It wasn’t always this way. Nursing the first year was bliss. I loved it. We’d lie around together for hours. He’d periodically look up at me and coo, but mostly he hummed and stayed put. In public, I tossed modesty aside and whipped out my boobs if he wanted them. If anyone looked surprised or uncomfortable, I didn’t care. I was a proud breastfeeder.
After exploring some of the challenges of nursing her 17 month old (who let's face it, is still really a baby), in particular in public situations she asks:
So why am I still going through all this?
The World Health Organization recommends nursing for the first two years. And Dr. Sears advocates letting children self wean. Extended nursing is nutritionally and emotionally beneficial for young children, they say. I wholeheartedly believe that. My son strokes my cheek and stops periodically to sigh in pleasure. When he’s sick, it is often the only thing that makes him feel better. I can offer him this part of myself to stave off a tantrum, or comfort him when he’s hurt. It has benefits for me, too. When he curls up in my lap, I melt. I get to have my baby be a baby for just a little bit longer.
She goes on to share a positive encounter with her Church Pastor:
I was mortified. I was going to have to breastfeed him in front of a roomful of church ladies. “Is there a private room somewhere?” I asked. The pastor looked at me, baffled. “You could use my office, or you could nurse right here. Honestly, no one cares.” It occurred to me that my fear that other people were judging me might be imagined. Maybe no one cares but me.
This mother concludes:
One day he will stop breastfeeding altogether and then this whole phase of parenting will be over forever. As I watched him play, I thought that maybe I should try to enjoy nursing while it lasts.
You can read the full article here.
See also my article Breastfeeding Two Years And Beyond
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