Introduce Yourself (please don't be afraid to join us) - Page 2

[momma2mingbu]

Hi, I'm Carissa, momma to three sweet kiddos.

Keithen is my oldest, he just turned 6 years old this month. My mom was very negative about BFing (and natural birth, etc. etc.) but I did have a couple of supportive friends. When he was first born I figured I'd nurse until he was about 6 mos old and then end up using at least some formula after that. I was a WOHM at the time and figured that I wouldn't be able to keep up by pumping and plus he'd be starting solids by then. Well, he never even tasted formula. I decided my goal was a year. At about 13 mos I attended my first LLL meeting. Then it was 18 mos and I'd want to wean to "get my body back" before having another child. Then I watched one of the ladies in our LLL group nurse through her pregnancy and I learned that it can be safe and healthy. Well, by the time he was 18 mos old I was already PG with #2 and had become committed to letting him CLW. He nursed until he was 3.5 years old. The last 16 mos of that he was tandem nursing with DD1 Kaylee. (So for the first 2 mos of my 3rd PG I was still tandem nursing the two of them.)

Kaylee (who will be 4 next month) nursed until late in my PG with DD2 Ruby...I think she was about 22 months when she weaned. I think she weaned due to the changes in taste when the colostrum returned in the 3rd trimester. She asked to nurse a few times after Ruby was born and I let her try but she couldn't figure out how. I was very disappointed and had many regrets about Kaylee's early weaning...I wondered what I could have done to help her nurse longer. I had really wanted to be able to tandem nurse again. Age 2 to 3 was so much harder with her than it had been with DS simply because she was no longer nursing. It took me a long time to get over her weaning because it was very unexpected.

Ruby just turned 2 years old. I am hoping that she goes for at least 3 years like her older brother did. I have to say, after her sister's early weaning, I was SO RELIEVED to make it past her second birthday! I am looking forward to letting her continue to lead.

[polka123]

I'm Desiree & have an 18 mo DS.
He is still nursing strong.
I wish he would slow down a little but he's a booby boy.
We are TTC #2 & I'm over 40 & need all the help I can get.
I will nurse as long as he wants.
It's so sweet to see that little face nursing.
DH has a aunt & a cousin (mom & DD) that both nursed.
They are very supportive of extended nursing.
Oddly, my Mom is not as she bottle fed me
Now some of my Mom's sisters are supportive.
DH is also as he has 3 other kids & his X refused to B/f (she could not be bothered) Even the nurses begged her to try b/f the 3rd one & she yelled no way
DH totally gets a kick out of it


I've got an adult DD that I nursed to 6 mos - luckly DD's paternal G-ma nursed all her kids (in the 50's & 60's) when everyone was bottle feeding. She was huge support.
She did not circ her son (1961) so that's where I was introduced to intactness

[my2girlsmama]

Hi :

I'm April mama to Julianna who is 5, who self weaned at age 26 months old. It was a rough start, our nursing relationship, but we made it through and loved every moment!

I am now nursing 11 month old (today!!) Angelina nearly exclusively (she takes the odd bit of mushed banana, or baby biscuit daily) every 2-3 hours.

I never actually chose to CLW more I just never considered stopping at any given point, nor do I now.

[eclipse]

my name is Jeri, and i'm a tandem nursing mom to liam (just truned 4) and rhiannon (20 months). i also just found out that we are expecting #3 in October - so i will be tandem nursign through pregnancy and possibly triandum nursing. i suspect, however, that liam will be done by the time this baby is born, as he is only nursing once every few weeks now.

[loon13]

Hi, you can call me Loon. Which can mean one of those beautiful birds, or "crazy as a ". To most of my family, it's the 2nd definition b/c they don't know what to make of me and my AP ways: cloth diapers, co-sleeping, sling wearing, and of course I'M STILL BREASTFEEDING MY 2 YR 7 MO DD! Their attitude is :, my attitude back to them is

My mom didn't breastfeed my and my twin. It was 1973, bottle feeding was in, and she was scared to nurse us b/c she had been told that when you're nervous your milk can go sour, and also there was 2 of us. Poor mom, victim of bad information and fear.

Even though I never saw or heard about breastfeeding growing up, I knew a few years before we tried to get pregnant that I wanted to "try" breastfeeding. By the time dd was born, I had learned much more about it and was committed to doing it. So committed, in fact, that I suffered with intense pain for the first 3 WEEKS after dd was born, b/c I was stubborn and knew I was going to figure it out. Finally got my butt to an LC and within 5 minutes she had fixed dd's latch. Aaaaah, now the fun began. Dd refused bottles of breastmilk. (Poor daddy was trying to help mama get some rest.) Nothing was gonna work but the breast. While that was sometimes tiring, it was also

Dd is obviously not ready to give up the nummies and I see no need to traumatize her with weaning, since the relationship is still working for us. The hardest part are the comments from my parents ("When are you going to stop? This is enough. Your cousin bf both of her kids for 6 months and switched them to formula. Why can't you do that?) BTW, that cousin is the only other in the family to bf and she did it first, so I guess that her way was best, right? UGH!

The second hardest part is NIP. DH has even said he doesn't mind if dd nurses all day long in private, but we're both shy when it comes to NIP. Even with my nursing shirts, I must admit I'm afraid of eliciting comments. Most people we know have no objection to nursing an infant, but by 1 year and up, they think "it's time to stop". So I just don't offer the information that we still bf. I don't refuse dd to nurse, I just try to lead her to a quiet place to do so. My line of reasoning is I try to be discreet b/c I'm trying to be respectful of others; and by being respectful of them I hope they will be respectful of me and my choice to bf. Kind of a "do unto others" attitude, I guess. Does that make sense? Any help with this issue would be gladly welcomed.

Anyhoo, now that I've , can I get a for all the CLW mamas? I'm so glad to be in company with all of you.

BTW, mother sunshine, you are my CLW hero!!

[mother_sunshine]

to all the newcomers, and to all the "old-timers"! I'm sure everyone else is enjoying reading everyone's stories as much as I am. I am finding myself at every post, we all have so much in common.

Originally Posted by loon13

So committed, in fact, that I suffered with intense pain for the first 3 WEEKS after dd was born, b/c I was stubborn and knew I was going to figure it out. Finally got my butt to an LC and within 5 minutes she had fixed dd's latch. Aaaaah, now the fun began.

This is exactly how we started out too. I remember breastfeeding in tears for the first 2 weeks, until it got so bad that it was either see an LC or give up (which WASN'T happening). My right nipple was so torn up that I had to pump-only on the right side for weeks while it healed. That side ended up being dd's favorite side. (I had pumped so often and efficiently that the production went way up.) I felt so stupid that all I had to do was see the LC in the first place, and she felt so bad for us that she didn't even charge me. I am so grateful to her for everything she did. She moved out of state and we still keep contact. A couple of years ago I wrote to her that we were still nursing, which I think probably caught her off-guard because she never mentioned it again (so neither did I).

Originally Posted by loon13

BTW, mother sunshine, you are my CLW hero!!

Wow! Thanks!

[Mama2ABCD]

Hi, i'm Kirstie. I am nursing 3. Adam is going to be 5 in april, Boyd is 3 1/2, and Cali is 11 mos. (I have an AA, BB, & CC with no plans for DD). The boys nurse on average about 3x a day, while my girl nurses round the clock. I did nightwean the boys gently (flame me, i'm fireproof) during my 3rd preg, for some very good reasons (which i've discussed on other threads). But, 15 mos after they are still enjoying "ninners" which is even better than chocolate and icecream (that's both boys that say that)! Breast milk must be some good stuff! Adam mentioned a few times last spring that he'd wean when he gets his driver's license.

I never really believed i'd be a mom, i never did any preparing (like before i got married/my 20's). my mom died when i was 14, so i felt like i would have nothing to guide me. but, i was so tickled when i got pregnant (kinda unplanned). i assumed i would bf, but i knew too many woman who couldn't, so i prepared and expected to have to work at it. especially when i found out the horrible secret that i was ff because juandice in 1967 was caused by mom's milk !!! and when i began i set small milestones (though i never planned to ff, i just didn't want to set unrealistic goals? i read about all the benefits and prayed i'd be successful). as for co sleeping, i had never heard of such a thing (i told you...i had no clue). my dh told me that when they put that babe in my arms i would never let him/her go. boy, was he right!

so i had a clean, clueless slate. not tainted by what was supposed to be convenient (bottles, disposables, cribs, strollers, etc). and this was the best thing for me. i went totally on instinct (i read too, but only stuff that backed up what i wanted to hear).

i remember the seconds before Adam was born, i thought the pain, i could never do this again. and then seconds after, i thought, wow, i could do this again and would. and the way i felt when i first saw Adam....

i could not wait to have another baby, but i did not want to deprive Adam of breastfeeding. so when i got pregnant again (kinda unplanned again) i was so happy, then so sad. several in laws made a point of telling me that i would have to wean Adam. but, i did my research and viola, found out that there was tandem nursing. i knew then tandem is what i wanted to do. and when Boyd was born, i've been tandeming ever since.

CLW is a phrase i never heard of until i came to MDC which was when i was preg with #3. i wish i had known of this place sooner. it's so nice to share nursing story's, encouragement, and get support. So, i never set out to CLW. once i got going nursing 2 i just kept at it. taking each day as it came whether it was good or bad. i couldn't wait for #3, but it took along time for AF to come back and then i waited another 6 mos (2 boys close in age and nursing soooo much was alot for me). Cali was planned. I hope she never quits nursing! And i'm savoring every moment with her as she is my last.

i don't know when they'll wean. it might be a group thing. but, i do know, that my mom is looking down at me and is so proud. because i learned that i did learn a lot about mothering from my mom even though i didn't get to know her for very long. and i treasure my children so much because i know that it can all go away in an instant. i want my children to always know how much i love them. and i hope they remember being nursed until they day they die (at 100).

sorry to get mushy at the end.

[DejaSu]

I'm Susan, nursing my dd Maya, 26 months old. Well, not nursing her right now, but any minute I'm sure....She loves nursing while I'm on the computer....

I have a home daycare, and nurse on demand, always have...But I don't really ever nurse her in public anymore, I think mostly because I don't anyone to see my tummy. If I were ripped I'd whip it out, but I'm kinda shy, KWIM? I night-weaned for the most part a couple months ago, setting 12-7 as my "off-limit" time because she was so dependant on it to fall asleep, it was hurting my back, we just weren't sleeping well...We co-slept 100% until she was almost 2, now she falls asleep in her own room and wanders in sometime in the night usually.

It's nice to read about extended nursing in such a positive light! Though I don't hide it, I still get a lot of questions and amazement when people learn I'm "still" nursing Maya.

We have had a great experience thus far. She has milkies when she's stressed, thristy, hurt, etc. and it's such a sweet bond we have. I never thought I'd go this long, but I now realize she's still my baby and age is arbitrary...I see her slowing down gradually, and sometimes going 12 hrs. between sessions, so I think it will be a gradual event. I like the idea of a weaning party!!

Anyone have any weaning party stories?

[Peony]

I'm Amy, dd is 25 months now. I knew that I was going to bf, never thought twice about it, but I never set a date for how long. Honestly, when I would stop never crossed my mind, not even after she was born, or at 6 months, one year, and etc... When she turned two, I remember thinking that 2 years was such a short time to bf, and I even get a little misty eyed at the thought of her weaning someday, which I hope is years away. Glad to meet the rest of you.

[mom2tig99Nroo03]

i am mama to a 2 year old nursling (roo) and a 5 year old non-nursling. he weaned himself (for the last time i think) in november, then turned 5 the following month. i tandemed until then.

[TheJoyfulMom]

I am Kati. I have 3 kids. Olivia weaned about a year ago at 5 years 1 month. Mesa is 4 (today!!!) and still nursing. Levi is 6 months and going strong.

I was one of those moms that kept saying their child was weaned and then she would start nursing again LOL So I waited a good 6 months before even thinking about it this last time.

[sg784]

Hi Im Sera, Im 20, single mom. DD is almost a yr. We plan to CLW. We had a rough start, and had it not been for my mom I think I would have been one of those mothers who now gives the excuse "Oh, I just couldnt do it".
My Mom BF all 6 of her kids and was very encouraging. Aside from her and my DDs fathers mother (she BF all 4 kids, the last for 2 and 1/2 yrs) I really didnt have much support.

But now I make a hobby out of "preaching" the AP gosple to anyone who tried to make a negative comment about it. Fun Fun!!

[Rox5266]

I'm Roxanne, Mom to ds Daniel, 18 months and still loves to nurse. I always figured he would wean himself like my Mom said I did. I did not expect him to still be nursing after he started solids. But he has been nursing frequently and I heard that this is a phase a lot of babes who nurse at this age go through. I really want him to nurse for as long as he wants, but I am a bit leery of the thought of nursing him when he is older than 4! But at this time I am committed to CLW so I guess I will just wait and see......

Roxanne
Daniel 8/9/03

[my2girlsmama]

Loon

You said:

and by being respectful of them I hope they will be respectful of me and my choice to bf. Kind of a "do unto others" attitude, I guess. Does that make sense? Any help with this issue would be gladly welcomed.

I think you need to be respectful of your child/nursling as opposed to worrying about what others may or may not think of you nursing a toddler in public. You'd be surprised that you may illicit no reaction, as has been the case for me. Though I am a staunch BF advocate with no qualms about offending anyone in MY choice as a nursing mama, I did wonder what some would think upon seeing me do it.

That said, you can choose where you NIP. At malls, nursing stations, quiet corners, etc........it doesn't have to be a breast hanging out and a child gulping away LOL! I say do what your heart says and try not to worry about the shyness factor or offensive factor. I mean, breasts are made for nursing NOT sexuality.

[sunnylady303]

Hi there...I am Kristin mom to 15 month old Samantha. I never intended to breastfeed. My mom was told I was allergic to her milk and so didn't breastfeed me. (I turned out to be allergic to dairy and wheat so I suspect that was the problem.) When I got pregnant, I had known several moms who tried to nurse and "couldn't" or found it too much trouble. I bought bottles and formula. Then our doula (who ROCKS!) opened a whole new world of attachment parenting in a very non-threatening way. So I decided to give nursing a try. I decided I would nurse for 3 weeks. Then after a week - I knew I'd give it at least 3 months. By the time I hit that I knew we'd go a year. Then I discovered that some moms nurse longer. I decided we'd go til she was 2. Now she's 15 months and I can see letting her go til she's 3. But as I have continued to grow as a mother I have faith my vision will adjust and if she wants to continue nursing I will be able and willing to do that. It's hard for me - I have had so many years of nursing is "gross" and nursing older kids is "child abuse." Obviously I don't feel that way now, if I ever did, but it is still hard for me to visualize nursing a 5 year old without there being some sexual discomfort. I am ashamed of that and don't like that about myself but I have faith that that will change. I really respect moms who seem to have none of these issues and are just able to joyfully give their children what God and our bodies meant for them to have. I believe with my whole heart in CLW, but I still have this discomfort. Hopefully I will continue to grow and it will disappear. We love nursing together, btw, and I have appreciated the help I received here on whether to keep offering it to her when she doesn't seem to ask for it.
We are hoping to TTC this spring. I am having lots of conflicting feelings about that because I don't want anything to mess up our nursing relationship and I know that pregnancy potentially can. I am committed to not letting it. But I have worries about sacrificing this wonderful relationship for a child that is only a hope right now. Plus I am worried it will be difficult to get pregnant. But we want two close in age, so...
So that's my story...btw - Carissa - you're story was in Adventures in Tandem Nursing, wasn't it? I really enjoyed reading it. Your childrens' names were familiar. I don't post here often because I have felt that since I still am a bit uncomfortable in spite of myself with older nurslings (I really do want to emphasize that I don't like feeling that way and I wish I didn't and I think all you moms who are nursing older kids are terrific and worthy of so much respect) that I don't belong here. But it is nice to read so many experiences...

[callmemama]

Kristen.

I'm guessing its not untrue to say that "most" of us nursing "older" children didn't plan or even consider nursing past any certain age. Each day just flows into the next and we continue to meet our children's needs. Take it one day at a time and you'll be ok! It is so awesome for me to see my 5 year old take these giant steps in independence (including weeks between nursing sessions now), and I know he is getting what he needs.

[Lucky]

I'm a Lucky mama in Indiana. Currently, I have one, 16 mo nursling. My dss have moved on from being nurslings...it happened so gradually. I was mostly oblivious to dss weaning.

Ds1 was a frequent nurser. He has a lean body, and as a baby, I wanted him to get as much breastmilk inside of him as he wanted. He loved being worn, in a sling, and nursed on demand. At around 20 mo, (I was 6 m prego w/ds2), ds1 refused to nurse. He was on a nursing strike for nearly 4 months. I ended up way past my EDD. One day, ds1 was really overtired and grumpy, so I laid down with him to nap, and he nursed. It sent me right into early labor...his nursing started up the contractions and they never stopped. Ds1 continued nursing, his nursing strike was most likely due to low milk supply and not being able to fit on my lap.

Ds2 was an excellent nurser, from the minute he was born. No worries about him getting enough milk. His round cheeks and little leg rolls reassured everyone of our healthy nursing relationship.

The boys were great tandem nursing buddies for 2 years. Ds1 weaned sometime around his 4th b-day. I remember him nursing in Sept and Oct, but not at all in Nov, or after. It just kind of happened. He became active in more and more activities outside of home and was done.

Ds2 continued nursing for another 6 mos. Eventually, he'd rather play with his brother than nurse. I was expecting #3 and we moved to a bigger home...both played some kind of factor in ds2's decision to wean at 2 1/2 yo. (He is such a sweetheart, it felt like he was giving me a break before new baby came.)

...dd is the last of my remaining nurslings. She's happily nursing on demand. Neither one of us is in any hurry to see this nursling relationship end.

[guest^]

You all ROCK!!!

Jeez, you can see how many posts I have here, and I just found t his forum!!

I am mampoppins just call me mp.

I have had stage 4 endometriosis for 20 yrs. Been married almost 15 yrs. No birthcontrol in 13yrs. 2 surgeries. 2 dc!

Dd is 8yo. She was weaned at 4.2yo. I was extremely sick with my endo from the time she was 18mo till my last surgery May of 2000-she was 3.5 then. She saved my life one day when she was 3yo and I couldn't get out of the tub-she brought me the phone.

I had to travel out of state for that surgery. Dh,dd, my sis and Mom came to take shifts helping dh. I was in the hospital for 1 month. My surgeon brought on a LC to be part of his team. I made it so clear that I intended to nurse dd till she was at least in KInder. I went through 1 week of diagnostics still nursing, and BAM! I had to be given radioactive dye for gallbladder tests...so I pumped for the next 3 weeks post op. After that, the LC said I couldn't nurse as I was so severely underweight(92lbs). I had to gain to 100 lbs to get back on the plane.

Back home dd and I stayed with my sis. She lived in a huge house, and I felt so out of control trying to figure out what dd was doing all of the time. I missed nursing her, but was still so weak. I called my LC at home in tears, and she said to take her to bed with me and try to nurse her.

I did. She did. We resumed our nursing relationship till I was(!!!!!!!!) 12 weeks PG with ds. I was put on bedrest, and taking progesterone. It hurt to nurse. I weighed only 105 lbs. I just felt my body couldn't go on nursing.

I weaned her at 4.2 yo.

My 2nd little miracle baby is ds. He is 3.5 yo and still nursing strong. I nightweaned him due to depression I battle and insomnia. Until recently, he would nurse before and after sleeping. Lately,he is wanting to nurse more often.

Which is why I am here.

I have no problem with NIP. I have 2 older sister's who nursed all of their dc at least 2 yrs. MY spirited neice self-weaned at 5.5 yo. I remember when I was thrift store shopping and dd was about 2 yo. I sat down to nurse her in the closet seat I could find. The store lady walked up and told me I could "do that" in the changing room. I politely told her NO THANKYOU,that I was comfortable right where I was.

Also, all of my docs are supportive of CLW!!

I don't know how often I will post. I HS dd, and that is a FT job these days.

mp

[MoMommy]

I'm Sarah and my dd, Emma, just turned one year old. I always knew I'd nurse. My mom nursed my three younger brothers and I for at least two years each. I remember going to countless LLL meetings when I was a kid so I was very comfortable with the idea of bf.

At first I was going to bf for two years but now am really committed to CLW. DH thinks one year should be the limit but I convinced him two years was good. I think we may have issues when dd turns two because I don't plan on stopping then, either. I'm kind of worried about this but I guess I'll deal with it when it happens.

I love to NIP because I feel like I'm raising awareness but lately dd is too busy to nurse when we're out. She is still a champion nurser at home, though!

My family is very supportive and dh's was up until now. I'm getting the feeling that they think it's time to wean so I hope dh stands up for us if they say anything about it to him.

[maria423]

Hi! I'm Maria.

I'm currently nursing two kiddos: my daughter, who will be 2 at the end of March, and my son, who is almost 3.5 months old.

I can't say that tandem nursing is always 100% enjoyable (is that terrible to say?? : ), but for the most part it fills me with joy and the knowledge that I'm doing the right thing for my children. I really do think breastmilk is a birthright.

I plan to let them both decide when they will wean.