Lactation Narration

Happy Birthday Sweets! Today my Sweets turns two!

Sweets, age 2

That means that I have officially achieved my goal of breastfeeding her for two years! Not that I had any doubt, after nursing Munchkin until she weaned on her own at 4+ years, that I could nurse Sweets for at least two years. But it is nice to meet the milestone!

Last night, we were out to dinner at a restaurant with the extended family. Sweets was starting to get restless by the end of the meal and wanted to run around the restaurant. This wasn’t something that I wanted her to do – I preferred for her to stay quietly at the table. So, I whispered in her ear, “Do you want some milk?” She immediately stopped, cuddled into me, and nursed until we were ready to leave.

Nursing Sweets in public, 14 months

I didn’t even think twice about it at the time, but today it occurred to me – I nursed my 2 year old in public, right there in the restaurant – I didn’t bat an eye, I didn’t think twice! I wonder if anyone noticed? I know my mother-in-law did – I did catch her eye, though I didn’t interpret her glance as disapproving at the time.

Did I feel this comfortable nursing Munchkin in public at this age? I don’t really remember. I know that I nursed her in public at our regular restaurant we went to every other week until she was almost 27 months old, but I think I was starting to feel weird about it around that age. If I had had an alternative at that time, I probably would have taken it. But that was our only chance to nurse all day, between my day job and an evening church meeting that I was going to every other Tuesday. My husband went out of his way to meet me for dinner in-between with Munchkin, so that I could see her, but also so she could nurse. I was nursing her in public at that age, but I was feeling a little self-conscious about it and would have preferred not to.

Nursing Sweets in public, 16 months

With Sweets yesterday, there was no necessity involved. I was even the one who offered to nurse her – she didn’t request it first.  I felt completely comfortable nursing her in public.

I’m sure that there are a few reasons, not the least of which being that I’ve been nursing for 5 years straight and I’m pretty used to doing it in all kinds of company by now! I think that with Sweets, there is also the issue that she feels younger than Munchkin did because of her developmental delay. At this age, Munchkin had a vocabulary of hundreds of words and was talking to me in sentences. Sweets has about 5 words that she says well, and about 50 signs, and if she puts two together it’s a big deal! So she just feels like a much younger baby to me.

I have never really been one who feels uncomfortable nursing in public. In fact, I have felt proud of nursing in public, feeling that I am helping to normalize breastfeeding. I have never used a cover that goes over my child’s head for nursing. I am not too worried about what other people think about me nursing a toddler in public – I think that I’m probably about as likely to encounter an issue regardless of whether I’m nursing a newborn or a toddler. My only experience with someone giving me a hard time for nursing in public was when Munchkin was only 5 weeks old, so it certainly wasn’t related to her age. In the past, I have said that I would always nurse in public without hesitation at least until I felt that my child could physically and emotionally understand the concept of waiting to nurse. Past that, I don’t know, I guess until it doesn’t feel comfortable to me anymore. I wonder when that might be this time around!

Until what age did you feel comfortable nursing in public? And did that change with subsequent kids?

I am a moderator for the forums on Natural Parents Network, and today we are publishing our favorite blog posts from NPN Volunteers.  Enjoy!

• Joella at Fine and Fair discusses her unique perspective of a controversial toy in An Unusual Gripe with Bebe Gloton.
• Amy at Innate Wholeness offers simple tips to be present with family whether you’re having fun and want to soak it up like a sponge or would rather run and hide in a cave.
• Charise at I Thought I Knew Mama shares sound bites from her miscarriage journey of forgiveness and gratitude.
• Shannon from Pineapples and Artichokes writes about how she is trying to raise her daughter to be accepting of everyone.
• Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama discusses the overuse of the word “no” and offers some aid in finding creative ways to avoid “no.”
• Melissa from The New Mommy Files: Memories, Milestones and Missteps makes a compelling case for instinctual mothering.
• Amanda at Let’s Take the Metro shares a comprehensive list of all the food she keeps on hand.
• Suchada at Mama Eve writes a heartfelt letter chronicling her journey with a difficult transition in Sleep, Crying, and Balancing Closeness with Boundaries.
• Shannon of The ArtsyMama shares her top ten list of things she wishes she had known more about before the birth of her son, Little Man.
• Kristin at Intrepid Murmurings has some helpful insights, tips, and tricks to share for babywearing with twins.
• Julia at A Little Bit of All of It tells the story of how motherhood came to her and how a miscarriage shaped her feelings and perceptions surrounding the birth of her first daughter.
• Emily from Embrita Blogging shares a collection of photos depicting things that make her happy.
• Lauren at Hobo Mama openly discusses an often-sensitive topic: Postpartum sex vs. sex before kids.
• As part of an ongoing series about balance, Amy at Anktangle writes about a daily ritual she has adopted to help her maintain balance in her life.
• Cynthia at The Hippie Housewife is reminded that while the days may sometimes be long, the years are short, and after a rough day the best thing to do is give thanks for the best parts and try again tomorrow.
• Dionna at Code Name: Mama offers 7 Alternatives to Good Job: “Good job’ing” kids can be a mindless habit to fall into. Instead of using a generic “good job,” try one of these ideas to really connect with and nurture your child.
• Darcel at The Mahogany Way has the ultimate boredom busting activity for children of all ages.
• Alicia at Lactation Narration discusses the long journey of child-led weaning, during which she thought several times that her child was weaned before she really was.
• Mandy at Living Peacefully With Children: Letting go of the illusion of control opens up a an entirely new world.
• Luschka at Diary of a First Child talks about the battle between breastfeeding and formula feeding mothers and the industry that stokes the flames of a war on mothers.
• Mary Michael at The Accidental Natural Mama recounts her journey to Mama-hood.
• Sheryl at Little Snowflakes talks about the benefits of nursing a child to sleep.
• Rachael at The Variegated Life meditates on the moment when she first saw herself fully embodying her life as a mother.
• Momma Jorje shares some good news and important information about Lindane and Lice.