I am one of those lucky gals who never really had any issues breastfeeding. Asher latched on right away. My milk came in two days after he was born. I overproduced for months. I never had mastitis. I never had cracked nipples. I was sore at times, especially on my left side, but I've never had the toe curling pain some women complain of having. The only real hiccup we had was when Asher had to stay in the hospital because of high bilirubin. I would go back and forth to breastfeed him and pumped milk for him at night. (Not that he would drink out of the bottle.)
Breastfeeding is something that I never questioned. I always knew I would nurse my babies exclusively. Asher has only had formula once in his life. (When my mom accidentally spilled the pumped milk I left her for Asher while I went to a movie.) He's only drank out of a bottle two or three times. This is what has worked for us. For me nursing is the easiest method of feeding my baby. It's always there. No bottles to prepare or clean. Breast milk is free. Plus, it is of course the best thing for babies--nature's miracle food. Fortunately, I get to be home full time, so the only pumping I did was to keep from getting engorged.
When Asher was born my plan was to breastfeed for at least a year and then do whatever felt right from there. Asher and I have both really enjoyed our nursing relationship, and by the time a year came around I knew we wouldn't be stopping anytime soon. This became even more important to me since we decided to give up most dairy products. I wanted Asher to have the nutrition that breast milk provides. Plus, the thought of forcing him to wean is something I can't fathom. I just really can't imagine turning him away from something that brings him not only nutrition but comfort. Not to mention the immunity boost!
When we were considering the timing of getting pregnant again, I read a lot about breastfeeding while pregnant. I wanted to make sure it was safe, especially given my history of preterm labor. All the research shows that breastfeeding while pregnant is indeed perfectly safe. The only warning given is to those with a history of preterm labor, but there is not necessarily a direct link. For me, the plan has just been to continue to breastfeed as long as I can through the pregnancy unless there is a real reason to stop. So far so good in that regard. Breastfeeding has not triggered any contractions up to now.
Another area of concern is that the mother's milk supply often decreases or even dries up. I have seen my supply decrease--both because as Asher gets older he nurses less and due to pregnancy. I started to really notice a change around the start of the second trimester. I would hardly ever see milk and Asher went down to nursing only 2 or 3 times in 24 hours. The consistency of my milk became much more watery and I could tell it was more sour tasting because the smell changed.
However, just in the past few days I have begun to suspect that I might be producing colostrum already. Asher has been wanting to nurse much more frequently and actually seems to be getting something. The milk is nearly clear though. He's also acting more excited to nurse, which again makes me think he's getting more of something.
Another concern that comes up when nursing during pregnancy is soreness. Most women's breasts become much more tender during pregnancy. Mine have definitely been more sore. And having a toddler who is sometimes lazy about how he latches on and has a mouth full of teeth doesn't help either. The soreness has never been to the point of making me want to wean, but there have been times where I've cut a nursing session short. I don't let him hang out on the breast for as long as he wants. Fortunately, he usually doesn't want to nurse very long anyway since there are so many other things for him to do.
I honestly cannot imagine mothering Asher right now without breastfeeding. I love the chance it gives us to snuggle. I love the closeness. I love how he MUST play with my hair when he's nursing. I love that for those few minutes he's still my baby. I love that it rights all wrongs, cheers him up, and heals all hurts. I love that he's still getting this wonderful nutritious substance every day.
I have no plans on weaning Asher anytime soon. I will let him gradually wean himself. I have a feeling he's going to be really excited once the new baby is born and there is creamy delicious milk again. I am looking forward to seeing my two babies bond at the breast. I hope that it will help ease the transition for Asher and decrease any jealousy that may arise.
I am so grateful that I can give this gift to my children. I'm grateful that we are designed so perfectly to allow us to nourish our babies in this manner. I'm grateful that my body has cooperated and been healthy and able to nurse this long. I'm grateful that I am still enjoying it! I remember I used to think that if a child could ask to nurse, they were too old. Well I certainly don't think that anymore! I truly believe we were designed to nurse our babies into toddlerhood. They receive so much benefit, as do we as mothers.
For more resources:
Kellymom.comAdventures in Tandem Nursing by Hilary FlowerThe Womanly Art of Breastfeeding
