Beating my "personal best" for breastfeeding
It appears that I haven’t written too much about
breastfeeding the second time around, doesn’t it? I don’t really talk about it much these days, early, simply because breastfeeding slowly stops being your entire world, and you almost forget it’s a thing. It’s just mindless.
For those who need a boobie refresher, I nursed our son, D,
until he was 13 months (to the day), and I fully planned to do the same with our daughter, C. Once she turned one, I started getting a lot of the pointed “You’re done now — RIGHT, HEATHER?” from family members who are mildly weirded-out by extended breastfeeding.
However, as it got closer and closer to C’s 13-month birthday (which was Saturday), I realized I wasn’t going to stop at the exact same point. Yes, I could have made it EXACTLY EVEN for the two of them (and I’m kind of big on “fairness,” as someone who grew up constantly feeling that her younger sibling got the better deal — Hi, Little Sis). But not much is “even” between them — one look at the enormous stack of scrapbooks for D, and you’ll realize that.
The main reason I stopped nursing D at 13 months was because I wasn’t getting pregnant (we’d been sort-of trying since just before his first birthday, if I recall). I stopped breastfeeding at the 13-month mark, and I was pregnant with C when D was 14 months. Whether or not it’s related, I don’t know. But this time, I have zero desire to get pregnant again, so I don’t feel a rush to stop.
Not to mention, by continuing, I’ve “beaten my personal best.” And I do get a little satisfaction out of that!
There’s often a lot of Judgey McJudgerson situations when it comes to breastfeeding, and that’s not for me. I don’t care if people formula-feed from the beginning (although I wince a little thinking of the cost, and the amount of work). I don’t care if people breastfeed until their child is four (although that’s not for me). It’s a personal choice. Period.
For me, I’m just taking it day by day and seeing how it goes. Yes, there are moments when I feel like a dried-up milch cow and I kind of want to STOP breastfeeding. But there are also plenty of moments when I’m SO VERY GRATEFUL for the chance to sit down and close my eyes, and snuggle my little baby. Honestly, she’s a loud little thing, and this is one of the few things that will make her quiet!
When will I stop? Who knows? But I can promise you, when I am done breastfeeding, I’m treating myself to a new bra or two. Mama deserves it!
xoxo
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