Welcome to The Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival!
This post was written as part of The Breastfeeding Cafe’s Carnival. For more info on the Breastfeeding Cafe, go to www.breastfeedingcafe.wordpress.com. For more info on the Carnival or if you want to participate, contact Claire at clindstrom2 {at} gmail {dot} com. Today’s post is about how the mothers before you influenced your choice to breastfeed. Please read the other blogs in today’s carnival listed below and check back for more posts July 18th through the 31st!
I always knew that I would breastfeed. My mother breastfed all of us – my brother, myself and my sister – in a time when many didn’t breastfeed. I always remember her telling us how we went straight from the breast to a cup – and we never had bottles. My mother would tell us how my brother nursed for hours at a time and my sister and I were “quick and to the point” – she could barely get us to stay on the breast for a few minutes! Talking about how we nursed as children was just “normal” – it was what we did and it was how babies were fed. There wasn’t anything taboo about it. My grandmother also breastfed her babies – but I never knew about that until after I’d had my own son. It just never dawned on me to ask to about it before then.
I had many positive influences in my life when it has come to breastfeeding. Friends, colleagues, family – that is just what we did. And that is always what I thought I would do. I was also quite fortunate to have many influences in my life of extended breastfeeding. At times, I thought they were “a bit much” – but later on, I was so happy to have had them to show me the way into a path I never knew I would take….down a road I didn’t even know really existed.
I always knew I would breastfeed – but the time over which I was willing to “do it” changed over time. When I was young, I thought you had to stop when the baby could “ask for it.” But soon I realized that my son was able to ask for it before he could even hold his head up. Then later, I thought you had to stop when the baby turned one. But I had so many friends who had nursed until their babies were 2 or even later. There is no magic “switch” that goes off when your baby turns one. They are STILL a baby! And there was no reason to stop something that was so “normal” for us.
Soon, I decided that I would nurse until my son was “at least” two. I really wanted him to self-wean. I had heard stories of other children weaning all on their own…and that is what I wanted for us. I never dreamed that this road would lead me down a path that many might consider “extreme.” For us, it was just “normal” – and there never seemed to be a time that forced weaning was necessary. My son weaned all on his own sometime during the month prior to his fourth birthday. I don’t know exactly when – it was so gradual, I really can’t remember. But our journey was a beautiful one.
I am so grateful to all of the mothers before me. My mother, my grandmother, my sister, my friend Erin, my friends Victoria and Alicia, my friend Amy – all for showing me how beautiful breastfeeding can be and for being my influences when it came time for me to have my own child.
Who were your greatest influences? Did your family breastfeed? Please leave a comment to share your own story.
Here are more post by the Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival participants! Check back because more will be added throughout the day.
- Sylko @ Chaotic Mama-Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival: Day One
- Claire @ The Adventures of Lactating Girl-Learning Lessons From My Mom
- Renee @ Just the 5 of us!-Well That’s What They’re For, Right?
- Lindsy @ The S.L.C. Blog-Posts on the Importance of Breastfeeding: Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival
- Timbra @ Bosoms and Babes-Quiet Influence
- Ana @ Motherhood: Deconstructed-My Mother’s Gift
- Amy @ Anktangle-Dear Mom, Thank you for breastfeeding me.
- Amy @ Wildflower Ramblings-Generations of Breastfeeding Joy
- Judy @ Mommy News & Views Blog-The Mothers Before me
- CJ @ Imperfect Happiness-Mothers Before me
- Shelly @ Lousy Mom-Breastfeeding: Mothers before me
- Ashley @ Adventures with my Monkeys-Breastfeeding Carnival Day 1: Mothers Before Me
- Laura @ Day by Day in Our World-Breastfeeding Influences… from Women Who Walked Before Me
- Natasha @ Natural Urban Mama-Breastfeeding Mothers Before Me
- And of course the guest poster on the Breastfeeding Cafe’s blog today is Laurel Miller-Jones-Taught Without Being Taught
[…] Judy @ Mommy News & Views Blog-The Mothers Before me […]
[…] Judy @ Mommy News & Views Blog-The Mothers Before me […]
[…] Judy @ Mommy News & Views Blog-The Mothers Before me […]
[…] Judy @ Mommy News & Views Blog-The Mothers Before me […]
How wonderful that breastfeeding has been such a positive thing in your life (and in those around you)! I think it’s great that you allowed your son to wean on his own. That is my goal, too, but only time will tell how our breastfeeding relationship will continue to play out.
Nice! My siblings and I (all five of us) were bottle-fed, but I was determined to breastfeed my children, so I did. I didn’t have any preconceptions about “how long” so just kept it up until they decided to stop. Actually I had to encourage my eldest to wean a bit: she was nearly two when I became pregnant with her sister. But by the time Rebecca was born, Sharon was quite willing to nurse her “babies” while I nursed her sister.
There was only one moment when she changed her mind: Rebecca was perhaps two months old when Sharon decided one day that she wanted to nurse. So I said “Sure!” and took her on my lap. Of course she wasn’t exactly baby-sized anymore, and she felt awkward on my lap. She took my breast for a few seconds, then giggled a bit. I smiled and said “Well, I think maybe nursing is for babies, not for big sisters, isn’t it?” She giggled, then sat up and slid off my lap to go get her own baby doll. And that was the last time she asked.
Rebecca continued to nurse until she was nearly three. I honestly don’t remember the last time she asked — it just got to be longer and longer between nursings until one day I noticed that she hadn’t asked in a very long time. I still miss those days sometimes.
[…] Judy @ Mommy News & Views Blog-The Mothers Before me […]
[…] Judy @ Mommy News & Views Blog-The Mothers Before me […]
I too thought that I needed to stop breastfeeding when Peanut turned 1, then when she actually got there, I thought “why would I stop?”
I hope that our breastfeeding relationship ends as gradually and simply as yours did. Peanut is only 28 months now and still seems to be going strong (regardless of my milk drying up because of pregnancy). 😀
[…] Joy</a></li> <li>Judy @ Mommy News & Views Blog-<a href=”http://blog.mothersboutique.com/the-mothers-before-me“>The Mothers Before me</a></li> <li>CJ @ Imperfect Happiness-<a […]
it makes me so happy to see woman who grew up without questioning the gift we have to breastfeed! It’s encouraging to hear that our choice to breastfeed is positively influencing our little ones to do the same, without negative associations about it. Thanks for sharing!
[…] Judy @ Mommy News & Views Blog-The Mothers Before me […]