The Mother’s Before Me

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.

• 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