The Joys of Breastfeeding a Toddler #9

June 4th, 2010 by Dionna | 1 Comment
Posted in Breastfeeding/Lactivism, Carnival and Special Series, Compassionate Advocacy, Feed with Love and Respect, Guest Posts, Healthy Living, Joys of Breastfeeding Past Infancy, Just for Fun/Miscellaneous, natural parenting

I am so happy to welcome Sheryl, who has shared a story about one of her greatest joys in breastfeeding a toddler. Sheryl is the proud mother of a 2 year old son, Dylan, and is passionate about helping nursing moms through her work as a La Leche League leader. She also happens to work full time as a lawyer, and whenever she has a chance she writes for her blog, Little Snowflakes.   In her spare time, (which doesn’t come along very often) she enjoys long walks, crocheting, and yoga. Here is her breastfeeding guest post:

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My son Dylan is now 2 years and 3 months old. Most days I love our nursing relationship – I love the snuggles after a long day at work, I love that I can get him to sleep quickly almost anywhere, and I love the fact that nursing can fix any boo boo or pre-empt most tantrums. Once in a while I feel touched-out and want my body back to myself (especially at 3am!). However, one of the reasons I keep on going is that nursing has been a lifesaver when Dylan has been sick.

This past winter he caught a nasty stomach virus. It began at 11pm one night when I heard Dylan screaming. I went to his room immediately and noticed that he had thrown up all over himself and his bed. I called my husband and we cleaned up Dylan and his bed. Just when everything was clean and we were about to sleep, he threw up again, this time all over the carpet in our room. We cleaned up yet one more time and all went off to bed together. I lined our bed with towels and blankets so that if Dylan threw up again, we’d just remove a layer, rather than having to change the whole bed.

Dylan nursed on and off throughout the night and thankfully kept the breastmilk down. In the morning he asked for some water. He had a few sips and immediately threw up again. We spent most of the day snuggling on the couch and Dylan nursed frequently throughout the day. I didn’t give him any food or water for the remainder of the day – just breastmilk. I didn’t have to worry about him getting dehydrated or weak because I knew that breastmilk was the perfect food for his recovering tummy. I didn’t have to worry about running out to the store and buying an oral rehydration solution because mother nature had already given us the perfect one in breastmilk. As I learned from the Kellymom website:

Anytime a sick baby is able to take anything by mouth, it should be his mother’s milk. Mom’s milk provides antibodies specifically tailored to fight baby’s illness, and is quickly and easily digested.

By the next day, Dylan was feeling better and I slowly re-introduced food back to his diet. He was able to keep things down and he was quickly on his way to recovery!

I was so thankful then that Dylan was still nursing. We have fought countless other illnesses together – H1N1, many colds and viruses and even an eye infection or two. Each time Dylan gets sick, nursing always makes him feel better and makes me feel better too, knowing that I am giving him the best possible nutrients and antibodies to fight off whatever illness he has. I’m not sure when our nursing relationship will end, but right now I hope it lasts at least one more year so that we can nurse our way through one more year of winter illnesses.

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Breastfeeding a toddler is full of laughter, joys, and heartbreaking tenderness. I am publishing a series of posts dedicated to the beauty of nursing toddlers in an effort to normalize this healthy and beneficial nursing relationship.

But this isn’t just about me – I want to hear YOUR joys. If you are nursing a toddler (or have in the past), please contact me and tell me about your favorite moments. I will include them in the series and credit you, your site, or post it anonymously if you so desire.

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