Breastfeeding and Signing

November 19th, 2010 by Dionna | 3 Comments
Posted in Breastfeeding/Lactivism, Compassionate Advocacy, Feed with Love and Respect, natural parenting

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Kieran nurses and signs "papa"

This week I’ve been honored to share several posts about breastfeeding and signing.

On Monday, Alicia from Lactation Narration guest posted on Natural Parents Network about learning to sign with babies and toddlers, and on Code Name: Mama about the many signs for “breastfeeding.” If you haven’t seen the post about breastfeeding signs, you’ve got to check it out, if only to ohhh and ahhh over the sweet videos I found of babies and toddlers signing to nurse.

On Wednesday at NursingFreedom.org, Whozat shared a sweet story for our 25th “joys of breastfeeding past infancy” post. It’s amazing how much information our little ones can convey with a few signs!

Today at NursingFreedom.org, there are more reader stories about their own breastfeeding and signing experiences.

Kieran started signing “milk” to nurse when he was almost a year old. Once he figured out that he could move his hand and I would pick him up to nurse, he very enthusiastically adopted the sign. (We tried to teach him to do the sign for “mama” and then the sign for “milk,” but he preferred to just do “milk.”)

Did you sign with your little one? What was your sign for breastfeeding? What is your favorite signing memory?

3 Responses to:
"Breastfeeding and Signing"

1. Summer   melodioustree
   

   Nov-19-10 at 2:12 pm

   

   Madilyn began signing “milk” around 10 months and it warmed my heart the very first time she did it. I had absolutely no clue that it would cause butterflies every single time she did it but it did. Our nursing relationship sadly ended about a month ago and she won’t use the sign anymore, not even for her cow’s milk. She instead uses the sign for “drink”. I love that she associated “milk” with me. I think that it’s the sweetest gift she could offer me.
2. sara

   Nov-19-10 at 5:25 pm

   

   my favorite signing memory is also the first time d signed for milk (mama’s milk, of course!)
   we were in the bathtub and he started nursing, looked up at me with the sweetest, dreamiest eyes and squeezed his little hand to sign milk.

   it brought me to my knees!
   when we got out of the bath i called my husband and when i said the word “milk” while i told him what happened, d started signing it again. *swoon*
3. Nicole

   Nov-29-10 at 8:50 pm

   

   I started signing with my baby when he was 4 months old. He signed back around 10 months. I nursed for 16 months, and he carried the “milk” sign over to his sippy cup. At 20 months old, he knows over 30 signs.

   My favorite signing memory is when he giggled with delight while signing milk as I walked in the door from work. What a special time together!