Our breastfeeding journey coming to an end and sharing another mom's must-read breastfeeding success story

2 yrs and almost 5 months and we are still breastfeeding.  I've been really on and off about weaning.  Some difficult days, I'd stick a middle finger about "child-led-weaning" and some days where unicorns fly around us, I'd wish the moment that she'd ask to be nursed won't end.   I am seeing the near-end of our breastfeeding moment, though.  My supply is very low already.  Little Spanish Pinay herself would even tell me ya no hay leche, mami (no more milk, mami) like as if she's complaining and demanding for more.  So I guess, sooner or later, she'd get tired of sucking and would move on to her life without Las Boobies.  

How do I feel about that?

I am already nostalgic about it.

I am looking forward to it at the same time.

I feel triumphant as we really had a tough start on breastfeeding and that I have told myself 2yrs is the minimum time I'd breastfeed LSP.

If this is a novel, we are indeed nearing the denouement.

Speaking of a novel, I'd like to share another success story of a friend on breastfeeding.  Because novel = story.  I know, I'm good on segues. 

It is a really touching and beautiful story of courage, dedication and pure mommy love!  I do feel compelled to share this because I know that it may help other moms or mom-to-bes who want to really succeed on breastfeeding.  Please click the whole quote below to read the whole story.

"I set out with the benefits for the baby in mind, but I never thought that it could also be the best for me, in ways I didn’t intend. " -- Chichi Sotomil

Photo grabbed from Chichi Sotomil's fb page

p.s. Last month is Breastfeeding Awareness Month.  But I am extending it to this month and to all the months of the year. Because breastfeeding is that awesome!

Best of the Breast: The best alliance on a looong air travel with a toddler

 Anxieties struck me before our planned travel to the Philippines back in December last year.  As it was our first time to travel with a toddler (a high-demand toddler, not to mention), I really didn't know what to expect.  Actually, I have been expecting it to be daunting and nerve breaking because I thought our little one would get bored or scared or would be too uncomfortable, etc. But I was wrong (thank God).  The whole trip was smooth in general especially while we are in the aircraft.  The longest flight we had was a 15-hour flight from Paris to Hongkong and during that whole time, Little Spanish Pinay was sleeping if not walking around or playing or reading or singing with us.  She rarely fuzzed.  

 

That's right... at one time, she preferred the cart over her stroller or the baby sling

I tried to pack enough entertainment for her as well as fun food.  But what really helped us a lot, is that fact that she is still breastfeeding.  I didn't have to bring bottles and formula and water.  That's a big convenience because we already have heavy carry-ons so being able to omit things to bring is a big help.  Plus, there's no need to prepare the bottle every time she wants to be fed.  Milk is ready and fresh and warm just the perfect way every time she asks for it.  The most important of all? It really helped her not to suffer from ear popping because of the pressure during landings and take off. 

Learning the cabin's safety instruction

zonked

Thinking about all these, confirms my thoughts that we shouldn't consider weaning yet.  Consider, I say? Yes weaning is knocking in my door of thoughts these days.  Getting persistent even.  But that's requires a whole different entry as it's a long  and winding road.

We Are All Habiba

Habiba is a Moroccan young mother how lives in Madrid and had her then-15month baby taken away from her without her consent.  The reason? Because she breastfeeds on demand and refuses to stop breastfeeding after 15months of doing so.  Habiba is one of the those less-fortunate immigrants here in Spain and due to this sitation, she lives with her baby in a women's shelter in Madrid.  The shelter is called Instituto Madrileño del Menor y la Familia - IMMF (Madrid Institute of Children and the Family). Habiba had the surprise of her life when she was told that she can no longer stay in the shelter because she no longer has a child.  Her child was taken away from her right after she left the child in a daycare!

Now, anyone in her rightful mind would say this is totally wrong!  This has happened May 31 and I've been reading and following the news about this case.  The moment I read about it, I was enraged.  I felt pain for the mother.  I can't imagine how Habiba is going through, but I know she's hurting tremendously.  I am in utter disbelief with what IMMF has done.  They even try to justify their act by declaring that Habiba is a violent person and refused to undergo psychotherapy and maternal abilities program in the shelter.  Records of her being violent? Zero.  Habiba is not only a breastfeeding mom but an extended-breastfeeding mom.  I can't imagine a mom tenderly chosing to breastfeed her 15month old baby being violent.

Breastfeeding and Medicines

I've always wanted to breastfeed ever since we started to get pregnant.  I just know it is the best for my baby.  When I gave birth to our Little Spanish Pinay, I experienced deep pain due to the CS operation and I just had to ask for medications to lessen the pain.  I made sure I told the doctor that I am breastfeeding and so I want a pain reliever that is compatible to breastfeeding, i.e. medicine that wouldn't harm the baby that will receive the mother's milk.  It's not a secret that I had a slight case of post-partum depression after giving birth and for the first time in my life, I asked to be prescribed with anything that may help me with this depression.  I wanted help for my own sanity and to function better for our Little Spanish Pinay.  But our family doctor told me that he can't prescribe me anything anti-depressant as I am breastfeeding - so I'd have to choose my sanity or what's best for LSP.  I suck up my depression.  I can't choose myself over our LSP so I just dealt with long crying moments and all those down-moments.  Hubby had to suck it all up too as seeing me cry all the time is not something easy for him either.  I believe breastfeeding also helped me deal with the depression.  There had been study about this certain hormone that is being produced by breastfeeding moms that helps fight depression.

Later on I found out that there are anti-depressants that are actually compatible to breastfeeding.  There's a whole bunch of 'em.   http://www.e-lactancia.org/  - has a good list of all the medicines that are compatible to breastfeeding.  This web page is in Spanish though.  I just realize that not all doctors are well informed about breastfeeding and that's sad.  There are moms who would experience deep post-partum depression and not knowing that there are medicines that are compatible to breastfeeding, may lead them to giving up breastfeeding.  I could have printed a copy of the anti-depressant from this site and present it to my doctor back then.  Anyways things weren't too bad and obviously, I was able to overcome that depression.  And I guess, better for me... lesser medicine for my liver to deal with.

Then again, I wish that doctors would be more aware and informed about breastfeeding to help avoid cases of premature weaning.

Feeding and Fiddling

Little Spanish Pinay has developed this habit of fiddling or twiddling with the one bobbie while she's feeding from the other boobie.  I don't remember exactly when did this start but perhaps a couple of months ago.  I've learned that this is a common/normal behavior of older babies during extended breastfeeding period.  I also learned that babies naturally learn to fiddle or twiddle the other breast as this helps faster letdown.  Babies are really downright smart, aren't they?  While I am not bothered about it while we nurse at home (though sometimes it hurts when she pinches me), it does make me uncomfortable if we are breastfeeding in public for obvious reasons.  There are also times that she would pinch me while she twiddles.  Such a handful.

When she does this, I'd try to distract her by playing with her hand, biting, tickling, singing to her but sometimes she's just way to persistent and is determine to continue her twiddling.  That's when I'd hold her hand firmly but gently clasping it on my chest and tell her no she should not do it and that it hurst mami.  Sometimes she would cry - a slow soft cry that is too cute.  But I'd explain her mami is not angry but doesn't like to be pinched or that she should not twiddle because we are in public.  Then I'll offer her to nurse again. 

I've read that on extended period of breastfeeding, older babies naturally develop their different manners of breastfeeding they are all normal but we can always "redirect" them if a particular manner bothers us, mommies especially when we are in public.  Babies are naturally smart and understanding so with the right tone and patience, they'll learn what we want them to learn.

See, twiddling is an ancient phenomenon!

The picture above is a mother and child portrait of Luis de Morales, a Spanish painter born in Badajoz, Extremadura.  The period was around 1500.  And based on this portrait, babies during this time were also twiddling.  So it is something natural and doesn't have to be a reason to be embarrassing.  Sadly, with our culture now, being embarrassed by it or feeling uncomfortable when toddlers do this during nursing time in the public is inevitable.  But there are ways to avoid or stop this - in a respectful way to your babies.  Kelly Mom has a great article about it.

As of my Little Spanish Pinay, I do hope she'd outgrow this very soon as there are times I couldn't divert her attention to doing something else other than twiddling. Sigh.