A Voice For The Community

"I am blessed. I had a wonderful and encouraging support system in my husband, family, and a few nurses who sensed my determination and frustration. I had opportunities to attend support programs and join groups of supportive women who understand. I have formed friendships and am surrounded by great people who share their knowledge. And I have learned. I have learned that every woman not only has a right to choose what is best for her and her child but to make an informed decision and receive support" Jillian, nursing mama to Jack Angelo

This is place to share the stories that come along with being a nursing mama. Wether you breast-fed your baby for 1 day or 3 years, we're not here to judge, simply to listen. Listen to what happened when you tried your best for 3 whole weeks only to be defeated. Listen to how being a mommy changed the way you looked at the world. And all the other stories, insights and moments that fall in between the complex and the truthful lessons you learned from your baby.

Read. Enjoy. Share. This is the voice of the nursing community.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

"Extended" Nursing

Teddy is now 13 months and we are considered "extended nursers".  So what does that mean?  It means we have mastered many more nursing positions than the 3 they teach you at the hospital or in breast feeding books.  There is the standing nurse, the running nurse-where he moves his legs from on top of my lap to the front of my lap then off my lap, then back on and so on and so on, the talking nurse-where he practices his vocabulary of words while nursing and most recently the squirming nurse where he moves his head all over and still manages to keep his super suction latch!  But mostly extended nursing just means more nursing!

I see extended nursing as more nursing in a society where any nursing past 12 months is considered unusual or out of the "norm".  We nurse 3-5 times throughout the night (still), we nurse 2-3 times before our morning nap (still), we nurse  after naps (still) we nurse after meals (still) AND we now nurse when we are sad or unhappy or hurt.  Yep more nursing.  New positions. And more nursing past 12 months.

Nursing is just who we are these days.  It is what brings us back together when teddy has had a whole half hour by himself playing with his toys or an afternoon of exploring the grounds of starbucks or a new playground or a few hours of sleep on his own.  It is not hard, it doesn't hurt, I'm not engorged or leaky.  It is fun and sometimes funny. Yes, it is time consuming (still) and tiring (still) and can be awkward when we are around people who are not open to extended nursing, but having a space for teddy and mommy to reconnect with each other and cuddle for a few minutes together at an age where it is easy to lose that connection so quickly with new-found independence is totally worth it!

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