Time flies! Baby Bing is turning two this May! From a helpless baby to a bubbly toddler, he's the source of joy but also woe of our young family. With lots of love and support from Ryan and my family, we have managed to maintain our breastfeeding relationship thus far.
Many cheered us along the way. But also many urged me to wean baby Bing off. That he's being too clingy to me. And it just takes too much of my time and effort to continue breastfeeding.
Firstly, different baby has different pace of weaning. It's just like how they go through various developmental stage at slightly different timings. I believe in baby led weaning because they will let you know when they are ready. It's usually 2 to 4 years old. Now baby Bing only takes EBM once during the day when I'm not around. Regardless of whether he's with the babysitter or daddy.
However, when he's with me the whole day, he prefers to direct latch, sometimes as frequent as hourly. Sometimes because he's teething. Or if he's in an unfamiliar environment, he will ask for breastfeeding as reassurance. The same goes to situation that's out of his routine.
After baby Bing has grown up, breastfeeding is not just to satisfy his hunger. It's his sense of security and source of comfort as well. When he gets upset, unwell or in pain, he will ask for nen nen. Some interpret as him being addicted to nen nen. However, it is a special tie between a mother and her baby. It can become tiring at times but it's a magical tantrum tamer. After a day away from mom, he also takes breastfeeding as a chance to reconnect with mom.
The duration of breastfeeding also decreases with time as baby Bing has learnt to nurse more efficiently. He nurses in really short periods during daytime because he gets distracted easily with his toys etc. When he's still drowsy or wanting to sleep, he will nurse for longer periods.
His acrobatic breastfeeding can become too much sometimes though. Wriggling, twisting, turning, standing, face down when mom is lying down. Some babies may even try nursing with their feet in the air! It's actually a way to explore breastfeeding with fun! But I'll give him a firm no if he tried to pull such stunts in the public.
Breast milk does not get less nutritious as the baby Bing ages because the composition changes to meet his needs including the level of antibodies! Actually, nutrition wise, babies do not need formula milk once they are above a year old. Formula also does not change with baby's needs.
Breast milk is the perfect food no matter how old the baby is. One may gets lots of unsought advice which is more often than not misleading and unhelpful. Not many babies get breastfed past 6 months and you should cherish this precious formative years spent. After sharing my experience of breastfeeding my toddler, I hope this will clarify some doubts. Please let me know if you have anymore questions.
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