Our two year old is asleep in bed and then rolls over mumbling ‘more milk!’, I’m not quick enough at rolling over and so a louder call of ‘more milk mummmmy!’ is uttered before he is happily feeding and asleep again.
Although he is now 2 years and 9 months he still happily has breast milk from me several times a day and night. Some people say they should be weaned well before now, but I know it will be years before that actually happens here.
Yes I am tired and don’t always appreciate getting woken up during the night, but in the long run it’s better for my child and I love our bond.
His older brother stopped feeding from me at 2 years and 2 months, only 2 months before his baby brother was born. He told me there was no more milk and asked for cuddles to sleep instead. As my toddler has no younger siblings he hasn’t been forced to reduce feeds due to my own feeding aversion during pregnancy, nor has it run dry as some may think. He will still feed to sleep in the evening, when he wakes during the night and to sleep at nap time. Occasionally he will feed when he needs comfort after he’s hurt himself or had a meltdown and that’s fine too, although those comfort feeds generally last seconds!
I have no desire to stop him feeding when he needs it, whether it’s for nutrition, helping him sleep or comfort. All are valid reasons to breastfeed.
Many think that extended breastfeeding is nonsense as young children no longer need it once they are eating solids. However, this is just not true. Breastmilk is tailored to the child’s needs through a feedback process, when your child empties your breast of milk, it fills up with more and through the contact and saliva from your child feeding your body knows exactly what they need. It can increase certain vitamins or fats depending on what your child’s current needs are and even transfers antibodies through the milk to your child to provide assistance in fighting illnesses. It’s amazing stuff!
So we will keep breast feeding until he’s ready to wean, at his own pace, when he’s ready for it. I don’t mind if he’s still feeding in a year or two, I know he will stop when he’s ready and I’ll be happy for the start I have been able to give him in life through the breast milk itself and the bond we have created.
What did you enjoy most by feeding your child (whether breast or bottle)?
J x
Lisa says
I bottle fed my two girls (now 13yrs and 10yrs), and I loved snuggling them up and watching as they fed. Now they are growing up and getting more independent by the day, but they both still want hugs from their mum.
I love your post and think it’s great that you are happy to continue breastfeeding until little one is ready to stop. I see no reason why you would stop if it’s working for both of you, so well done for being so honest and open 🙂