M has weaned, and I sometimes can’t even believe it. It happened about a month ago, at age 5 years and 1 month. I wasn’t sure it was going to stick for a while there, so I haven’t written about it until now. We actually talked about it the other night, too. For a few weeks I had been afraid to talk to him about it. Part of me was sad, and I wasn’t able to say it out loud. The other part was …

The other night, the whole family was in the big bed at bedtime.  We were reading a book about the rainforest in Central America.  J was already nursing, and M was asking to nurse.  I prefer to nurse them separately, so I started joking with M to put him off a bit…
Me: You know, sometimes I get tired of nursing all the time.  Since we’re gong to Costa Rica soon, and they have lots of monkeys there, how bout we find a monkey mama to fill in for me a …

I was at a La Leche League meeting the other night and the question going around the room was: “Which benefit of breastfeeding first attracted you to the idea of nursing your child?” Most of the women in the room had responses that had to do with the baby’s health – things like reduced chance of allergies, less illness, bonding, etc. My answer was a little different because one of the first things that attracted me to the idea of breastfeeding had a lot to do with me. …

Happy World Breastfeeding Week!
My first nursling, M:

That picture was taken when we still lived in Manhattan, when M was 4.5 months old. Through his birth and our early breastfeeding experiences, M taught me that I had more strength and tenacity than I ever imagined I would be capable of. He taught me the joys of mothering through nursing, and how sweet the closeness of a mother and her nursing child could be.
J, my second nursling:

She taught me to always remember that every nursing relationship, along with every child, …

Then (when I was, maybe, 22): I remember having a discussion with my sister about whether, when I had kids someday, I would breastfeed them. We both decided that we would “try” it. My big concern was whether it would infringe on my sleep and cause me to get more migraines.
Now: I’ve been breastfeeding for 4.5 years straight. Part of that time, including now, is tandem nursing. I help other women to breastfeed their children. I know now that whether you breastfeed or not, …