2nd day and venting time!

Micah did not ask for "milk" again this morning, so I think for certain we are done! I brought him downstairs and snuggled with him while I checked my email, but he didn't ask again, so therefore I didn't offer!

Because we are pretty much done, I want to vent a little bit!

I had somebody say to me once, not too long ago, that I wasn't weaning him because I was the one who "wanted to hold on." I felt that they were insinuating that I was the one that was causing him to nurse so long. Apparently they didn't approve of me nursing over a year. :( I replied to this person that if he wants to wean, I will let him wean and not stop him (I don't know how I would stop him anyway.)   I stated that all my other kids weaned on their own and he will too. I felt I had to defend my decision to nurse past a year.  

I saw an article about this all the other day and wanted to post it here because it states my thoughts exactly.

http://www.scarymommy.com/breastfeeding-kids-through-toddlerhood/?utm_source=FB
(If you want to check out the very first sentence in the article, you will see why I love it so much! Sorry about the picture, I have no control over it.)

This article pretty much comes from a mom's perspective and how even though her toddler still wanted to nurse, she let him for the toddler's sake. The mom said she wasn't doing it for her sake, but rather the toddler's. She stated that by weaning the toddler before he was ready, it was sort of like taking a security blanket away. That is exactly it! I know that Micah found comfort in nursing and when he was ready to move on, he would.

No matter what people told me, I knew this approach would be the best for us and it was!!

I think nursing is a very personal matter and each mom can do what they feel is best for their baby. I know some of my friends who nursed their toddlers until after 3. I know some who quit at a year and I even know a mom who nursed her son until he was 5. You really have to do what works for you.

Now if Micah got to age 2 and wanted to keep going, would have I? Probably. Would there be a point though where I would have had to just cut him off and be done? Maybe. I was really hoping we weren't going to get there and we didn't.

I just think sometimes that mom's need to keep their judgmental comments to themselves and encourage each other instead!!! Why didn't this person say to me, "Wow, you are doing a great job! Micah is so lucky that he gets to have breastmilk as long as he can, especially with all his allergies. That stuff is gold! I know breastfeeding takes so much time and is a huge commitment, but wow, you are doing a great job!"  That would have been better to say to me instead of making a judgmental comment!!

And apparently this person doesn't know that you can't force a baby to nurse when he says no! Even if I was the one trying to hold on, if Micah told me he didn't want to nurse anymore, I would have to stop. You know the saying, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink." Same concept, especially if they are over a year!