Breastfeeding ... still

My 15 month old still loves breastfeeding. I get comments, funny looks, but hey, did I mention she likes it? But this article from USA Today makes me wonder, is breastfeeding a young toddler really such a bad thing?

Smoke signals

When you're a year old, sometimes it's hard to get your message across. Your verbal capacity is limited by your still developing mouth, but your thoughts and needs have advanced past the eat, cry, sleep stage.

We've used baby sign language with both of our little ones. It helps alleviate some of their frustration and makes them feel involved in the conversation.

But there are some messages are a little more difficult. Especially with situations like eating and nursing. Moira is slow to take up the fork, so to speak. She prefers a liquid diet freshly squeezed—by her—and the occasional cracker or stray cheerio to supplement.

I've talked to all of the experts: pediatrician, lactation consultants, and other moms. Bottom line: She's perfectly healthy and she'll get there if we continue to offer a variety of eating options.

But the last few days something has changed. She's been nibbling more off our plates—at the pediatrician's advice. She likes the portability of a cup of milk, and I'm feeling a little, well, full. My body went from nursing at 80 MPH to about 40. And I'm struggling to catch up emotionally. My little "I'm gonna nurse until you kick me off" child has suddenly shown a more independent streak than I suspected.

It's our job as parents to try to keep up with our kids. To offer them choices to help ease their transitions and encourage them to learn to make good decisions for themselves. And I'll be pulling out and dusting off my favorite books for Moira's next stages:

1. Sign with your Baby - Baby Sign Language (ASL) Learning Kit - Includes Book, VHS Video & Quick Reference Guide

2. The Happiest Toddler on the Block: How to Eliminate Tantrums and Raise a Patient, Respectful, and Cooperative One- to Four-Year-Old: Revised Edition

3. Parenting with Love and Logic

Food fights

My just turned 1 year old just wants to nurse. No carrots, peaches, or peas, thank you very much. It's an interesting problem. She's definitely more dependent on me. And I get lots of good cuddle time. But I also spend a lot of time talking to her pediatrician, a lactation consultant, and anyone else who can offer a little insight.

You may have noticed the formula companies are now marketing a product for 1 to 2 year olds. So maybe a nearly full time nursing 1 year old isn't too odd. And I'm trying not to compare her too much to her older brother, who lost interest in nursing before he reached his 15th month. But I do sometimes fondly remember the experience of no being tied to child or breast pump.

So we will continue to offer tantalizing bits to tease her taste buds and let her choose her own path to becoming an eating toddler.

-- Post From My iPhone

Breast friends

I woke up this morning with a couple of cantelopes strapped to my chest. At least, that's what it felt like. No, I'm not some post-op breast enhancement victim. I'm just lactating. A lot.

Moo. That's what I feel like sometimes. A glorified cow. Worse yet, because I pump extra milk for donation and for nights out, if I don't keep up a regular pumping schedule, I end up with the chest of a less-than-sensible exotic dancer.

To me, that's the funniest part. I know some guys go gaga over the "enhanced" look, but do they really realize what it is they find so attractive? One word: lactators! Those big, fake boobs are merely mimicking the look of breasts engorged with milk.

Then there's the fact I leak. Like a faucet. As if the achy engorged feeling weren't bad enough, I sport a couple of wet spots on my chest and my scent can best be described as au lait. If the look of engorged breasts is so attractive, is the smell of breast milk some sort of fertility pheromone?

Our bodies do some pretty darned strange things. But they're pretty amazing too.