Breastfeeding a Toddler

One of my questions at Miles's 12 month pediatrician appointment was about cow's milk. As I looked around (online and in books), I found it hard to find any information about drinking milk for toddlers who continue to breastfeed. Everything is all about weaning from bottle to cup. Breastfeeding sources are all about the social implications of "extended breastfeeding" but there's little about nutrition.

So I asked our doc, and he congratulated me on continuing to breastfeed, noting that "we" breastfed his youngest to 22 months, though presumably his wife did that? Heh. He said that as long as Miles was still nursing 3-4 times a day there is no need for him to drink cow's milk at this stage. I was happy to hear this because I haven't exactly made up my mind on whether I want to give him cow's milk or stick to soy like Mr. Ibis and I do... plus, dude, organic milk is INSANELY expensive. It's more than soy milk, by a lot.

Anyway, so yes, I am still breastfeeding. I know plenty of people get all righteous and political about extended breastfeeding or toddler breastfeeding or whatever you want to call it... but it's not like that for me. I still do it because why not? I still have milk and he still wants some. It's still good for him and it's still free. I don't really think about it that much and I don't know when he'll wean. My intuition is that he will want to wean within the year... already he is stretching longer between nursings to the point that I am getting engorged almost daily, at some point in the day or night.

To anticipate any questions people might have... the issue of publicly breastfeeding a toddler doesn't come up, because he has no interest in nursing when we're out and about. I haven't fed him in public in a long while, because he is too distracted for nursing and can just eat a snack if he's hungry.

Biting? Doesn't happen. There was some involuntary biting in the early days of teething, and also some experimental biting when he first realized he could use his teeth to bite (a couple of times maybe), but that was it.

The weirdness of a toddler asking to nurse? He's not talking yet, aside from the occasional Mama, Dada, or "boo" (peekaboo). I used to always ask if he's "hungry" to nurse, but one day I thought I heard him saying "nananana" when he wanted to nurse so now "nana's" is the cue I use. But he doesn't say it. In fact, if anything it's a little frustrating that he never asks and will usually just throw a fit until I correctly guess what he wants. Sigh.

The weirdness of a toddler walking up to nurse and/or lifting my shirt? Well, he's not walking that much yet so this hasn't happened. He also doesn't pull or lift my shirt. And even if he starts, as I said we pretty much never do it outside of our home so I don't predict having issues with this.

With night nursing... lately he is only nursing twice at night, once before I go to bed, and once toward morning, usually somewhere around 4 or 5 am. And the feedings have been moving further apart, so I think he is going to grow out of this on his own.

The only "problem" I have with extended breastfeeding is that I still haven't had a period. Not that I miss it. But if the time comes that Mr. Ibis and I want to try for another baby, it looks like Miles is going to have to be weaned if he hasn't weaned himself already. And even then I don't know how quickly my cycle will resume. So that puts a bit of a question mark on our reproductive plans.