This catch phrase has been in my mind for ages as a topic for a blog entry. I just hadn’t had anything to say before but the phrase itself.
I don’t want to offend anyone. The title is a fact and I support the principle, but I’m not judging anyone that doesn’t. It’s like we all know exercise is good for your health. Fact. Very few of us have the discipline to stick with it though (me included).
Breastfeeding was something I was determined to do. I was an asthmatic child, and I believe my intake of dairy products throughout my life was / is one of the big culprits. I’m 40 now and recently the asthma came back. It only happens when I eat dairy.
As you probably know from another post, I’m not a fan of dairy. In fact there are a lot of things in the common western diet that I’m not a fan of. And so I was adamant that I should give the best start to my kids when it comes to their health.
The original plan was to feed them for 2 years. Miss Z never had formula. Not one drop. I realise looking back that I was extremely fortunate in being able to take my full maternity leave with her (12 months), which allowed me to do things like breastfeeding, weaning, introducing solid food, sleep training, etc. full time, the way I wanted to do it.
When Miss Z was 15 months old I fell pregnant with Mr A. One month later I started feeling sick and had to take medication. So breastfeeding ended at 16 months.
With Mr A I was only off for 9 months. So in the first couple of months I was at work I had to express milk in the office twice a day. I can’t tell you enough how great it is to work for a company that cares. They made provisions for me to have a private room, a kitchen area with a fridge and a microwave (for sterilising / storing) and be excused for 30 minutes in the morning and in the afternoon to do this.
During this time I had a business trip planned of 3 days. So I expressed in the evenings as well, trying to build up a stock. Unfortunately, before that trip I had to attend a family member’s funeral and we used up the milk. So Mr A got his first taste of formula, for 3 days.
I decided 16 months was actually a good time to stop (it had worked well with Miss Z) and so I stopped breastfeeding Mr A at 16 months as well.
With Miss A, I was on maternity leave for 12 months but in that time I had to do a trip as well. I stock piled as much as possible but she too had to have some formula. I’m not against formula per se (bar the fact I have no idea what’s in it). I just prefer the way nature intended babies to be fed and weaned.
And now, here we are, Miss A is almost 17 months old and I still breastfeed her twice a day (morning and evening). The plan was to stop at 16 months, but I haven’t been able to do it.
I don’t know if it’s because I enjoy it, or because I really treasure those few minutes that it’s just us together, or the quirky little habits that she’s developed (too personal to tell). It may be simply the fact that I believe in my heart that this will be my last baby, the last time, and that I am already nostalgic about it.
I know that nothing stays the same, that time flies, babies grow and all that. I love my kids. But I didn’t know I would love the baby phase so much before I had them. And in a way I’m sad that I will most likely not experience that again. I will most likely forget some of the details and memories will fade. And that’s probably why I am dragging it a little longer… because my baby is growing up, and I already miss the closeness terribly…