When Will You Stop?

This subject is passionate to me... and really, it's NO ONE'S business when we will stop. The only people it concerns is me, my child, her brother and her daddy...

So a conversation happened the other night...

"When will you stop nursing her?"

"When she's done... it's up to her. But my ultimate goal is and has always been one year."

"A year?! Really?!"

"Yeah... why would I stop any time before then? Breast milk or formula needs to be their main source of nutrition until at least one year. So why would I stop before a year anyways?"

"Well, she will bite when she gets teeth..."

"She has teeth already... she doesn't bite... if she does, she gets set down on the floor for a few minutes while I explain that she doesn't bite. She RARELY bites... so that argument is invalid."

**person walks away**

Why is it that once a BABY reaches 6 months that people no longer view that child as a baby who is in need of the nutritional value of breast milk or formula? Unfortunately most of these people who raise a stink eye to breastfeeding past whatever time frame they are uncomfortable with it, are the ones uneducated about the subject and most likely didn't breastfeed that long themselves. Breast milk is constantly changing to MEET baby's nutritional needs. So even at 6 months, 1 year, 18 months, 2 years, 3 years, whatever, breast milk is meeting nutritional needs. (Of course, after a year the child should be getting solid meals to meet all nutritional needs, but breast milk has and always will be superior for a human child over cow's milk.) 

Besides, babies don't properly digest solid food until 9 months to a year anyways. Solid introduction at 6 months is merely for practice so they are used to eating solids, used to textures and make the transition more smoothly to straight solid meals and less breast milk or formula when the time comes.

And, why would I force a bottle upon my 8 month old child? She does not take a bottle and that is just fine and dandy. It works for our family though it may not work for another family. I work from home, my husband is only home in the evenings and weekends... there was and never has been an optimal time to introduce a bottle. There's no need. She will take a sippy cup when we're away, she will eat some solids when we're away... there's no reason, at 8 months, that we need to use a bottle.

This is what works for us. This is our family, not yours. 

This first year of my daughter's life is so short. Her brother's first year has come and gone in the blink of an eye. In the big picture, the first year is such a tiny blimp to their entire life. So why does anyone feel the need to tell me that I need to rush our children into "growing up" and not needing their mom or dad as much as they do? It's not hurting you. It's not hurting us as a family. My husband and I have a wonderful marriage and wonderful relationship. We are the closest we've ever been. We are the most solid we've ever been. So obviously something is working for our family and it's not hurting you.

So, please. Before you raise a stink eye to anyone breastfeeding past 6 months, 1 year, 18 months, 2, years, 3 years, 4 years, WHATEVER age they are still breastfeeding at... just smile and walk away. It's not hurting you. It's not affecting your life. So it shouldn't matter to you.

Until next time, friends