Oh The Things They Say (and do) About Breastfeeding
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Monday, July 23, 2007
Welcome to the eight "Carnival of Breastfeeding!" I'll be joining our usual round-up of breastfeeding bloggers and a few guest bloggers to post about the topic of what our kids say (and do) about breastfeeding. Granted, this one was a little more difficult for me than usual, since I had to rely on my kids for material. Since one is only 9 months and the other is a 2.5 year old that doesn't talk, that makes for a challenge.Then again, I've never really shied away from those challenging posts, have I?
Elnora doesn't say much about mother's milk. She drank it exclusively from a bottle for thirteen months and enjoyed quite a few sippy cups of it in the first few months of Emmitt's life while I pumped for a friend. In fact, I've got two posts in the archives about her reaction when she got her first sips of mother's milk months after she'd been weaned.
So most of my stories about Elnora and mother's milk revolve around actions and not words.
Like the time Emmitt was three months old and started crying while we had company. Elnora looked at him, looked at me, looked back and him and came over and tried to tug up my shirt while saying "E-ya Mana" which means Emmitt, Milk! Apparently she thought I was too busy talking to notice that Emmitt was hungry.
Or the time just last month when I sat down on the bed to nurse Emmitt and Elnora told me via sign language that SHE was going to feed him.
"How will you do that?" I asked.
She lifted her shirt and pointed at her nipple.
I laughed. "I'm not sure that's going to work Nora, only mommy's have milk."
She looked a bit dejected, but she put her shirt back down and went off to play with something else.
There have been at least a dozen times where she's wanted to use the breast pump as well, but I keep reminding her that she's not a mommy yet and doesn't have mommy's milk yet.
She's apparently all set to go somewhere down the line though.
Check out the rest of the posts in the Carnival of Breastfeeding:
The yum of "Mum-Mum" at Breastfeeding 1-2-3
The signing nurser at Motherwear
A helpful big sister at Down With the Kids
From the blooper reels at Breastfeeding Mums
Where did they go? at Rattling the Kettle
A collection of quotes at Musings of a Crunchy Domestic Goddess
The greatest hits of breastfeeding quotes from Mama Knows Breast
Why can't YOU feed the baby? at Nurturing Notes
Labels: All About the Kids
I love how Elnora knows what her brother needs! Sometimes my older daughter will take it a little too far though, and ask her sister if she wants me to nurse her (to get her little sister out of her hair LOL). She has learned that doesn't go over very well!
Tee Hee - Methinks I sense a Little Lactivist in the making!!
LOL...and she's not discreet either.
She's all "get that shirt up and give the boy some access Mom!"
That's ok, I have years to teach her the finer points of how to nurse in public. :)
It helps to see that often girls learn about breastfeeding from seeing younger siblings nurse and not necessarily their own nursing experience, which I'd imagine many baby girls would be too young to remember.
Gives me more motivation to try again with the next baby.
Too cute! For roughly the first 9 months of Levi's life, anytime he cried Jonny or Gracie would say, "Mom! Levi wants your boob!"
This was always at full volume, and it did not matter if we were sitting in the living room by ourselves, or in a long line at the grocery store.
Lately, if I'm holding him, my nine-month-old will grab hold of my ears, and pull himself forward until his mouth is firmly around my nose. Still doesn't use the 'milk' sign, even though I'm still doing it pretty regularly. He does get excited when I say 'milk'. ;)
Even though I've had to switch over to formula (about 2 months ago now), my 5 year old will still tell me I need to feed my 6 month old daughter by saying 'she's hungry and she needs to drink your boob'. Or he'll hear her crying and tell me she's hungry. Then when I'm feeding her a bottle he says 'not like that, like this' and lifts his shirt and tries to nurse on his own nipple.
My 2.5 year old got a little freaked out when he saw me nursing my daughter for the first time. I think he thought I was trying to smother her or something started crying hysterically and pushing me backwards. I had to nurse around him a few more times before he got comfortable with it.
That is a really cute story about Elnora.=)
My 3-year-old son also wants to use my pump. Things I've heard him say: "I have a big chest. I pump." "Boys don't feed babies. Only mommies do." "Mommy, Ben's crying. You need to give him yummies." I love that he thinks it's perfectly normal for his baby brother to eat the perfectly normal way.
sounds like she will make a great mama. :)
LOL at not being discreet. ava will pull up her whole dress to "nurse" her pretend babies. it's pretty darn cute.
My 3 year old daughter regularly "nurses" her babies and stuffed animals when I am feeding our 11 month old (and even when I am not). She knows that is how babies eat. She even has a lap desk that she uses as a nursing pillow. It is really cute to see her imitating me.
Let's all pray that when Elnora's a Mommy, nobody will be blogging about breastfeeding in public. By then, let's hope, such blogs will be in the nature of 'remember when women were given grief......"
My little boy weaned at 13 months, but for the next 6 months when he saw a baby breastfeeding he'd come and sit on my knee and hide his face and complain. He still likes to put a hand down my top if he's feeling particularly vulnerable!
My daughter has recently started to ask for mama's milk. I used to think it was just her wanting something he has and she doesn't or just her needing that mommy cuddly time, but this morning she walked in on me getting ready for work and said "I'm ready for my mama's milk." Um, ok.
I actually think I'm going to attempt to give her some in a sippee because of her weight gain (non)issues we've been having.
Other that that, it's mostly actions in our house too. She sits on my knees facing me while I feed him and will push on my breast with one finger to help. She also has to hold my cone on my pump while I'm pumping and will tell dad "I help mama pump!" with such a proud enthusiasm.
And just recently I noticed her at a friends out walking around to everyone who would pay attention telling them that her baby needed lunch with baby firmly attatched to her bellybutton. Her ped. was so proud about this and told me congrats for encouraging the next generation of breastfeeders.
There more, so much more, but that's probably enough for now. Hey - maybe I should do my own post. :)
my 25 month old nursling will, when finished with one side point to the other side and say 'this side please mommy!' breastfeeding also teaches manners!
He he doesn't have a younger sibling, but when we are around friends who have new babies and they are nursing, he's very concerned that they too get the 'other side' and will let the mom know that baby wants the other side too.
He also compares my milk to his favorite cereal of the week, so far 'milky is yummy like weetabix, mighty bites and raisin bran!' :-)
Oh so cute! She is a little Lactivist in the making!
And I'm having a Breastfeeding advocacy Note Card Give-Away this week. Anyone can swing on by to enter by leaving a comment on my blog. Good Luck!
Once my son 2.5 y.o. son pulled up his shirt and started nursing his bear :-)
My 5 1/2 year old sees my baby breast feed and now she wants to breast feed again. What should I do? She hasn't breast feed since she was 5 months old.
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