I was at the administration area of my children's school yesterday
when one of the teachers came to me and said "I have been meaning to
thank you for talking me out of weaning (my son) last year. I have
loved coming home to him and breastfeeding. Now we are ready to wean,
but it's happening slowly and we are both ready."

This little boy was 17 months old at the time his mum asked for help.
She spoke of weaning so that she could return to work. She wasn't
happy about leaving him, even at 17m, and there was a diagnosis of
food allergies. He was not eating solid food well or gaining much
weight, but was breastfeeding several times a day and to me looked
healthy and happy. I talked to her about how she felt about weaning,
chatted about the benefits of breastfeeding toddlers, including the
fact that it gave her a chance to re-connect with him after work, and
recommended Maureen Minchin's "Food for thought" book.

He's now 28months, still healthy, happy and still small for his age
(so is mum). There were a couple of other members of staff in the
room, all of whom nodded and agreed strongly that it was better to
wait than feel forced to wean. I came home with a spring in my step
and a song in my heart - it'd great to get such positive feedback.  :)

Querida

Querida David IBCLC
NMAA Counsellor
Alyangula, NT. Australia (on an island in the Gulf of Carpentaria )
Email: [log in to unmask]
"I do not do great things, I do small things with great love" - Mother
Teresa