Kathy:  'Loved your oil well analogy.  I have the mantra of "One day of
breastfeeding  is far better than no days of bf."  I use it along with a
"one day at a time" approach when moms are in the throws of tough situations
where they cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel and they are
considering weaning.  It invariably gets them through (with a whole lot of
other things).

One thing I have learned though is not to discuss my own children's length
of  nursing (#1 & #2 nursed over 3 years and my 2.5 year old is still
nursing).  New moms just can't fathom that in our society because we have
many closet nursers.  When pushed about my own experiences, I will often
share a few stories as well as statistics, and the fact that breastmilk is
so much more than nutrition.   In fact, I do tell my story of when I first
attended a local LLL meeting when pregnant with my first son.  I was
literally aghast at the fact that a walking, talking toddler asked her mommy
to nurse. (At that time the AAP recommendation was 6 months and by gosh,
that's what I would do).  Of course, I committed cardinal sin #1 and said
"I'll never..."  HA, HA, HA, to be sure all three of my sons were fully
walking and talking for a long time before weaning.

Warmly,
Chris
--
--Chris Hafner-Eaton, PhD, MPH, CHES, IBCLC    [log in to unmask]
INFANT CUISINE AND MOTHER CARE: Lactation Consulting, Perinatal Health
Education and Attachment Parenting Classes for parents and practitioners

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