> OAMER is a very manageable situation given the adjustments to "nurse uphill"
> and use gravity to your advantage to slow the flow.
Cheryl,
Yes, this is very true!!! I learned all this and much more, but not
until I was nursing my 3rd baby. The baby I was referring to was my
first, and I just had no idea that all the "little things" that were
happening were due to OAMER. I was so determined to nurse him that I
never really thought to mention to anyone that my let down was so
painful. I did associate the nights we were up trying to burp him with
the fact that he gagged and sputtered while nursing....but I had no idea
why he did *that* and I had learned just enough mistrust of doctors by
that time to not bother asking anyone. I was simply convinced that
nursing was God's design for him and for me, and we were going to do it,
come what may. Of course, hindsight being 20/20, I can now look back
and say "Ah Ha!! So that's what was going on!!"
As far as him hating to nurse at night, I should explain that it was
because the flow was so strong. He really only wanted to suckle, he
wasn't hungry per se. So he'd end up fighthing the flow, gagging and
getting too much air, and then he'd have to burp again....it was very
disruptive to his sleep and he hated it. He really just wanted to sleep,
not be deluged by milk.
> What gives me pause regarding this statement is that MUCH more happens after
> 16 mo. than comfort nursing.
Yes, also true. I agree. I actually feed pumped milk to my older kids
(unbeknownst to them...lol) when they're sick, and I used it once to
cure pink eye when both my boys had it at once. They thought I was so
wierd, but the pink eye was gone in about 36 hours, no trip to the
doctor, no antibiotics.
But in all cases, I've had an an active toddler by this age, who was
really not interested in nursing! It's not that positioning was a
problem by that point in time -- they were all managing the flow quite
well by then, and it had also decreased on it's own...it was just that
they had other things to do. I believe that if they had been able to
really "comfort nurse" in infancy that they might have made an
association that would have lasted longer.
Please don't misunderstand what I'm saying -- my babies were certainly
comforted at the breast!! And I also believe that all suckling is both
nutritive and comforting; it's pretty tough to differentiate between the
two. But nursing is hard work when milk is being squirted down your
throat, and many babies won't just "hang out" -- they do their business
and then move on.
I would gladly have nursed longer, and I cried when I knew it was
ending, but I'm not one to force it on an uninterested child. Just my
personal choice and situation, but if someone wanted to go longer, I'd
certainly support them!!
Marci :)
--
Marci O'Daffer, CCE, CIMC
mailto:[log in to unmask]
Certified Childbirth Educator
Certified Internet Marketing Consultant
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