Hi Jennifer,

I'm just now getting around to answering your post - sorry for the
delay. My response is purely anecdotal (my own breastfeeding experience
with my 5 children that includes a set of twins as well as what I
observed of my 3 friends who breastfed their toddlers), and not at all
research based.

You said "toddlers are more flexible and usually only nurse at night"

In my experience toddlers nurse through the day as well as through the
night. Some days more than others, but I also found that they levelled
off their night time requests.

You also said "During my research, however, I never found any negative
issues families had to deal with while extending breastfeeding."

Again, this is very different than my own experience. I found that the
number of negative comments and sneering looks I got increased
dramatically after the child passed the 6-7 month mark, ending when I
stopped nursing my toddlers in public and started denying that I was
"still nursing" even though I was.

"My question is are there any family issues mothers have to deal, such
as jealousy between siblings due to the amount of breastfeeding time?"

I found that tandem nursing actually helped ease  sibling rivalry - it
guaranteed that each toddler got close contact with me. The only snag
was deciding which of the twins got to nurse with the new baby. We had a
number of creative solutions to this dilemma.

" I wonder this because I learned that toddlers whom breastfeed get more
attached to their mothers rather than objects like blankets or stuffed
animals"

I actually think that this is a good thing. Babies should be attached to
their mothers. 'Comfort objects' are poor substitutes for a mom, but are
commonly introduced in our culture in an attempt to minimize the
baby/toddler's dependence on mom. To quote someone (I don't know who)
"You can't teach a child not to be dependent. You can only teach it not
to be dependent on you."

Hope this helps - it is great to see students posting on the list!

Joan

**********
Joan MacNeil, RN, PNC(C), BScN, IBCLC
Halifax NS Canada
 <mailto:[log in to unmask]> mailto:[log in to unmask]
 <http://www.sidelinescanada.org/> http://www.sidelinescanada.org

             ***********************************************
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html