Kathy D. said:
> At someone posted, an overactive let-down can make nursing unpleasant for
> the child, instead of having its usual pleasant, reinforcing, attributes.
> When that is the case, the child will nurse as long as they need to for
> basic food needs, and as soon as they think they can, they'll wean. This
> doesn't mean the mother did anything wrong, or encouraged weaning. And it
> doesn't mean that breastfeeding is only for food -- it is also for its
> health-promoting and disease-fighting properties, and for comfort, as long
> as it continues. But if the child is relatively healthy, and gets no
> comfort from nursing, then early weaning is to be expected.
I have had a lot of anguish over this. My daughter is 15 months (almost
16!) and I had severe Overactive Let Down (OALD) to begin with. I know
that pumps are not supposed to be anything to base yourself on when you
are talking about how much milk you make...but I figure I can safely say
that if I was pumping 3 oz in under a minute (during letdown), my
daughter was probably getting a similar amount if not more, spraying at
her.
Nursing was obviously a source of displeasure for a long time, and we
lived through "nursing strike waiting to happen" from 4-10 months or
so. She would not nurse except when asleep. Luckily she didn't have
any interest in solids EITHER until 8 months, and even then it was very
very token (ex. 1 teaspoon per day). Now she eats more (maybe 2-3
tablespoons per meal...not always 3 meals per day though...), but she is
also FINALLY seeming to show an interest in nursing for comfort.
For example, if she hurt herself at 5 months, all I could do was cuddle
her and let her suck on her fingers to comfort herself. Now, she'll
nurse. She asks to nurse now, and even will pull up my shirt and latch
herself on by herself sometimes. All this is endearing to me, as it is
something MY baby didn't do while I heard about other moms trying to
dissuede it in babies that were 9-11 months old.
Now she pulls away from nursing and often looks me straight in the eye
and smacks her lips (which is how she says something is yummy!), which I
love to see. But it has been a long time in coming. I was very scared
she wouldn't nurse as long as "she should" (given the idea of natural
weaning) because of the OALD being so displeasing to her, but I think we
are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
My personal hope is that she REMEMBERS nursing. I think that is part of
what is missing in me. ;-) I know (because I was told it) that I
nursed for 7.5 months, refused all bottles and pacifiers, and loved
it...but only know it because it was told to me. It would seem to me
that it would be so much more "convincing" to be able to say to someone
"well, I nursed until I was 6 and I remember loving it, and that is why
I nurse my child." It would also likely open people's eyes up that yes
children do nurse that old, and survive to tell the tale, and grow up as
responsable adults! ;-)
Fio.
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