the answer is still no

Someone asked me today if I’ve thought about stopping breastfeeding any time soon …

the answer was “no” … I mean why would I?

– she loves it

– I love it

– we love it

she eats mountains of other nutritious food, has a wide and varied palate and ontop of the avocado, the prawns, the noodles, the strawberries, the runner beans, the ham, the porridge, the mackerel, still enjoys, and enthusiastically demands “milky”, running over, flinging herself at me and more often than not, shouting “this side” before lifting up my top or diving under it and feasting.

She’ll outgrow the urge one day, I am guessing, but for now the idea of stopping seems absurd. We’re saving money, it’s good for both of us, it provides magical intimacy between us and, well it’s just such a fundamental part of how our relationship has been and how it is developing.

So, just to be clear, “NO”.

It’s up to her when she decides to stop, either that or when it just doesn’t seem right for either one of us. For now it sustains, it warms, it comforts, it nourishes, it quenches, it fills, it calms, it energises, it helps her (and I) sleep, it soothes, and it bonds … and it’s often so much fun.

In the bath, in bed, in the garden, on a bench, in the deli, at the farm, outside the shops, in church, at playgroup, when I’m drying my hair, when water isn’t quite hitting the spot, when I’m changing her nappy, when she’s having her hair dried, wherever, whenever she needs it. I always try to be discreet but that doesn’t always work out, she likes to feel the sun on her face now while she sups, she doesn’t like being covered up, very firmly moving my hand away and hiding it under her heel, kicking off the cover, peering out indignantly. She sits, she lays in my lap, she stands beside me reaching up, sometimes for ages, sometimes a few seconds for a sip. Nobody has ever said anything, people have bought me glasses of water and even cake. It is her decision when she is ready to stop.

So, there we have it, am I thinking about stopping? “No (and yes I did say cake).

I wrote about this over at Huffington Post … it was my first piece there and was widely shared and got a very positive response …

 

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