You blink and it’s over.
It all goes by so quickly. You blink, and suddenly your baby is a toddler, your toddler is in elementary school, and your daughter looks more like a woman than a girl.
My kids are very spaced out. Right now I have an 18-month-old, a seven-year-old, and an almost twelve-year-old. On a very personal level, I’ve realized just how quickly it all goes by.
It’s amazing to me how many of my friends and family members questioned my decision to keep nursing Noah and encouraged me to stop. Many people think it’s “weird” to nurse after a baby celebrates their first birthday. I know I’m the mom. I know I can control when he stops. But you know what? I didn’t want to control when he stopped! There. I said it. I knew he would stop when he was ready. And honestly, I wasn’t ready until he was ready, regardless of how long that took.
Well, he decided he was ready. Saturday morning was the last time he nursed. I know there are probably people applauding this milestone, thinking 18 months is too long. However, I can’t help but be a little sad. Because you blink and this time is over:
Nursing babies is such a personal thing. I really don’t care how long anyone else nurses their babies, though I do admit that it seems a little odd to me if they are three and coming home from preschool and wanting you to lift up your shirt so they can have a snack. But hey–your kid, your shirt, so have a nut.
The most profoundly true thing anyone ever told me about the time it would take for my kids to grow up is this: The days are long but the years are short.
I don’t know how you feel, but I can feel it coming like a train down the tracks that I can’t stop. Scary.
I think nursing is a very personal thing…for some people, like you, it works beautifully…more power to them. For others, like me, it worked for a while, but I had to stop. That’s ok too. And other people simply don’t want to do it at all…and no one should be judged for it!
I don’t want to stop nursing but my wife says she just wants to be friends.
I was a marathon nurser…I stopped nursing my daughter at 21 months! And, my son at 13 months.
I do know someone though who DID nurse her child until he was 3 1/2. Her friends joked with her and said that if she had it her way, she’d sneak behind the portable at kindergarten to give him a snack…
I found you by way of Mamma’s Losin It
and I just have to say my daughter is quickly approaching 1 year and my hubby is set on me not nursing after she turns a year. I just don’t understand. Others still let their babies have bottles!
I nursed D for 8 months. He was pretty much the one that decided it because he was so fascinated by “real” food that he was only nursing a very little bit at night to go to sleep. I did that for a week, then after that just put him down without the boob, but patted his little hiney for comfort. It was sad, but man, was Nate glad they were no longer for utilitarian purposes!
p.s. you’ll be nursing again in no time. And you know this!
Julz, I know I’ll be nursing again soon. It’s just sad because it’s a not-so-gentle reminder that Noah isn’t a baby anymore. It just goes by too quick!
I know, I understand. Don’t mean to be insensitive, just being my normal Captain Obvious self.
It’s always sad whether it was by your choice or by theirs. Having done it both ways, by my choice was a little easier because then I didn’t feel so rejected! It hurt my feelings when I was the one being rejected!
Families are meant to be different. If we were all the same, it’d be a boring place.
Oh, the video….. precious.
BRAVO to you! Who gives a flip what anyone else things! Booby milk is the best milk, whether at 8 weeks, 8 months, or 18 months! Now if you could only get Noah to tell you he’d rather be rear-facing in the car-seat, I’d be really happy
I applaud your choice to nurse as long as possible. As a friend, my only concern for your nursing was the fact that you can eat more than anyone I know, be pregnant and still be thinner than I was in the 7th grade. I know that you were providing enough nutrition to Noah and____________, but not so sure you could provide enough for yourself! Geez, you must have the fastest metabolism in the world.
I nursed my oldest for about 20 months, my other 2 rejected me before they were 1 year old.
I think with baby #4, you should feel free to nurse as long as his little heart desires…unless of course, you get pregnant with twins when he’s 7 months old.
Ps. I have a prophetic anointing on my life. uh oh.
OK…so I can relate to this a little too well b’cuz I’m going thru the same thing with Sophia right now. She’s 8 1/2 mos old and my heart’s desire is to nurse all of my kids til their 1st birthday. It seems like a lifetime away when they’re newborns, but reality has been hitting me lately that we’re quickly approaching that day. And it’s starting to freak me out a little! I applaud your decision to do what is best for you and your children, despite what others say. Everyone has an opinion–I’ve learned to say thank you, but DO what I feel the Lord is telling me to do.
You’re an awesome mom!!
FAVORITE POST 2 – B’cuz it really hit home for me.
Just reading some of your older posts… I nursed Mallory until she was 17 months. At the time, she was only nursing for short amounts before sleep times and easily weaned. I was ready and she was ready to stop. I think I was 4 months pregnant at the time.
With Chelsea, now 19.5 months old, she’s no where near wanting to stop. She would nurse 5 times a day if I let her (sometimes she does, depending on the mood/number of boo-boos/etc.). I would like to stop and have tried to limit it (to just before sleep times), but she gets SO mad when I do. She will be 26 months when the new baby is due. I would like to stop nursing at least by the time she’s two.
I say who cares what others think about nursing. At this point, I don’t nurse in public since our nursing is more comfort/cuddle time, so no one outside of family sees it.