When I became a mom, I had no idea how different it was breastfeeding an “older” baby in comparison to a younger baby. Wow! Anyone who has breastfed a baby past 9 months knows just what I’m talking about! Now, here comes the fun…
So for those of you who are new to this, let’s dive in. What exactly am I referring to?! For starters, they start “asking” for it. No, really!! You’ll find they start tapping on your chest, or they start pulling down your shirt. EEEEK! Haha. On the one hand it is wonderful because you know exactly when they are hungry for milk. On the other hand it is semi-demanding and can be annoying (especially if you are out in public).
At a later point in time they will begin being verbal about your milk or your breasts… In fact, many moms come up with code words for their babies to use when in public.
Then comes the real fun…at about 9 months they start breastfeeding in all sorts of positions. Wait, I don’t mean football, cradle, laid back…! I mean, they stand on their head. They don’t just lay down, they stand up… move from side to side, even sit on your head sometimes. Imagine any position you can think of and they will find it and stretch your nipple as far as from the east to the west! We call this gymnurstics!
How about toys?! Oh the toys! Not always toys, but just random things they find that they obsess over and must have with them. Yes, they will begin holding these while they nurse too. It can be rather endearing, the baby with the sweet bunny stuffy she cuddles while breastfeeding. But then there is the toddler who insists on bringing a toy vacuum cleaner with him to nurse… or he insists on holding his toy truck with him! It can be rather hilarious.
Needless to say there are some sweet, endearing, and often funny characteristics of feeding older babies. Treasure these times. There will come a point when they won’t want to nurse anymore and your breastfeeding journey will come to an end. Until then…. happy breastfeeding.
