Here we go...

Hmm. I have never had any comments asking me when I am going to give it up
nor have I ever had a negative NIP experience. I feel very lucky (DD is 17
months so you'd think someone would've said something by now). Must be that
I challenge someone to say anything, just anything, just by the look on my
face. LOL!
"Jodie" wrote in message
...
DD will be six months on the 28th. I've been wondering when I will
start to get comments about the fact that she is "still" nursing.

Last week, at a family gathering, my SIL (who didn't even try to bf) saw
me nursing dd and said, "Are you still doing that?". To which I just
simply smiled and said, "Yes".

Tonight, while outside visiting with my neighbor (a very lovely lady, in
her early 70's), she was holding dd and we were chatting about how much
she is growing, blah, blah, blah. When I commented that she's going
through a growth spurt and is basically nursing from 5 pm to bedtime
(around 9pm), she asked, "Well, do you think your milk just isn't
satisfying her anymore?". I simply explained that that's what babies do
when they go through a growth spurt (thanks to this group), and told her
that she is doing just fine on my milk.

Then another neighbor walked over to see dd (neighbor is also late 60's
to early 70's). DD spit up, and after we both got cleaned up, I
commented that she was ready for a refill. To which neighbor #2 says,
"What's she take?". I had to laugh (on the inside, of course) like I
was going to say "light, on tap, please". I just said "breastmilk".

(I do have to point out that I really like both of these ladies. They
are very sweet, friendly and very "grandmotherly" to the kids)

Anyway, my point is that I was so hoping I could avoid the comments and
feeling like I have to explain. But, reality prevails, as it always
does. Wonder what they will say when they see me nursing a toddler???
g

Jodie
mom to the "still" nursing almost six month old

Jodie wrote:
DD will be six months on the 28th. I've been wondering when I will
start to get comments about the fact that she is "still" nursing.

I haven't had any negative comments, but I think there are two factors
working in my favor:
1. I'm partially hearing-impaired, so I often don't hear what passers-by are
saying unless I'm really listening
2. Anyone who knows me knows how opinionated and, well, odd, I am; they
probably don't want to risk getting into a long debate with me g

My mom didn't breastfeed any of us - I was the oldest, I was in an incubator
for a few days, she didn't get to try to nurse me until I was 5 days, by
then I had firmly developed nipple preference. That would be a challenge to
overcome today - in 1975, with no support, it didn't happen.

My grandma didn't nurse any of her seven, either - doctors said her milk
wasn't good enough when her oldest was born, blah blah. Of course, these are
probably the same doctors who yelled at her if she gained more than fifteen
pounds with each pregnancy...

Neither of them has been anything but really supportive, I'm lucky. My
grandma told me a couple months ago that her mother felt that all babies
should be nursed through two summers, which I thought an interesting bit of
folk wisdom.

--
iphigenia
www.tristyn.net

Iuil wrote:
Makes sense to me.


I thought so, too, in light of the less-advanced refrigeration in
g-grandma's day.

--
iphigenia
www.tristyn.net

"Phoebe & Allyson" wrote in message
...
Jodie wrote:

she asked, "Well, do you think your milk just isn't
satisfying her anymore?".

May just be a generational thing - I took Caterpillar to
visit two clients in their 80's, and both said how terrible
it was their milk wasn't good enough to bf. Heck, Allyson's
mom, who's not yet 60, was told her milk wasn't enough to
satisfy her babies.

Phoebe

My Mum (early 60s) and my Nana (late 80s) were both told this mistruth ...
(although Mum stuck it out for 3 months when nursing me before caving in to
the Dr). Pretty sad huh?
What's even sadder is that when my Mum was in labour with my younger
brother, the nurse told her to "hold it in" as the Dr wasn't at the hospital
and he "wouldn't be pleased" if Mum gave birth before he arrived. ... and
my Mum is no pushover so times must have been bad.
Amanda

Yeah, I am an old lady of 38, and I used to babysit alot around 20 and
more years ago. Now mind you I didn't really pay that much attention
to bf then since I had no babes of my own, but it seems like alot of
people just breastfed for 2 - 6 weeks back then. I remember hearing
that it is very important to bf during the first 2 weeks, and that 6
weeks was a very reasonable time to quit. So, I think alot of people
are clueless that 1 year is the recommendation now.

KC

(Jodie) wrote in message ...
DD will be six months on the 28th. I've been wondering when I will
start to get comments about the fact that she is "still" nursing.

Last week, at a family gathering, my SIL (who didn't even try to bf) saw
me nursing dd and said, "Are you still doing that?". To which I just
simply smiled and said, "Yes".

Tonight, while outside visiting with my neighbor (a very lovely lady, in
her early 70's), she was holding dd and we were chatting about how much
she is growing, blah, blah, blah. When I commented that she's going
through a growth spurt and is basically nursing from 5 pm to bedtime
(around 9pm), she asked, "Well, do you think your milk just isn't
satisfying her anymore?". I simply explained that that's what babies do
when they go through a growth spurt (thanks to this group), and told her
that she is doing just fine on my milk.

Then another neighbor walked over to see dd (neighbor is also late 60's
to early 70's). DD spit up, and after we both got cleaned up, I
commented that she was ready for a refill. To which neighbor #2 says,
"What's she take?". I had to laugh (on the inside, of course) like I
was going to say "light, on tap, please". I just said "breastmilk".

(I do have to point out that I really like both of these ladies. They
are very sweet, friendly and very "grandmotherly" to the kids)

Anyway, my point is that I was so hoping I could avoid the comments and
feeling like I have to explain. But, reality prevails, as it always
does. Wonder what they will say when they see me nursing a toddler???
g

Jodie
mom to the "still" nursing almost six month old

"Jodie" wrote in message
...
DD will be six months on the 28th. I've been wondering when I will
start to get comments about the fact that she is "still" nursing.

You know, my DD is 14 months, now, and I've been starting to get some of
these comments, too. It's interesting, though, because these people are
seeming genuinely surprised and curious, and not hostile or judgemental, the
way that I know some other posters have been approached.

I see it as an opportunity to spread my lactivist opinions around. I
spout AAP and WHO numbers, anthropological theory, the longer-means-smarter
study... and people seem genuinely interested. Of course, I live on Long
Island, NY, and this seems to be a very BF-friendly area. I don't think
anyone's ever even noticed me NIP, much less given me the evil eye over it
(except for this poor flustered late-teens waiter one time, he couldn't
bring himself to look at me, poor guy was so nervous .

Anyway, if you view these questions as an opportunity to educate and
illuminate, maybe you'll not mind so much. And maybe it'll make a difference
in someone's life, somewhere down the line.

--Andrea

"Jodie" wrote in message
DD will be six months on the 28th. I've been wondering when I will
start to get comments about the fact that she is "still" nursing.
snip

I only lurk & read here on a semi-regular basis, so this is kind of late
response. I just *had* to add though that one of the new moms in my LLL
chapter was asked whether she was "still doing that" when her baby was five
*weeks* old! (by a mid-twenties age co-worker). Wow.

--
Em
edd 9/23/03

KC wrote:
Yeah, I am an old lady of 38, and I used to babysit alot around 20 and
more years ago. Now mind you I didn't really pay that much attention
to bf then since I had no babes of my own, but it seems like alot of
people just breastfed for 2 - 6 weeks back then. I remember hearing
that it is very important to bf during the first 2 weeks, and that 6
weeks was a very reasonable time to quit. So, I think alot of people
are clueless that 1 year is the recommendation now.

For *at least* a year...


KC

(Jodie) wrote in message ...

DD will be six months on the 28th. I've been wondering when I will
start to get comments about the fact that she is "still" nursing.

Last week, at a family gathering, my SIL (who didn't even try to bf) saw
me nursing dd and said, "Are you still doing that?". To which I just
simply smiled and said, "Yes".

Tonight, while outside visiting with my neighbor (a very lovely lady, in
her early 70's), she was holding dd and we were chatting about how much
she is growing, blah, blah, blah. When I commented that she's going
through a growth spurt and is basically nursing from 5 pm to bedtime
(around 9pm), she asked, "Well, do you think your milk just isn't
satisfying her anymore?". I simply explained that that's what babies do
when they go through a growth spurt (thanks to this group), and told her
that she is doing just fine on my milk.

Then another neighbor walked over to see dd (neighbor is also late 60's
to early 70's). DD spit up, and after we both got cleaned up, I
commented that she was ready for a refill. To which neighbor #2 says,
"What's she take?". I had to laugh (on the inside, of course) like I
was going to say "light, on tap, please". I just said "breastmilk".

(I do have to point out that I really like both of these ladies. They
are very sweet, friendly and very "grandmotherly" to the kids)

Great opportunity to educate them!

Anyway, my point is that I was so hoping I could avoid the comments and
feeling like I have to explain. But, reality prevails, as it always
does. Wonder what they will say when they see me nursing a toddler???
g

As kids grow older, nursing episodes become more of an indoor type of
thing, even though it shouldn't. I came to this realization when my now
4 year old was about 2, and she could wait until we got home. Now we
don't nurse in public whatsoever in order to avoid negative comments,
which I can definetely take, but I just don't want her to think she is
doing something wrong. Plus, I also have an 11 month old baby, and when
they both nurse, my top is completely up, which is nothing discret.
Also, we go by the "don't ask, don't tell" rule. Other people don't have
to know, unless it concerns them enough to ask.

Jodie
mom to the "still" nursing almost six month old

(Jodie) wrote in message ...
"Well I can't blame the little old ladies. They really were told
that breastmilk wasn't good for babies and they were brainwashed to
think that formula was better in those days. "

Yeah, I know. FIL's SO, again, in her 70's, and I were talking about
bfing. She said that she had tried to bf her first son unsuccessfully.
She said she went to the dr who expressed some of her milk and told her
she had "that ole' bluejohn". I had never heard of that before.

Jodie

I wonder where the generation thing changed, since my 93 year old
grandma recently mentioned "Good for you" when she realized ds was
still nursing. (I forget how old he was at the time, but at least 18
months). I haven't had any extensive conversations with her, since
she's very self-conscious about being hard of hearing and doesn't like
to have long discussions about anything (which is very sad in and of
itself.)

Irene