Yes, she's still nursing.

Yes, my kid is still breastfeeding.   Yes, she's almost 17 months old and no, I didn't think she would go this long!   Most of my friends' kids weaned at 12-13 months or so.   I'm told that I weaned at around 13 or 14 months. I was expecting L to be like most of the kids I know - we'd introduce cow's milk at 1 year, she'd naturally nurse less and less, and she'd be done shortly thereafter.   Imagine my surprise as her nursing frequency increased around her birthday, to the point where on some weekends she was nursing 5-6 times a day!    While she's tapered back to twice a day now she shows absolutely no signs of wanting to stop and for now I am content to let her continue.

I want to say from the start that I respect the right of all women to feed their babies however they choose.   A small percentage of women are physiologically unable to develop a full milk supply no matter what they do, others choose to formula feed either by choice or out of necessity, and others need to or choose to supplement with formula, and I do not judge at all those who choose a different path from me.   Formula is not poison and thankfully a nutritious and safe substitute is available for babies who need it!   Our niece and nephew and most of the kids in our extended families were formula fed or combination fed and are healthy, happy children.   However I wouldn't trade my nursing relationship with L for anything, and am thankful that we made it through the initial hurdles and that she is continuing to nurse into toddlerhoood.

L has been breastfed since birth.   Breastfeeding is the norm in my family of origin, my mom breastfed both of her kids to 12+ months, and I just sort of expected we would breastfeed.   We got a great start in the hospital which is now working on becoming Baby Friendly.   I saw a private practice IBCLC when L was around a week old, and at the same time we began attending a weekly nursing moms' support group at the hospital where my mother works - it really started as a way for the two of us to have lunch with Grandma after the meeting, but I made friends with other moms and it became a lifesaver for me to have that weekly outing.    L got her first bottle of pumped milk at 4 weeks old, and when I returned to work she got pumped milk in bottles.  I was fortunate to respond decently well to the pump and we never needed to supplement with formula.   Generally we kept the practice of her drinking "from the tap" while we were together - no bottles (or later, cups of milk) when I'm around.   When I pump weaned back in early August we have gone to only nursing.   I've found that I really enjoy nursing a toddler, perhaps because the pressure to be the sole/primary nutrition source is done; we nurse now because we want to, not because we "have" to.  

For me, breastfeeding has always been about so much more than the milk.  Perhaps because I work and have had to be away from her for much of the day since she was 2.5 months old, I have always treasured our nursing time.   I'm happy with the situation now, but when she was under around 7-8 months old I absolutely hated that I had to go to work and leave her at daycare, and pumping so that she could have my milk at daycare made me feel a little better about the whole situation.    We had a chance to reconnect by nursing after a day apart.   We still had plenty of snuggling and skin-to-skin time.  When she caught little colds and bugs from daycare, my nursing helped comfort her and keep her well-hydrated.    It's our special connection and even though other trusted and caring people meet her other needs while I'm away, no one else can give her the "nursies" that she loves so much.

I had to pump in a bathroom at work until L was 10 months old.  No kidding; towards the end of my maternity leave I asked where in my office building I could pump - suggesting an unused conference room or empty office - and was told that the bathroom was my only option.   My manager tried to help and he was shot down as well.   So pumping in the bathroom became sort of my own personal rebellion - a daily "screw you" to my employer for caring so little about a supposedly-valued employee that I was told to pump next to a toilet.    A coworker was expecting a baby right around L's first birthday and she was horrified when she asked me where I pump - she knew the right HR person to talk to and within weeks my building had a permanently-designated empty office for pumping complete with a refrigerator!     I was overjoyed to use our new lactation room for the last few months of my time pumping at work and am happy to know that my coworker is using it now and that it will be available for me to use when I have another baby in the future.

Our pediatrician is totally fine with it and at L's 15 month appointment said that it would be ideal if I could continue nursing through cold & flu season to provide much-needed antibodies and immune factors.   L has mild asthma that is only a problem when she comes down with a respiratory bug, which is all too common for a child in daycare.  I still have plenty of milk for her, and our nursing relationship continues to work for both of us, so why stop?

About me

I am the working mom, and I like to think that I'm rocking it.   I've been married for almost 7 years to a great guy, M, and we're both in our early 30s.   We have a 16 month old daughter, L, who is an incredible joy.  We would like two or three kids total, but for now L keeps us busy enough that we're in no hurry to try for our next one quite yet.  

I'm an engineer and I've been working for the same company for the last 9 years, and was an intern there for several summers prior to graduation.  I also go to grad school part time.  Like many middle class families we have been affected by the Great Recession; while I was fortunate to have hung onto my job despite the downturn, my husband was laid off three times between 2008 and 2010 (the last of which came when I was 20 weeks pregnant) before finally getting a decent gig when L was a month old.    I took 10 weeks off when L was born and went back to work.  Since then, she has been going to a wonderful local daycare center that she (and we) love.   I work because we flat-out need two incomes to support our family, and because I enjoy it and am somewhat good at what I do.    Ideally I'd like to work part time - and am even considering a career change once my childbearing days are over - but for now this is my choice and I'm happy with it.

I don't judge women for choosing to be stay at home moms or work at home moms, as long as they choose it freely and are making the best choice for their families.   Being a mom is hard enough without getting into competitive parenting or breaking other women down in order to feel better about our own choices and circumstances!   Having two working parents is what is best for my family, and as long as you don't judge me for making that choice I will promise not to judge you if you have chosen a different path.   

There aren't a lot of WOHM bloggers, probably because most of us are too damned busy to keep up with it. I can't promise daily or even weekly posts - my family comes first.   However I think that the only way the blogging world will really see involvement from working moms is if we throw our hats into the ring and join in on the craze.   Welcome to my life.