Nursing & Weening

Many new Mothers are still uncertain whether they should nurse their babies. Other Moms are unsure how long to nurse and when to ween. When we are unsure on such important topics we are subject to the opinion of others which is not always helpful, especially if we are being given out of date advice.

This is such a widely discussed and important topic. I believe it really is between the Mommy and her baby to decide how things will go. However it is becoming more and more widely understood and accepted that breast really is best, for so many reasons. There is no one food on earth that fully duplicates the complex variety of nutrients found in human breast milk. Also nursing is such an intimate bonding experience between Mother and baby. Nursing is also part of the biological circle of reproduction, it is something our bodies are meant to do. As well, it helps us lose some of the excess weight we put on during pregnancy and the "happy" hormones involved in milk production help mothers have a smoother recovery from hormone changes after giving birth.

Of course things don't always go as planned and nature is far from perfect. There are certainly situations that do not allow for breastfeeding; and as hard as some Mothers try they just aren't able to breastfeed.
I am always surprised when I hear that a Mother has been given the advice to stop breastfeeding. Something important to remember: there are no "shoulds". If someone gives you any kind of advice involving the word "should", like "you should stop breastfeeding", ignore it. Follow your instincts. What does your heart, soul, stomache, lifestyle and sanity level tell you?? There are many factors involved in making a big decision like whether to nurse and when to ween.

Something else to think about:
Recently I read an excellant article/blog called "African Babies Don't Cry". Essentially it discusses how many African countries still maintain the same child-rearing ways that have existed for forever. And that due to African Mother's natural instincts to do things like "wear" their babies and "nurse" their babies and "feed on demand" and "co-sleep", their babies are happier, more well adjusted and rarely cry. This article boasts that in many African cultures it is believed that if a baby cries something is really very wrong, because a baby has no need to cry if it is nursed and coddled and loved 24 hours a day. I agree with this, but agreeing with it and practicing it may be two different things. Let's face it, parenting is hard work and even with the best intentions we don't always make the right decisions. Much of parenting is also societal and cultural. North Americans sadly grew away from this kind of instinctive parenting and developed new ideas about mothering that have been passed down through the generations. We are only just starting to realize in North America that the kind of instinctive mothering that has been going on world wide for thousands of years is probably right and we need to find our way back to our roots. Getting there is a process and we cannot go backward, we can only go forward to a kind of mothering that will probably be a little of both.

Here is the link to the article I am referring to:
http://www.naturalchild.org/guest/claire_niala.html