Feeding on the move

 When I was pregnant I never thought twice about breastfeeding.  It was a total no brainer for me.  This is how animals feed their babies, this is how women around the world feed their babies and this is how I would feed my baby.  I was confused when we turned up at the breastfeeding session of our NCT class and learnt that the day would focus more on persuading us to breastfeed than the practical side of it.  I was already sold, I didn’t need convincing.

That said, I didn’t think I would still be feeding 11 months on.  I’m not sure where I got the 6 month marker from but in my pre-baby head you fed for 6 months, put your baby onto solids and with that the feeding stops. 

How naïve of me.  Not only in regards to the realities of being a mother and baby weaning but such beliefs also completely ignored the obsessive, excessive side of my personality.

And so here I am, still happily feeding my little man.  Whilst on the surface it sounds like little has changed in reality 11 months on its totally different ball game.  Nowadays I have to contend with an “on the move” feeder.  Only during the night will Alby curl up in my arms like a newborn.  During the day he twists, turns and flips out of my arms until he is upright.  A friend of mine's little girl will only feed if she is sitting up on her mother's lap these days.  Alby tried sitting up for a week or so and then decided he'd much rather stand.  To feed him I have to sit at the edge of the sofa whilst he stands between my legs, one of us leaning slightly up, the other slightly down.  Thank goodness I’m short.  Thank goodness I’ve always been top heavy.  Thank goodness he is a quick feeder.  And, above all else, thank goodness Alby doesn’t feed in public anymore. 

I want to say that the standing feed is far more dignified than it sounds but I'm not 100% sure that it actually is. 

The six month mark came and went in a blink.  It was only in month seven that I suddenly though “ohhh, am I supposed to be stopping soon?” Eager for answers I hit the books and google and read that the NHS recommends mothers to continue feeding until their child is 2 years old.  Two!  At least at the moment I can pretend Alby is still a baby, by two he'll be a proper walking, talking toddler. And what is the NHS doing claiming that target when you consider that the last infant feeding survey in the UK revealed that only 3% of 5 month olds are exclusively breastfed.

At six months I wasn’t emotionally or mentally ready to stop breastfeeding.  Now, I’m working towards the end.  It will be dictated for the most part by Alby but he is already making moves towards that.   Next month I get to finish with expressing as I replace Alby’s nursery bottle of mama’s milk with cow’s milk.  Such a big boy!