Dylan will be 15 months old on the tenth, and my goal of breastfeeding him until he is 15 or 16 months at minimum is coming up quickly. We made it, buddy! Now the questions start to arise on when is a good time to wean him.
The boy loves nursing. He would like nothing better than to snuggle up to a boobie on the couch all day while watching a Sesame Street marathon. We spend many days doing just that. Since he was born he was more than happy to latch on and enjoy himself some Mama milk and to be honest--aside from the first painful few weeks--I adore breastfeeding my little man.
We do a lot of attachment parenting in this house. Dylan doesn't cry it out, he has never taken to bottles, he sleeps in bed with us. He's a mellow, easy going little fella. He inherited his personality from his daddy but a lot of his character stems from his security in knowing that he is loved and important and cherished.
There are many stigmas associated with breastfeeding and I've got quite a few pet peeves myself. I hate when nursing mothers stage nurse-ins in Target or Starbucks because someone offended a mother with her boob out. I hate the women in documentaries who still breastfeed their snotty eight (8!) year old brats. But mostly I hate that 1.5 million babies die each year because they are not breastfed. This number is mainly stemming from malnutrition in foreign countries, and it makes me so sad.
I will have to wean my boy soon enough, and for the right reasons. Is it better for him to wean now, or is it just more socially acceptable to do so? Am I ready to let go of this incredible time spent nursing my baby? is he ready?
Time will tell, I guess. I can tell you this for sure: he will not be nursing when he's eight and you won't find us at a nurse-in at Starbucks.
