Mother’s Speak: You are what they eat!

If you like this article, please share it with your friends!

It has been an eventful week in the Beasley house. Not only did Amelia officially start to crawl on Monday, but she also nursed for the last time. I wanted so much to breast feed her for a year, but the last 6 weeks or so have been quite the struggle. She has mistaken me for not only one of her teething toys {ouch!} on more than one occasion, but lately she’s taken to using me more as “finger food”, if you know what I mean. She will un-latch after 3 minutes or so {if we’re lucky}, curiously play with me like I’m a piece of bubble wrap, and then look at me with that gummy smile as if to say, “Thanks for the new toy, Mom.” I’m no nursing expert, but that combined with the occasional grimace face and the arching of the back in utter refusal, something tells me that this child is ready to wean.

Last week when I introduced “Mother’s Speak”, I addressed the “guilt” mill. Most mommies I know are on it for one reason or another. If I’m honest, I’ve struggled with guilt with both of my babies when it comes to feeding. Breast is best, right? Therefore bottle {formula} is….. not? Let’s consider the breast pump for a moment. Every time I’m hooked up to the milking apparatus, Clark gives me a pitiful look as thought I’m subjecting myself to cruel and unusual punishment. I’ve dared him to try it, but he flat refuses on the grounds of it being a form of medieval torture. He says he’s scared that if he does actually try it, something might actually come out! Men are hilarious, aren’t they?

Let’s be honest for a moment. Is there any part of you, even the smallest part like me, that opts for breast or bottle out of guilt or comparison to other super hero mommies who nurse until somewhere around the child’s first day at Kindergarten? Bear with the exaggeration, but I think you get my point. I loved my nursing experience with Mia, and there is a part of me that is sad knowing that season is over. But at the same time, I had to ask myself if continuing to nurse was best for me or for her. She’s soaking up the world around her at such a wondrous pace. Every time we would stop to nurse her, she would look at me like, “Aw, Mom, do I have to do this again?” and then…. play time with bubble wrap.

So, I ask you… Breast? Bottle? Both?

If you like this article, please share it with your friends!