My tandem nursing experience.

[go_romanovs]

I have just posted it in a response to a nursing through pregnancy question, and it brought so many sweet memories, that  I though I should post it hear too, so I can find it later.

I have nursed through pregnancy.. and then tandem... twice. Definitely a challenge, but for me it was easier than NOT to nurse. It hurt and we agreed to limit nursing to certain times , and we agreed to always open WIDE so it doesn't hurt, so after that it was MUCH easier! Nursing on demand is mostly for the 1st year, after that it is totally ok to apply some rules and restrictions that will make nursing easier for you. It's a part of learning for them, and nursing can and sometimes should have rules, just like everything else they do.

How it is easier.. . Well, I always said that I will wean when it will be easier than continuing to nurse :)) so when I see how much my 2y.o. still needs the comfort of nursing I just don't have a heart to take it away! It is also an answer to so many problems - getting hurt, temper tantrums, boredom (yes! that too :))), tiredness.. And when I am pregnant, it's a lot easier to offer to nurse, then to jump up and to try to figure out other ways of dealing with this. A lot of times I'd just lay down with the breast accessible and snooze, just because when you are pregnant there are times when YOU JUST HAVE TO! Bed time is also super easy..

And when the baby comes - there's a lot less to NO sibling rivalry because when the baby's nursing, the older sibling is right there  nursing on the other side :)) It was the sweetest thing when she'd hold the baby's hand or stroke his hair... and then the baby started to respond too as he grew :)) It was  SOOO heartwarming to watch them spend so much time doing something SO positive together, staring into each other's eyes ... How else do you get so much quality time between siblings??  I think it really helped them bond the way they did.

Oh, putting them both down to sleep was easy too, because the baby would conk fast, and you know when there's somebody snoozing next to you, you are more likely to snooze as well, so my toddler actually started taking naps there for a while and putting them down TOGETHER saved SO MUCH TIME!

Both times after having a new baby in the family, there was never any hint of animosity between them, NONE! Until the baby started crawling and destroying their block castles.. LOL but that's a whole other story :))

[chairhead28]

Oct. 7, 2009 at 4:22 PM

Awww, how beautiful!

[Rileysmom521]

Oct. 7, 2009 at 4:42 PM

Awwww! Thanks SO much for sharing!!!

[heydooney]

Oct. 7, 2009 at 7:01 PM

My 2½-year-old still nurses right next to his 8-month-old brother. When Coen was born, it was so much easier for Kalten because he still got to have "em" and sleep by Mommy. I just about cried when K reached over and held Co's hand. I struggle with Nursing Aversion still, but it's getting better.

[catholicmamamia]

Oct. 7, 2009 at 11:06 PM

This is such a sweet story, very nice to read (especially compared to the junk on the rest of this site LOL). I love breastfeeding. Love tandem breastfeeding. Even love tandem breastfeeding while pregnant!