Questions about Breastfeeding at our House

Q: Do your older boys make fun of your youngest son for continuing to breastfeed.

A: Absolutely not! Extended breastfeeding is the norm for my boys. Although I don't know anyone in real life who admits to breastfeeding a single child as long as mine go, my boys know that many of my friends nursed their friends 3 or 4 years. My older boys also see that breastfeeding is calming for their brother. There is also secondary gains for the older boys; it sometimes works to get their baby brother out of their way. :)

Q: Do you still produce milk?

A: I get mixed and very unreliable answers from David when I ask how much he gets. I can't express a drop. I suspect he isn't getting much if any. Yet, he continues to request to nurse. Several mothers of (young ) toddlers have concluded that it's time to wean because they don't produce milk anymore. I recently thought of an analogy; Kids still want Capri Sun even though not much is in that pouch. There's definitely more to both than just abundant liquid. Nursing meets other needs.

Q: Does David show any signs of weaning completely?

A: One night his really cool teenage babysitter stayed with him overnight when I went out-of-town. David shared that Nate was better than having night-nights.

I see Scott, nurturing his dog in AP style. We often talk about caring for a dog like we are taking care of a baby. That dog is worn out at the end of the day after the boys run him around and take turns playing. Last night Max got right into bed at 9:00. He's always quiet at night. I asked Scott if he liked having a baby that sleeps through the night rather than being real needy. I love Scott's answer:

As long as my dogs happy, it wouldn't matter how he sleeps at night.