I'm Going to Start Wearing a Sign

The sign shall read:

*Yes, I'm still breastfeeding.

*No, he's not walking.

*That's cereal under his nose, not snot.

When to Wean?

When MacBaby was one month old, I thought "I am one twelfth of the way done with breastfeeding."

Eleven months later, I no longer have such thoughts. Now that he's well on his way to becoming a foodie, the nursing is more supplemental and not at all bothersome to me.

I'm wondering, do I stick with my plan on stopping at a year, or keep it going?

On one hand, it's really not that big of a deal to keep breastfeeding. MacBaby and I still seem to enjoy the bonding it bring us, and he's capable of enjoying other beverages from bottles, sippy cups and even regular cups. And, when else in our lives will we be able to be that close? When else will I be able to provide for him nutritionally directly from my body?

On the other hand, he's still nursing to go to sleep at night, and I could have a little more freedom during the 7 p.m. hour for all that fun laundry that needs doing.

When do you decide to wean and why?

What The?

I'm all for breastfeeding, but this seems to be a bit much.

More on Breastfeeding

The debate over breast versus bottle rages at the New York Times. The caption for the illustration cracks me up.

My New Favorite Parenting Site Speaks the Truth

This dude is hilarious. I commend him for pointing out the one negative part of breastfeeding:

Unlike the absurdly judgmental authors of just about every baby book lying around the flat, I really have no opinion when it comes to breast vs. bottle feeding. However when I hear the "F" word, all my selfish instincts tell me one thing: the breast is better. The breast means I get to sleep most of the night.

When I say negative, I mean negative for me. Thank you, new dad, for admitting the truth. Dads love the breastfeeding because it absolves them from feeding responsibilities! The most uttered phrase from MacDad after MacBaby was born was "I think he's hungry." Sometimes this was true, sometimes not. Now, it's even less of an excuse since he's on more of a schedule for eating (every three hours).

While I didn't mind being solely responsible for feeding MacBaby during the day, after 10 p.m. it sucked. Once MacDad went back to work, the rational part of my brain said, "let him sleep, he has to get up in the morning." But, it is very hard to maintain this attitude at three a.m. while your spouse is snoring and you are staring at the clock watching one o'clock, two o'clock, three o'clock come and go.

Fortunately, our (my) sleep schedule has improved, and but I haven't more than four hours in a row since March 22, 2009. On the plus side, I haven't witnessed a sunrise in several months.

A friend suggested I would miss those quiet morning, listening to the birds begin to chirp and staring at my child wondering if he would ever fall back to sleep. I do not. Instead, I relish the time we have now, sleeping and cuddling side by side.

Need Formula Because You're Physically Incapable of Breastfeeding? The Gov Says Bah.

This article in Newsweek is interesting and timely, since the MacFamily Unit just set up our fexible spending account for the first time. The IRS refuses to add formula to the list of approved expenditures, even for a woman who had a double mascetomy and is physicall incabable of breastfeeding.

To recap: ovulation predictor kits - ok. The necessary-for-survival food with which you'll feed the eventual result of the ovulation predictor kit - not ok.

If you find this information unsettling, let your local Representative know.

What's On Tap

The issue of drinking while breastfeeding has come to light in the media. A mother in Bismark, N.D. was arrested for breastfeeding her six week old while intoxicated.

After 10 months of abstaining form alcohol, I have made a rule for myself about drinking post-baby. My rule of thumb is to have two glasses, or ten ounces of alcohol (usually wine) on the weekend. I follow this stipulation, because, in addition to not wanting the little one to imbibe along with me, it would really suck to take care of a four month old hungover.

The lactation consultant at the hospital dispensed this advice, the only advice of hers I took. She started this conversation by saying, "we need to talk about drugs and alcohol," to which I responded, "I don't do drugs." She said, "I was talking about not mixing prescription drugs drugs with alcohol, but if you wanted to smoke a joint that would be ok."

What? Pre-pregnancy, and certainly while I was pregnant, our house was, and has remained, pot free, thank you very much. She reminded us at that we were at an "urban" hospital and such behavior was common. What? Are you implying that living in a certain zip code makes smoking pot around a newborn ok, Nutbag Lactation Lady (NBLL)?

Lesson learned? Don't trust a woman who asks if she can touch your boob after she has grabbed it. If there's a MacBaby#2, I'm going to request that she be banned from my room. But, I will always thank NBLL for letting me enjoy my pinot noir with a peace of mind.

Breastfeeding and the Bachelorette

Recently a study came out proving that tv is bad for the little ones, stunting their communication skills, to which I respond whoops, and I hope not. MacBaby has seen every episode of this season's Bachelorette (really Jillian? Wes?). He witnessed Kris Allen win American Idol. We watched the Tony's. I have yet to plop him in front of the tv for his own personal entertainment, but it seems unrealistic to totally curb my boob tube habits.

While I was still on baby vacation, I made a point to keep the television off until a certain time in the afternoon so I did't turn into a total couch potato. The days when we were still up for hours (all of them) in the middle of the night I didn't have much energy beyond sitting and watching the King of Queens during the day. When he was a little older, we were out and about every day and Oprah turned into a distant memory. But, at night, when I'm lying in bed feeding him, I like to be entertained. Is this wrong?

I love bonding with my baby, but I find it almost impossible to feed him and not be itching for something to do simultaneously. Maybe it's our age of multi-tasking, but I search the internets on my phone, check my email or read a book at the same time. Will I regret not concentrating 100 percent on him when he no longer needs me for nourishment? Whenever I feel guilty about blogging while breastfeeding, I think of one of my friends who used her midnight feeding to catch up on American Idol. She said it gave her something to look forward to and made the lack of sleep more bearable. While I no longer need to cope with watching the sun rise every morning, maybe I'll try tuning the tv out and enjoying the peaceful moments with MacBaby. That's what the DVR is for.