Breastfeeding.
It's my full-time job.
I went to college. I am highly qualified to teach middle school language arts and social studies.
I also have a part-time job cutting & shipping & loving on bags.
My hobbies include reading, writing [not arithmetic], Starbucks coffee drinking, talking on the phone with my mom, and walking shopping malls.
All these things are great and sound nice, but breastfeeding.
It's. What. I. Do.
I want to share the ugly truth about breastfeeding a toddler. And not just any toddler, but a toddler who thinks the purpose for which he exists is to nurse.
Picture a day in our life.
John and I wake up. Maybe it's 7 a.m. (Oh, yeah. I should remind you. We are in the same bed.)
And since neither of us are morning people, back on the ninny he goes, and back to sleep I go.
This goes on until around 9 a.m. when John begins to feel human.
{You need your coffee. Homeboy needs his ninny.}
(Also, I receive no benefits of sleep during this period, as you can imagine.)
9 a.m.-ish, we wake up.
I march to the living room & turn on Elmo.
[The mention of Elmo's name is how I finally pry him out of bed.]
The minute I plop down in my "ninny chair" is the minute he decides he needs to go back on his ninny.
Friends, if I am sitting down, John thinks he should be nursing.
We eventually get Boo Boo his breakfast, which he eats, sometimes.
Then we might exercise (together, meaning John climbs on my tummy while I'm doing abdominal exercises [highly effective] or jumps on my back while doing push-ups [which equals quittin' time], or we might do artwork or laundry or watch Cars.
In any case, what usually follows is a bath (also together). I have to wear my bra in the bath tub, y'all, and he still finds a way to nurse.
{Bathing together has been discontinued beginning this weekend. Not only does John want to nurse his entire bath time, but he also likes to throw things. Earlier this week, he threw a metal can of shaving cream at my head. For my own personal safety, I have decided to bathe at night when my husband is home. I just felt it important to include what has been our bathing/nursing pattern for the past few months to truly document the ugly truth.}
What else, Ashley?
Well, he also prefers what we call "ninny pops."
Let me define. A ninny pop is a very short breastfeeding session. He "pops" off the ninny after only about 30 seconds of nursing, but DO NOT PUT THE NINNY AWAY. If I do, a meltdown will ensue. John would prefer a constantly topless Mama.
Another reason he'd prefer me topless is because he has a purpose for both ninnies at once.
Ninny #1: He's using to eat.
Ninny #2: He has a strong grip on (to make sure it doesn't get away???) {by the way, [sometimes] OUCH! and [sometimes] Hello, uncomfortable!}
Often when he's having a ninny pop, he will nurse on one side, then pop off and pull on my collar (oh, how my shirt collars are stretched out), which means he is ready for the other side. He will nurse on each side at least three times in an average short nursing session.
So, what is my purpose for writing this? {Ashley, are you trying to persuade me NOT to breastfeed?}
My purpose is to share John's purpose for nursing in this way.
Comfort.
A friend of mine has two kids who hang on to their blankies all day every day.
John hangs on to his ninnies. Literally.
I am so thankful for this.
In all the ugliness that is breastfeeding an avid toddler nurser, I am so thankful that I can bring comfort to my son in such a constant manner.
2 Corinthians 1:3 says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort."
I pray that this simple act of Mama-comfort is pointing him to the God who constantly, intimately, and with great initiative and sacrificial love comforts His children. {Psst. Even mommies who don't breastfeed bring comfort to their children multiple times each day. Good job, Mama.}
Breastfeeding a toddler is one of the most inconvenient (in many ways, but in others, extremely convenient ... Hey, you never leave home without a sippy cup.) and self-sacrificing commitments that you can make, but it's also one of the most rewarding. (Read about some of the benefits here.)
It is my sincere hope that you've laughed a lot while reading this and that you'll breastfeed your babies (or if you're a brave man reading this, encourage your wives to). It may be the ride of a lifetime, but I can promise you grace upon grace (actually God does - John 1:16), and that you'll learn a lot about God and life in the process.
It's a trip, y'all. And so worth it.
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