I have a confession about parenting that many mothers may relate to. “I wish I had breastfed my daughter longer.” When she was born, I vowed to breastfeed her for 12 months, no matter what the odds. I accomplished my goal, even if it meant sometimes pumping milk in a Las Vegas hotel room, and sometimes nursing Alma while feeling empty from a norovirus outbreak in our home the day after Christmas.
And, as @juliannakozlin recently revealed through a video posted on Instagram, I’m not the first parent to overcome seemingly endless challenges to breastfeed.
I didn’t like every moment of breastfeeding, especially pumping, but when that era of my relationship with my daughter ended, the decision was not mutual. Despite the midwife’s reassurance that the baby would do just that. do not have My daughter was also weaned. My instincts as a parent told me that my daughter was losing interest as the breastfeeding time became shorter and shorter, and one fortuitous day when my daughter was about a year old ended up being her last breastfeeding day without any fuss or tears.
But to my surprise, it turned out that I was one of the lucky few who was able to stop breastfeeding without too much disruption, at least according to Juliana’s videos.
Although the World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding until “2 years of age and older” (along with the introduction of solid foods), some parents who have been breastfeeding long-term may not want to do so. need–To show the world that children are not selfish, lazy, or showing off. As one mother wrote in the comments, children are indeed being “bullied.”
What this simple Instagram post reveals about long-term breastfeeding
In a post that has been viewed 1.3 million times on TikTok, Juliana Koslin recorded herself breastfeeding her toddler in bed, with the text: “Baby food is a myth and I don’t know how to get rid of it?!?! Scary.”
This article aims to explain (with humor) how powerless some parents feel in the weaning process. Toddlers may be small in size, but their wills are powerful, and even those with the kindest parents are prone to nagging, demanding, and outright tantrums when they don’t get what they want. And for some reason, such outbursts seem to occur when parents are most hurt and exhausted, which means they’re more likely to succumb.
Other parents in Juliana’s comments similarly had a sense of humor about how weaning a stubborn toddler can sometimes feel like negotiating with a dictator.
“‘What? You breastfed him for three years? That’s amazing!’ “I had no choice and didn’t know how to stop him,” one mother wrote.
“It’s always funny when people think it’s for me…I’m being held against my will,” another wrote.
Extended breastfeeding remains taboo in America
In American culture in particular, there is great pressure to wean infants who are considered too old to breastfeed. This may be because there is still a false sexual orientation towards breastfeeding parents in this country.
But breastfeeding your child is not as simple as turning on and off the faucet. It doesn’t matter if the baby overcomes the pain before fully sucking. They take a day off from work or sacrifice interaction with other adults to keep their spirits up. Or, in the case of Juliana and many others, her comments are trying to get young children to stop practicing altogether.
Considering the jokes they’re telling, I’d like to believe that the parents commenting on Juliana’s post are handling their situation with as much grace and humor as possible, given the difficult circumstances.
One mother explains in the comments, “I tell myself every day that I don’t negotiate with my toddler. My body, my choice. And then 2am rolls around and he’s slapping me in the face and yelling FOOD!! And suddenly I realize that I’m willing to negotiate if I can, go back to sleep.”
Breastfeeding parents need our support every step of the way
If anyone reading this has ever felt the need to comment, give unsolicited advice, or look sideways at parents who are breastfeeding their infants, let me stop you right there.
Many breastfeeding parents would likely want to clean the house, spend time with other children, read a book, have a glass of wine, go out to dinner with their partner, attend their best friend’s bachelorette party, get a full night’s sleep, be away from home for more than three hours at a time, and do a variety of other activities, but instead they choose to make tough sacrifices for their children.
Living life that way can leave you feeling frustrated and isolated. It can be very rewarding at times and form a bond with your child. I’m sure parents like this are irreplaceable for anything in the world. That’s why breastfeeding parents deserve our support, not our judgment.
So perhaps the most helpful thing we can do in those moments when daily feedings feel especially daunting and endless is to laugh together.
