Breastfeeding

I wont insult ur intelligence by trying to insist that to breastfeed ur child at least until the 6th month is important (coz it is)..I mean...come on...who r we kidding, right? a mother's milk vs formula milk..u know which one will win in the sense of the benefits, right?

And as i promised ... lah..I am here to tell u my own experience..about breastfeeding of course..

I remember that day very clearly. There was to be a birthday party at Selim's in the afternoon..Zeynep's birthday.... In the morning, i did the pregnancy test. It was positive.I was pregnant.We kept it a secret until later that night after all the guests had gone. But trust me..i was smiling inside the whole day..

It was from that day...the milk factory started. My breasts started to swell...bla bla bla bla..And on the 6th February 2001..the person the factory was developed for was born. It was a torture for a few days because hatice could not latch to the breast properly. But once she mastered the art...Woah..she was a pro! Never wanting to leave the factory unattended..eager to make use of what Allah had installed for her private use.

5 months old..the whole zaim family was in shocked to receive the news that hatice will get a sibling. And the milk factory?? Yup! The factory is renewed in process..... and the existing user had the advantage of a more fresher and more delicious source of health. 3rd April 2002..The other little user was born into this world. The sister u see was still breastfeeding. And the little brother naturally wanted his mom's factory product! They took turns..one mom breastfeeding both children!! It was..........well..u can imagine right..

I was lucky.. in summer while we were in Sapanca..without even forcing her..she herself stopped breastfeeding... And baddin continued on ...until he was 3 and a half years old!!

Did i not try to make hatice stop breastfeeding after her brother was born? i did..i remember clearly that i put hot red pepper powder on my breasts. When hatice started drinking the milk from the breasts, instead of stopping coz of the pepper..she sucked the milk out even more...with more leisure!! Halil and i tried another method..during at nights, hatice will wake up demanding my milk. Instead of giving her what she wanted, with halil's help we fed her fruity yogurt (ı hold hatice while halil fed her) .That somehow helped to make her stop breastfeeding..or perhaps she realised that her little brother was breastfeeding too..It may not be enough if she share the milk? i dunno...Allah knows..Hatice was easy...

Baddin..of course was another matter. I tried many things. I tried the hot red pepper.. i tried that terrible tasting liquid (bought at a local spice bazaar)..i tried even taking medicine (cant remember the name) to stop the milk flowing (i stopped taking it coz it had totally terrible side effects on me)..i even had my mom sent something from malaysia to help me out to weane baddin from drinking my milk. Nothing helped. In the end, I used nothing...Just the word *no*..lots of crying from baddin (even i when i was alone)...lots of preserverence...and..a happy ending for mother and son..

My conclusion from all of this is...How do u know when to stop breastfeeding? I think when ur instinct tells u so.. do it. There are many ways of course..but what is important is to prepare urself for this process. If u r lucky... the use of terrible tasting things put on ur breasts may stop ur child breastfeeding..What if u have to go thru the stage like i did? The stage where u stop breastfeeding even when ur child is begging u not to? U have to prepare urself for this... Can u stand the crying of ur child? Will u have the courage to say *no* to ur child when ur child is heart wretchedly crying...begging u to give him the milk? day and night...where ur child will cry himself to sleep because his mummy is not feeding him milk from the breast? Can u stand that torture? That feeling that i am a bad mother for doing this to my child? If this is the last resort..then u will have too..n hopefully with the emotional support from ur spouse.

The journey wont be easy..never will..

With baddin..I tried to say *no* many times...that is until that one last time. my mind was made up. But before i said *no*..i gave baddin a warning in advance. For example..i tell him "in two weeks time, i will stop giving milk from my breast to u." Then, i counted each day with baddin..for example i said* 3 more days to go before u stop breastfeeding*...counting the days till that one big day. Kids r intelligent. We should never underestimate that. The crying for milk..the tantrums are all meant to test us mothers coz they know most of us r softhearted. Once they stop breastfeeding, the thought of once ever drinking the milk from ur breasts sounds undesirable to them.


The most important thing is to prepare urself and to give ur child an advanced warning.

I have found this article from www.askdrsears.com .Hopefully for mothers who r trying to weane..his steps may be beneficial to u..

HOW TO WEAN

The key to healthy weaning is doing it gradually. Remember, you are helping your child into a new stage of development, not forcing him into it. This is not the time for you and your husband to go on a week-long vacation to the Bajamas. Weaning by desertion is traumatic and may backfire. The following are suggestions for gradually weaning your child:

• Start by skipping a least favorite feeding, such as in the middle of the day. Instead, engage in a fun activity together, such as reading a book or playing a game. Nap and night nursings are favorite feedings and will probably be the last to go.
• Minimize situations that induce breastfeeding, such as sitting in a rocking chair or cradling baby. If you put baby in a familiar breastfeeding setting, he will want to breastfeed.
• Use the "don't offer, don't refuse" method. Don't go out of your way to remind her to nurse. However, if your child persists, or her behavior deteriorates, this may indicate that breastfeeding is still a need rather than a want. Watch your child and trust your intuition.
• Become a moving target. Don't sit down in one place for any length of time. But, remember, weaning means releasing, not rejecting. Breastfeeding helps the child venture from the known to the unknown. If you don't let your child make brief pit stops, he may insist on lengthy feedings when he finally gets you to sit down. Checking into homebase and refueling reassures him that it's okay to explore his environment, and gives him the emotional boost to venture out. Rejecting this need could developmentally cripple your child.
• Keep baby busy. Nothing triggers the desire to breastfeed like boredom. Sing songs, read books, or go on an outing together.
• Set limits. Putting limits on nursing, such as: "We only nurse when Mr. Sun goes down and when Mr. Sun comes up" does not make you a bad parent.
• Don't wean baby from you to an object, such as a stuffed animal or blanket. Ideally, you want to wean baby from your breast to an alternative source of emotional nourishment. This is when dad should begin to take on a more involved role in comforting. As dad's role in baby's life becomes bigger, nursing will be less important.
• Expect breastfeeding to increase during times of illness. These are times when your child needs comfort and an immune system boost.

Life is a series of weanings for a child: weaning from your womb, your breast, your bed, and your home. The pace at which children wean go from oneness to separateness is different for every child, and this should be respected. In our experience, the most secure, independent, and happy children are those who have not been weaned before their time.

Good luck!!

P.s..u dont need a breast surgery to have big boobs while breastfeeding!! :0)))