What I Hate About Extended Breastfeeding.

Ah, breastfeeding. The beautiful bond, the best you can do for your little ones future health, the 'most natural thing in the world'... The absolute pain in the ass! Well, sometimes. I'd be lying if I said I enjoy every aspect of breastfeeding, particularly now that John can kick me in the face, whilst simultaneously clamping his teeth on my nipple.

Gone are the days of peaceful hours spent breastfeeding a tiny baby from the comfort of my couch. Now it's all about teeth, sole responsibly of night feeds and other people's opinions. Welcome to the world of extended breastfeeding! I've previously talked about our choice to practice extended breastfeeding but what I didn't tell you is despite the rosy front, breastfeeding is hard work, particularly when your little one would rather you followed them around, boobs out, responding to their every beck & call.

So in the spirit of National Breastfeeding Awareness week, here's what I hate about extended breastfeeding! (Don't worry fellow lactivists, my 'what I love' list will follow shortly!).

(Jamie Lynn Grumet - perhaps the most famous extended breastfeeding mother after her appearance on Time magazine
cover last year, feeding her 3 year old son.)

 Teeth! The one everyone asks about! John had been fantastic in terms of biting, with only a few occasions when he had one or two teeth -- it was something I was careful to nip in the bud.

However when he's teething and has sore gums, his latch goes all to pot. This means his teeth rub, which if really bad can cause blisters. Ouch! Thankfully once the offending tooth's broken through, things improve but it gives me one more reason to hate teething!

 Night Feeds. When you have a beautiful new baby, you and your partner form a romantic idea that you'll share the burden of night feeds. Trust me when I tell you, even if he makes the effort in the beginning, it won't last!

And that's mainly my own doing. It's easier to get up and put a boob into a little ones mouth than it is to faff around with bottles & sterilisers at 3am. It does make sense but it also means becoming burden to 100% of those broken nights.

 "You'll be breastfeeding him as he goes off to college." Erm, no. I'm not that committed, neither is John for that matter. Although I plan to let John self-wean, our understanding as a family is to continue to breastfeed until it has a negative impact on our family. So far it hasn't, so we haven't stopped. But if we got to aged 3 and were still regularly breastfeeding, I think I might start to resent it, in which case we'll stop. Otherwise we'll carry on, not until college though; perhaps High School?

 All you eat buffet, open 24/7. Or so John seems to think... Picture your son sitting contently on your knee, babbling away some nonsense or simply enjoying a cuddle. Then picture his hand shooting down your top at light-speed, grabbing your boob and moaning at you until you promptly give in to his request. This happens at least once a day. At least once a day, I'm groped by my toddler. Oh, and it doesn't matter where or when, it could be in the middle of the supermarket for all John cares! He wants boob and he wants it now.

 The assumption we've stopped and the utter shock to find out we haven't. To be honest, most people don't even question if we're breastfeeding any more -- it's assumed we stopped a long time ago. But we are still going strong. Thankfully, despite all the things I hate, John only breastfeeds three times a day, at naptimes and bedtime. And I do love it, otherwise we wouldn't still be going at it. But of course the judgement is still there regardless and although during 18 months of breastfeeding you develop a thick skin, it's still the biggest pain in the butt to be at the receiving end of shock and disgust from people you don't even know, simply due to your choice in how to feed your little one.

So what's your opinion on extending breastfeeding? Love it, hate it? Care to share your own experiences?