Yes, My Son Is Still Breastfeeding At Age 1 And I’m Proud Of This Accomplishment

Apparently, I’m a selfish mom.

That’s what I was told this week, and not because I do things for myself, but because I do things for my son.

In my opinion, being a mom is a self LESS task. It means putting the things that matter the most to you on the side and diverting your attention to the ungrateful temper tantrum waiting to happen that you conceived and then loving them unconditionally because to you, they are so much more than a snot nosed brat. Nothing about that sounds selfish to me.

Unfortunately, there are far too many silly, let’s say silly, people in this world who lose sight of the important parts of motherhood and say things that actually make no sense at all.

My son loves food. I mean he really does. Sometimes he eats so much that I wonder if he even has an off switch in his little tummy. That being said, he still really enjoys nursing. Like really enjoys it. He never nurses for long, but sometimes during his day he’ll take a moment away from playing, “destroy-the-entire-house” to come sit on my lap and nurse. I love these moments. I love that he wants to feel connected to me. I love that he’s still receiving the best nutrition I can offer him. I love that we can still share this and that even though he’s growing up, he still needs his mom.

Some may say that all of those reasons are about me, and thus I am selfish. I guess you could imply that because I don’t want my baby to grow up that I am using breastfeeding as a way to keep him my baby. I mean you may even think that I am ultimately making it harder for everyone by allowing him to breastfeed.

If breastfeeding my son past the age of one makes me selfish, then I am proud to be a selfish mother.

Personally, I find it selfish to deny my son something that makes him so comfortable. When he is hurt, he nurses; when he is sick; he nurses, when he is going through major change; he nurses. Nursing provides him with a comfort that would be impossible to find anywhere else because it is natural.

Someone please explain to me how it is selfish to continue to nourish and nurture my son?

FACT: It has been estimated that the natural weaning age for humans is between two and seven and in fact, children weaned under the age of two are at an increased risk of illness if weaned.

Unfortunately, we live in a society that does not support moms who choose extended breast feeding for their families, so women are called selfish for doing what nature actually intended for them to do, and are encouraged to feed their babies cows milk instead of human milk. Something about that just screams ironic. I’m actually laughing on this end of the computer.

My breast milk is designed for my child. It is designed to help my baby grow and develop. It has all the nutrients he needs on top of the mass amounts of food he consumes every day. He loves broccoli, he loves oranges, he loves sugar snap peas, and he loves nursing.

Forgive me if my breastfeeding my son offends you. Forgive me if you think that my decisions are selfish. We all have to do what is best for our babies and that’s exactly what I am doing. I may be a selfish mom, but I’m selfish for the most selfless reasons.

Mic drop.