Reasons why H is still nursing, and its OK!

i thought i wanted to wean him.

i did a little research. i prayed a lot. i talked to other mamas and read what some had to say. basically, to make a long story short, i decided to back off and let him do whatever he needs to do. here's why.

1. he has allergy issues.
2. the older he gets, the more concentrated the nutrition in my milk gets.
3. we both caught a cold within a day of eachother; he was over it in less than 3 days and i'm going on day 5 of miserableness.
4. while i was really sick, getting up to prepare food left me feeling dizzy and lightheaded. thankfully, i keep a fully stocked milkbar 24/7, how convenient!
5. soothing a wakeful toddler at 2 a.m. can be done at the simple flick of a nip.
6. i'd rather he be attached to a human being than a physical object
7. why buy the cows milk when i can get the mama milk for free?
8. i'm an introvert. offering him the breast allows me the downtime that i need to keep from going mentally off my rocker. i latch him on and then retreat into my own mind for a little while.
9. bedtime fussiness is minimized.
10. it makes him happier and healthier.

i read something today about the women of East Bhutan, one of the least developed areas in the WORLD...."The mothers told (the interviewer) that open-ended, child-led weaning is by far the preference in East Bhutan, and there is no upper limit of age (even twelve is fine). The mothers prize human milk as best for the child, a life-giving and wholly positive substance, and something which rightly belongs to the child; mothers express "an obligation, and a wish, to breastfeed 'as long as possible.'" (Adventures in Tandem Nursing, P 12)

I dont think i'd nurse a 12 yr old. I think I would have to draw the line at the 5-7 year timeframe, where children transition from babies to children, but I would consider pumping and keeping a pitcher of it for human consumption. It is, after all, human milk intended for consumption by human beings. But something tells me I'd never be able to pump just that much. However, I do draw the line at having a person hanging off of my breast at 5-7 years (depending on the child).

I think the things I want to achieve from nursing are being able to sleep at night, and not having a toddler with a serious case of nursing crazies. But weaning doesn't necessarily equate sleeping at night, and knowing my little wakeful one, would actually probably lead to the opposite. And the nursing crazies are just a boundary issue. So I'm working on that. Also, I do sometimes feel oppressed by having a small child on me at all times, trapped, couch bound, and prevented from doing the things that are required to keep this family running, but I need to remember to employ my babywearing devices for such times. So really, the problem is not with my boob-addicted toddler (terms used loosely, i assure you), but with my approach to toddler nursing.

Also, apparently the shift from nursing 6x a day to nursing eleventy thousand times a day is totally normal. And i'm noticing just how much he truly does still need me....so, not that we're tta, but i'm prayerfully considering our ttc journey.

Mama J proudly accepts her new title of "Dirty Hippie" - thank you.