The Post-Nursing Toddler
On two separate days this past week, Wesley has requested to nurse.
Well, I say that like was a beautiful moment with sunshine and bluebirds – what actually happened was that he was sitting on my lap and poked my boob and said, “I want t’ drink milk from yew bewwwbies.”
And then he said, “I drink milk from yew bewwwbies. I drink milk, I have zat thing, I put it on, and I drink you milk.”
(“That thing,” being the nipple shield we used at nearly every feeding for two years.)
……
Today, he told me “I want t’ drink chocwit milk from yew bewwwbies.” I laughed and told him I don’t make chocolate milk, and unfortunately I don’t think I make any milk at all anymore. And then I told him that if he had a little brother or a sister, my “boobies” would start making milk again. He told me, “I have brother, yew bewwwbies makin’ milk again. Tiny babies drink milk from mommy bewwwbies.”
……
He recently found a nipple shield somewhere (I used to have them stashed all over the place so they turn up now and again) and now I can’t remember what his actual words were, but he knew exactly what it was for despite not having used it for nearly a year. That astonishes me.
……
I often wonder how much he remembers about nursing, and what specifically he remembers. I just asked him if he remembered drinking milk, and he said, “Um… YEP.” and then refused to elaborate but told me all about how he built a castle but it fell into a fire pit. So maybe he is not the best for specifics, but it’s super interesting to me that he has some memories of the two years we spent together, nursing.
File Under: Breastfeeding and Pumping, Wesley
2 Comments
I’ve read about people that nursed long enough to remember the experience into adulthood. Most of them say they don’t have specific memories other than warm, positive, happy feelings about it.
I think it’s wonderful that you nursed for so long. Keenan weaned himself at 14 months and I don’t have a goal for Aaron other than ‘at least a year’. I kind of approach it with a ‘we will see’ attitude, same as I did with Keenan.
Sweet
Isabel talks about having milk from my boobs but I don’t think it comes from memory, rather a matter of fact “this is how babies are fed” type statement. It makes me a wee bit sad
These days she’s obsessed with me ‘pew pew’ing at her with my milk XD & she drank some expressed and said she doesn’t like it now, which surprised me.