He rarely nurses outside our home these days because he's just too busy while we are out and about, but he always nurses to sleep as well as some throughout the day and usually once or twice at night at least.
While this may not be the norm in your neighborhood - or ours, worldwide the average age of weaning is said to be 4.2 years. Kathy Dettwyler suggests that a natural weaning age for humans would fall somewhere between 2.5 and 7 years old based on comparisons with other animals and biological factors. Regardless of the actual average - or median, or the outlying highs and lows, breastfeeding is a very important part of my parenting and provides many, many benefits for Owen. It is a way to soothe Owen to sleep, nourish him, provide increased immunity for him as he encounters new "bugs," to comfort the hurts and insults - both physical and emotional - that Owen endures throughout the day, and help him develop good jaw structure. It is my trump card when nothing is going well in his world.
It is also good for me:
I enjoyed lactational amenorrhea for 23 months after Owen was born; while this is certainly longer than many moms experience, it is certainly not outside the norm.
It was easy for me to lose my pregnancy weight. The physiologic changes during pregnancy encourage our bodies to store up fat for the lean months ahead; just as bears pack on weight in the summer and fall, women gain "extra" weight during pregnancy. This weight - much of it added fat - provides for proper hormonal levels and responses, and is gradually used up as we feed our babies who require hundreds more calories daily above a normal diet and which may be hard to get as new mothers busy with taking care of our children. Breastfeeding is the natural next step after pregnancy, and "takes care" of the "problem" of "unwanted" pregnancy pounds.
After breastfeeding, I could have increased bone density and will be at less risk for hip fractures after menopause.
I am decreasing my risks for ovarian, uterine, and breast cancers.
It is still soothing to me. Sitting down during the day or at bed time to quietly nurse is a welcomed bit of respite from a busy day.
(See this helpful LLL article for more info.)
I am *still* wearing Owen.
He is now 33 pounds, and long ago, I gave up my home-made sling. For carrying a heavy toddler, I think you need a really sturdy and supportive carrier. The woven German wraps are the best, most supportive carriers around (IMO), and I have gotten so much use from my Katja Didymos wrap that I bought another German wrap with Christmas money. The Amsterdam Hoppediz is also an excellent carrier. Both were purchased used and are still in great shape after lots of use from us. It is really nice to have a back up one for the wash or to leave in the car.
Owen is *still* sleeping with us. We have put a small pallet next to our bed. It does give us a bit more room to stretch out when Owen is sleeping there, but he stays warmer and seems to sleep equally well (or not) right in our bed. Either way, he's still close to the rest of the family at night.
Owen is still wearing the same cloth diapers I put on him from day one. I've had to make several sets of increasingly larger diaper covers. Recently, I even had to re-elastic the ones I made last January, but the diapers are still going strong. They were a great gift and a fabulous investment.
As Owen grows and changes so quickly, it is a comfort to us all to have some things we *still* do just like we did when he was new. He is a little fella yet, and there is certainly no need to age him prematurely.
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