I barely breastfed our first daughter, E. My milk came in late, I had to supplement, supply never caught up with demand, and eventually she refused the breast. I pumped until she was six months old, but it was a relief to stop.
Fast forward to baby M. We had a rough start, but we managed and are going strong at 6.5 months. I'm taking it month by month, but I'm hoping to make it to about a year.
My father-in-law is interested in the breastfeeding. Too interested, if you ask me. I think it goes back to 2.5 years ago when I was nursing M under the cover of a blanket, and he walked over and ripped the blanket off of me before I realized what he was doing. Since M's birth, he asks frequent questions about breastfeeding and makes comments that sometimes make me uncomfortable. It is hard to put my finger on what makes me uncomfortable, but it does.
Last week while they were visiting, I mentioned that M is in the throes of teething and that I expect teeth to break through anytime now. He said, "So you'll stop breastfeeding." I said, "No, I hope to keep going."
So he reached over to where I was playing with M on the floor, and he thumped my head. Hard.
"That's how the Lakota teach their babies not to bite," he told me.
So what about that made me uncomfortable? Maybe it was his assumption that teeth=weaning. Maybe it was his thinking about my breast comfort. Or maybe it was getting thumped hard on the head.
Up up and away
11 years ago
2 comments:
WOW Em~
Your father-in-law sounds like a strange bird!! Why in the world is he so interested in your breasts? That would make me nervous too. I hope for your sake they don't visit too often. I think I would have had to say something to him about thumping my hard that way. What does your DH say about it all?
Monnie
lol! I have a lurking fil too. He asked me once if he could take pictures of me breastfeeding and I was like NO! It was just weird because of the way he was really interested in it each time and how he was always commenting on it.
My mom always told me the "they're ready to wean if they're teething" story too and she also says "women get pleasure out of breastfeeding and that's why they do it so long...because it gives them orgasms!" and I was just like "yeah if ONLY!!
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