Breastfeeding 1-2-3

Update on Nursing through a Child’s Illness

by Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor on March 8th, 2007

My two-year-old is feeling much better today. Yesterday she couldn’t keep down any food in spite of her interest in solids. I told her that she could have food again once she stopped spitting up and in the meantime she could nurse. She was alright with that but told me that she’d be all better the next day, “I promise!” (She learned that phrase when I made her promise not to stick any more pieces of cantaloupe up her nose!)

So I could monitor her throughout the night I co-slept with her until my own violent coughing threatened to wake her and I moved to the chaise by the bed. At one point in the night, my toddler turned on the light (it’s one of those that you touch it and it turns on), climbed out of bed and came over to me to nurse. I told her she could nurse and then she’d have to go back to bed and turn out the light. Lo and behold, she actually did it! When it was time to be done, she popped off, walked back to bed, climbed in, tapped the lamp until it turned off, snuggled under the covers and went back to sleep! It wasn’t just a fluke either because she did it again a few hours later. Those gentle sleep techniques must be having some effect if she can settle herself back to sleep without nursing in bed!

She was true to her promise and today she’s happy and eating normally. Now if I could just say the same about my husband….

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POSTED IN: breastfeeding stories, health of the baby, mothering, sleep, toddler nursing