Booby juice. That's what my five year old nephew calls breast milk. He was so fascinated watching me feed Little One. "Did I drink booby juice when I was a baby?" "Yes, babies drink booby juice," his mother replied. But when he saw a bottle of expressed milk on the table he exclaimed with tears in his eyes, "I don't want to drink that booby juice!" Thank goodness! It would have been far more awkward if he had asked for some.
I'm reminded of this story because in a few short months Little One will be turning 1. And I'm now facing the question, will she still be drinking booby juice? Or would it be better if I gave her cow's milk, goat's milk, soy milk, almond milk, or no milk?
I love breast feeding my daughter. Especially now that she's constantly on the move. It's the only time I really get to cuddle with her. Unfortunately I'm away from her 40 hours a week and when we are together (and she's awake) she won't drink it 'straight from the tap'. That's right, she'll only latch when she's half asleep. That means I have to pump four times a day so she has enough milk to drink. With setup, pumping and clean up that works out to about two hours a day! And I loathe pumping. (I'll have to detail the pros and cons of breast feeding and pumping elsewhere.)
So now back to the question. What should Little One drink after she turns one? I'd like for her to continue having booby juice as a part of her diet. The World Health Organization recommends babies be fed breast milk until at least two years old. In fact, if she drank 'right from the tap' I don't think I'd even be thinking about this right now. But two hours is a good chunk of time. It'd be great if I could spend it doing something rather than fighting off a nine month old that wants to play with and pull on the breast pump.
Maybe adding in a glass of something else once a day? But what to choose? They all seem like bad options to me. Little One gets an upset tummy when I drink cow's milk, so that's out. Goat's milk and soy milk taste heinous to me. And we're trying very hard to feed Little One what we eat. Getting special milk just for her complicates things. The whole purpose of this blog is to simplify to make my life easier! That leaves almond milk or no milk. I love the taste of almond milk. And vanilla almond milk tastes a lot like breast milk. (You were curios too, right? But it's a nut, and I'm worried about allergies.
This article from my favorite breast feeding site, kellymom, provided a lot of insight. I think I'll try to pump Little One full of good solid food, and hope she cuts back on booby juice on her own. And maybe throw in a glass of almond milk once in a while. Well, I guess this counts as a plan. Kind of. Has anyone else out there tried to partially wean?
Hi Rini. I noticed you were a new follower to my blog and wanted to come by to follow you back. This post interested my because I breastfed both of mine until they were about 2 years old. Of course, I had the luxury of being able to stay at home, and didn't have to worry about pumping. I agree with you about not using cow and soy milk. Goat milk though, depends on the source. I don't know if it's possible, but if you could get access to fresh Nubian goat milk, you might really like it. I know some moms give almond milk to their little ones. Rice milk is another possibility. Like you, I'd do my research. I know you want the best for your daughter and will figure it all out. :)
ReplyDeleteWelcome Leigh! Thanks for the follow. When I was little I was weaned on the goat's milk fresh from the farm and loved it. But as an adult I've only had what's available in the grocery store. Not they tastiest stuff. I'll have to look into trying some Nubian milk. They sell some at my farmer's market, but I'm not sure what kind of goats they have. Thanks for the advice Leigh!
ReplyDeleteWith all of my kids, I slowly weaned them by switching out one nursing session for a bottle of milk - cow's milk in our case - over time we gradually got to no nursing at all. It worked well for me and the kids - there was no trauma or crying from any of us.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog and for your comment.