I had a natural birth, did baby wearing "baby wore?", I did exclusive exclusive exclusive breast feeding (and only kinda give some food to gnaw on now), I frequently co-bathe, I (sometimes) cloth diaper, I feed on demand... for the most part, and [here is the big one] I bite Mary Margaret's nails off.
I know, "Gross" "weird" "they make things for that", but it made perfect sense to me to bite her nails. I really only got the idea from a pediatrician friend who would bite his own son's nails off. To which another mutual friend thought was gross and then got all pretend "judgey" on him, and now me.
Hippy Momma Don't Care
I recently read an article, ok most of an article, about the breast feeding practices in Mongolia. I was so impressed by the comfort and ease in which they adopt breast feeding. They go so far as to encourage breast feeding way past the American recommendation of 1 year of age, the record in the article mentioned 9 years. The article makes note of not surrounding your child's nutrition with "what is he/she eating (which I'm known to do) or how many feedings your child is down to" but to let nature and self weaning take it's place. At 20-23 months 65% of Mongolian children are still nursing, and apparently the last child usually nurses for the longest (hence the 9 years).
Honestly, I completely understand. I LOVE. L.O.V.E. nursing Mary Margaret, will I nurse her until the next baby is conceived? I can't tell you, but I might. I know she loves eating "real" food and watching her grow and develop is so amazing. But having this connection with her is something I will never get back once she weans. The times of her playing with my hair and pulling on my lips and mouth, they sometimes really hurt, but they are also wonderful.
I never went into parenting thinking I was going to be this way, I come from a non-hippy family of straight laced and somewhat conservative minded parents. I didn't know I would become so "I-want-to-have-her-with-me-every-second" but I kinda am, and I kinda love it. Now, when #2 comes along in a while I may have a different outlook because I'll be slammed with more attention to give out. But who knows, I was described by one friend as a little more "Mother Earth" than she was, and that was doing me a Solid.
Good for you! I grew up pretending to nurse my baby dolls only to discover that I pretty much hate nursing my babies and it's a real sacrifice and struggle for me. But what's worse than breastfeeding is pumping, and so once I'm back to work, I only pump for about 2 months before I can't take it anymore. I feel like a terrible Mom saying that, but 4 months of breastmilk is better than nothing, right? I did have a couple natural births and also do not cosleep and we do not CIO (although there were times I might have but my husband is dead set against it). It's funny to see what we pick and choose to do as moms and what works best for our family.
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