Life on the Road

Hope you all remembered to celebrate World Breastfeeding Week!

From the La Leche League International website:

In conjunction with the Olympics in August 2008, WBW 2008 calls for greater support for mothers in achieving the gold standard of infant feeding: breastfeeding exclusively for six months, and providing appropriate complementary foods with continued breastfeeding for up to two years or beyond. La Leche League International, a founding member and Core Partner of the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), is celebrating World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) through its La Leche League (LLL) Leaders and LLL Groups around the world. LLLI has a current presence in 68 countries.

Things did not get off to an auspicious start in Kentucky, where a nursing mama was asked to leave a McDonald’s.  Boy, the cops really blew it on that one…

As you probably know, if you’re reading this, we are big believers in extended breastfeeding around here.  Here’s a great collection of resources on the benefits of breastfeeding - to mama, baby, and toddler (plus employers, the environment, taxpayers…)

• Nick nursed past his third birthday, but I am happy to report that he is, in fact, fully weaned.  ;) 
• Jewel is still nursing at 3 years 3 months (primarily first thing in the morning and at bedtime).  She started eating solids sometime in the second half of her first year, but I would estimate that she didn’t actually get a significant percentage of her calories from food until around age two.
• At 5 months old, R.T. is still exclusively nursing (we’re pretty much aligned with the LLL guidelines for starting solids). 

I don’t know whether to be thankful I’ve never been hassled about nursing them, or sorry I’ve never gotten the chance to educate someone and stick up for what I believe in!