If you’ve been a breastfeeding mother (or the spouse of one), you’re probably well aware of the dedication involved; the long hours, lack of sleep, the insecurities, the worries…the pure exhaustion of it all. Yet, you do it. You do it because for you, there is no other option. You made a commitment and you’re seeing it through to whatever goal you set for yourself. For me, that goal was six months. That quickly turned into a year. Then I decided to go all the way and allow my child to self-wean. A lot of faith, information, and science went into my decision, but that’s a topic for another post. For now, I want to share the beauty that is breastfeeding a toddler.

My baby girl and I have been through SO much on this journey. It started with the all-too-common worry over milk supply, followed by diaper “output” drama (I seriously had pics of baby poo saved on my phone). From there, we had food allergies, slow weight gain, a two week nursing strike, elimination diets, thrush, clogged ducts… You name it, we dealt with it.

But on top of it all, there was

Immense

Immeasurable

Indescribable

joy.

Breastfeeding has gotten us through the good, the bad, and the teething. Through wonder weeks, sleep regressions, illness, and more. I won’t lie, though. There have been many times when I have been “touched out” and exhausted, but quitting was never an option. There are lots of very important reasons why, but the bottom line is this: Most of the doubts moms have about natural feeding have been planted in our heads for a reason. (There’s an entire history behind that, but again – another topic for another time!) These doubts and hurdles didn’t make my child any less deserving of the food she was meant to have – the food that was made for her and these doubts certainly were not going to beat us. So, on we went! Through everything, breastfeeding has been our baby girl’s comfort, nourishment, stability, and protection.

And now we’re here.

The Golden Age of our breastfeeding journey.

Our baby is 28 months old and we’re in a magical stage of nursing. The toddler years. We have made it past the developmental superhighway and nursing is just comfortable and absolutely lovely. Gone are the worries about diapers, weight checks, and latch issues. Nursing still has incredible nutritional value, but now it’s mainly about connecting. We just kick back, snuggle up, read a book, sing (she hums), and if I’m lucky I might get a chubby foot in my mouth. Sometimes, I don’t want to nurse when she does and that’s alright, too. I can tell her “not right now.” More often than not, she replies with, “Ok,” and comes back to ask me later (and a toddler’s “later,” is 3-5 minutes, but still….) It really is one of the most enjoyable parts of my day. We get to connect in a way that she still needs, yet she’s developed enough to understand the concept of waiting.

I had no plans on nursing this long, but I am SO glad I did. No one told me how wonderful this was going to be, so I’m telling you, now. If you’re considering nursing your child into toddler-hood, go ahead. There are some rough milestones and breastfeeding is a great tool to get baby through them. Once you’re past them, though, you’re in for a new and beautiful experience.

I’m so happy with how far my child and I have come and where we are now. I love that I didn’t force her to get to this place before she was ready and that I get to go through the weaning experience with her, when the time comes. Full-term breastfeeding may not be for everyone, but this mom has no regrets! I know that God had this planned out long before I existed and I find absolute beauty and joy in what he’s given us. I look forward to the next stage in our breastfeeding journey – wherever it takes us!

Photos by Jenn V Photography ~~ www.jennvphotography.com

A note about these gorgeous photos: Well, the images speak for themselves. I had a hard time even selecting a few for this article! Jennifer was simply amazing during our session. She was patient, made us comfortable, and completely captured the bond that Ava and I share. Thank you, Jennifer!