Exclusively Nursing a 9 Month Old

Seeing as it's been a month since I've posted anything, I wanted to talk about SOMETHING so I decided to write a post based on a couple conversations I've had at work with other moms. Joey is still being fed exclusively by breastmilk. I do have to work, so he doesn't get it exclusively from the tap but it is the only nourishment he's received since my surgery last June (when I didn't have a stash built up and we had to supplement with formula). He hasn't had any formula since then and the only other thing besides breastmilk that he's had has been water. He started sucking on his washcloths in the bathtub so there really wasn't much I could to do stop him, so when we got new sippy cups for him to try, we put water in them so a) we wouldn't waste milk and b) he couldn't make a huge mess with milk if they leaked. He also knows how to get water out of our Camelbak bottles which I find hilariously cute. Anyway...

For a couple of weeks now, Joey has been especially mobile, he's figured out crawling for the most part and loves to pull himself up to standing. Because of all this activity, he mostly nurses at night even on days that I don't have to work. He's too busy to stop playing/exploring to nurse quietly for more than a minute or two. Sometimes he does forget that he's hungry and get fussy until he's gorged himself, but even then, at 9 months, that takes like 10-15 minutes max. When he does nurse during the day, it can be pretty hilarious. For one thing, he's been a little nursing acrobat for months now--pretty much once he figured out how to control his own legs. He loves sticking one of his legs up on the other boob or his new favorite is crossing them and pulling them in like he's a little baby. He's almost constantly moving, even when nursing, if it's not his legs then it's his wandering hands (of they're playing if he's got a toy or I'm wearing an interesting shirt).

When Joey is feeling especially mobile but still wants to nurse, he spends the session attempting to get up on all fours while still latched on. He's done this successfully several times now! If we're sitting on the floor and I've got him in my lap with my legs crossed, he'll wiggle his way completely onto the floor. If we're lying down, he likes to climb all over me and see how many different ways he can latch on--including being completely on my stomach directly over my boob (that one didn't work so well)!

Most of the time I find all of this funny and adorable, but occasionally when I want a nap or when I need him to nap, it can be frustrating. Sometimes I do miss when he was a month old and would just lie there and nurse then fall asleep and unlatch himself because he passed out. He doesn't do the "milk drunk" smile anymore, instead he unlatches, smiles at me then gargles his milk. He only falls asleep while nursing now if it's bedtime--and sometimes not even then (we're getting more consistent with our bedtime routine and that's helping).

I do love the interaction now, he likes to touch my face or hair, play with my shirt or his foot. He's not a bystander in the feeding process, he is an active participant! Nursing now (most of the time) is a wordless conversation, he's learning and growing so fast that it's hard for me to keep up, and stopping to nurse reminds me to stop and just breathe in his babyhood and enjoy the moment we're sharing.

Although, sometimes I am just feeding the kid, one hand holding my boob and the other typing or texting (or playing Fruit Ninja!). It's not always an intimate, beautiful moment, but it is a special relationship that I will always treasure.