A strange BF question ?

[Bluenpinkmom]

Hi,

This may sound a bit strange but I want to do anything that can benefit my babies so I'll go ahead !!

I breastfed my daughter for about 9 months. For the first month and from 7 months onwards we have occasionally supplemented her as well. We had a lot of trouble putting her to breast in her newborn days and I had pump to establish a supply and within a month we were pro at breastfeeding. But when she was around 9 months old, something happened (not worth mentioning , brings pain !! ) because of which i had to reluctantly wean her. I did not stop cold turkey but gradually cut down her feedings one by one and my princess gracefully weaned herself with no problems whatsoever.

I am now pregnant again (15 weeks) and my daughter is now 21 months. She will be 27 months when this baby will be born. As always, I want to exclusively breastfeed (at least just breastfeed) at any cost. So here is the question. Can I pump some extra milk and give it to my older one in a sippy cup (a tiny bit of colostrum and some normal breastmilk) ? The reason I want to do this is though she had some quantity of colostrum while she was a newborn , i am not quite satisfied with what I could offer her It makes me very sad that I had to wean her early also.

So after this long gap can she still take this precious milk in a sippy cup ? Is it a good idea at all ? I'm so confused. I am guilty of not feeding her until she was one. That is the straight point. She is a perfectly healthy little girl but.. You know what I mean ? What are your thoughts ?

 

[Amalee]

Please don't feel guilty. It sounds like you made a difficult decision, and you did what was right for your family. That's all that anyone does! You did a great job breastfeeding for 9 months, and since then I'm sure you've continued being a great mom. Giving formula or cow's milk is nothing to feel guilty about. That's what those things are there for, and we're lucky to live in an age where there are such great ways to supplement when babies and families are ready.

Having said all that... You can give your toddler whatever you want to. If you decide to pump for her though, please don't do it because you feel guilty! Do it because you feel like it's right for your family, or don't do it because it's not right for your family. Anyone could hypothetically benefit from the antibodies in breastmilk, but pumping is super time consuming, and it's not fun being hooked up to tubes and plastic (especially while you're caring for newborn).

It's up to you to weigh the pros and cons and decide what you would like to do - and whatever you decide is perfectly valid!

 

[LoraLoo]

It's not strange at all- it'll still benefit her now and lots of people pump and give some to their older children.

 

[Bluenpinkmom]

Thanks a lot for your caring replies

I'm happy someone could understand what I'm feeling. Although I wouldn't pump explicitly for her, I'm planning to give her any extra milk that I make.