Related Posts
Summer Fun With The Family (While Pregnant!)
Don’t use pregnancy as an excuse to sit around and miss out on a summer of fun with your family! Whether you are in your
Read More
Healthy and Yummy Smoothies for Toddlers
One of the easiest ways to get the goods into our kids is to blend up a smoothie, and in the heat of the summer, it will
Read More
Fun Facts About the 4th of July
Take the time this week to explore the history of the 4th of July with your children.
Read More
Record Your Baby's Heartbeat With Our Collections
Two Boobs, Two Babies: The Beauty in Tandem Breastfeeding
We at My Baby's Heartbeat Bear are huge advocates for breastfeeding and breastfeeding education. The other day, a converstaion about the beauty in tandem nursing occurred, and here I am... sharing with you what we discovered. I polled the social media black holes about breastfeeding, and these are the words that mothers used to describe nursing an infant.
| Empowering | Badass | Cuddles |
| Challenging | Primal | Connection |
| A Journey | Peaceful | Freedom |
| Beautiful | Fleeting | Easy |
| Endless Hunger | Comforting | Calorie Burning |
| Always Thirsty | Frustrating | Exhausting |
| Rewording | Protective | Milk on Tap |
| Demanding | Magic | Womanly |
| Amazing | Accomplished | Fruitful |
| Work | Nourishing | Draining |
| Involved | Painful | Exciting |
| Difficult | Selfless | Learning |
| Something you will miss someday | Life Giving | Acceptance |
I have written about breasts and breastfeeding, but I have yet to touch on the amazing commitment that so many mothers have – these mothers go well beyond the ‘norm’ of our society’s breastfeeding trends. I am talking about moms who tandem nurse. Moms who continue to nurse a toddler/child while also nursing a baby. (This does not have to be done simultaneously – but it can!)
Technically, breastfeeding twins is not considered tandem nursing, but for the sake of the “Two Boobs, Two Babies” topic, I am including twins in this article. (And, well, who doesn’t love twin pictures?) Moms of twins (or more) have double the challenges as those of us who birthed singletons. These moms deserve some love in here too! (For the record, breastfeeding twins is totally tandem nursing in my book!)
Breastfeeding stirs up a mixed bag of emotions, as you can see from the words chosen above. Challenges such as latch troubles, tongue-tie, mastitis, thrush, production problems, can all make breastfeeding hard. These challenges become part of the journey, and once these are overcome (or never experienced for some), the ease, simplicity, and freedom begin to fall into place. Even so, deciding to continue breastfeeding a sibling of a new baby can be tolling. The pros and cons are different for every mother.
A sibling can aid a mother through the newborn engorgement phase of breastfeeding. The time spent nursing the older sibling can help transition the child into his role as a big brother. The feelings of jealousy may not occur within a relationship that includes tandem nursing. Instead of pulling away or acting out, a nursing sibling may accept a baby and bond sooner than if he was not still nursing.
Our society may not be openly welcome to talking about full-term breastfeeding (or tandem nursing), but mothers are doing it. The benefits for both mother and child stretch far beyond the bond created; they are physical (protective and healing), mental (confidence and intelligence), and emotional (safety and love). It’s time that we celebrate these tandem nursing mothers!
While you may not have had the opportunity to nurse more than one baby at a time, or you chose not to, there is something so beautiful captured in the photos of mothers who do tandem breastfeed. Help spread the love, help #NormalizeBreastfeeding, and help normalize #TandemBreastfeeding.
Related Posts
Summer Fun With The Family (While Pregnant!)
Don’t use pregnancy as an excuse to sit around and miss out on a summer of fun with your family! Whether you are in your
Read More
Healthy and Yummy Smoothies for Toddlers
One of the easiest ways to get the goods into our kids is to blend up a smoothie, and in the heat of the summer, it will
Read More
Fun Facts About the 4th of July
Take the time this week to explore the history of the 4th of July with your children.
Read More
Record Your Baby's Heartbeat With Our Collections
Invalid password
Enter
Leave a comment