Breastfeeding Month brings many stirring thoughts to mind. Some revel, some argue, and some, argue even more with formula feeders.
Not today. Not today.
Today it’s all good vibes as I celebrate 28 months of pure breastfeeding. I am inclined to write pure breastfeeding joy, but I am far more realistic than that.
I acknowledge the pains choosing to be my kid’s 24/7 food source entail. Whatever they tell you in those Your Baby’s First Year books, that’s not even a quarter of the breastfeeding force you’ll reckon with during toddlerhood. It’s at times painful and patience-testing, and surely there are times when I curse and mutter, I swear I am going to wean this kid tomorrow.
But the day dumbs down and it’s another day. And here we are, spanning 28 months and counting, still breastfeeding.
A quiet trip means happier travels for moms. Unfortunately, tantrums are an everyday reality for parents, traveling or not. You can bring a favorite toy, food and liters of yummy juice, but there will always be those moments when a child’s tantrum is simply inconsolable.
I don’t know about you, but nothing puts my kid to sleep faster than the breast. The magic’s in the milk. Whatever stage your child’s in, breastmilk contains sleep-inducing hormones that relaxes the nerves and the mind (thus, item #3). When it’s nap time, my kid breastfeeds and in 15 minutes she’s zonked out , whether on the beach or in the bus. It lets me enjoy the trip better and to take photos with one hand more conveniently.
Since Lia and I co-sleep, breastfeeding via side-lying position makes it more convenient when she wakes up for night feedings (she does till now, many times a night). Over the years, it’s become a reflex that I have learned to just sleep while nursing. No getting up at night and walking around like a milk-shaking zombie, no waiting for her to finish a bottle. It keeps me energized for next-day activities, be it a swim, a hike or more running around with the tot.
Twenty eight months. On occasions, strangers have given me flabbergasted stares as this fully toothed toddler, already running and speaking two-word phrases, clings to Mama’s teat. It is not all sunshine and cuddles, I will tell you that.
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| Because no god in any for or name discriminates the child who needs to feed, or the mother who obliges. |
But even at this age of nipple stretching, nipple biting, acrobatic nursing and no-warning-shirt-lifting anywhere, breastfeeding has brought many rewards and made my life easier especially when I’m traveling solo with my daughter.
Here I share with you how.
1. It’s light packing in the truest sense.
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| Used to bring a diaper bag, then switched to these waterproof 20-liter and 3-liter sling bags for solo daytrips. Enough to hold Lia’s stuff and mine too, including food and drinks. |
When Lia turned five months, she stopped drinking pumped milk through a bottle. Just like that. I ditched the breastpump, the milk bags, and what reservations I have for breastfeeding in public and accepted I now have to direct feed her wherever, whenever, draped only with a nursing cover.
Traveling has never been so lighter.
No heavy formula cans, no feeding bottles, no thermos with hot water. Just a poncho or a nursing cover, a few diapers, wet wipes, food and your usual travel stuff. That means more room in the bag for important articles and less weight on my shoulders.
2. Less hassle during travels
Baby’s howling mad from here to Greenland, passengers covering their ears as you frantically reach out for powdered milk and water, spilling some as you pour them into a feeding bottle on a thump-thumping bus. Sounds familiar?
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| It would haven’t been as easy hiking this hill in Mariveles with Lia if I had so many feeding stuff in my bag. |
I’ve been in those rides with you, dear parents, and my heart goes out to you. I cannot imagine having to go through all that while traveling on my own. It’s already a feat in itself to embark on a lone trip with a tantrum-prone nursling, let alone do all that prepping and shaking on the road.
Breastfeeding has taken that load off my hands. When Lia’s hungry, sleepy, or is looking like she’s about to throw a fit, I put the cover on, slip her under it, and yup. That’s just about it.
3. Tantrum tamer
A quiet trip means happier travels for moms. Unfortunately, tantrums are an everyday reality for parents, traveling or not. You can bring a favorite toy, food and liters of yummy juice, but there will always be those moments when a child’s tantrum is simply inconsolable.
In those times, I bring out the boob. Always works.
4. Insta-snoozer
I don’t know about you, but nothing puts my kid to sleep faster than the breast. The magic’s in the milk. Whatever stage your child’s in, breastmilk contains sleep-inducing hormones that relaxes the nerves and the mind (thus, item #3). When it’s nap time, my kid breastfeeds and in 15 minutes she’s zonked out , whether on the beach or in the bus. It lets me enjoy the trip better and to take photos with one hand more conveniently.
5. Keeps mum well-rested for the day ahead.
The one thing that I appreciate most with breastfeeding is that it allows me to have decent sleep at home and elsewhere (at least past those few post-birth weeks when your baby just doesn’t seem to know what she wants).
Since Lia and I co-sleep, breastfeeding via side-lying position makes it more convenient when she wakes up for night feedings (she does till now, many times a night). Over the years, it’s become a reflex that I have learned to just sleep while nursing. No getting up at night and walking around like a milk-shaking zombie, no waiting for her to finish a bottle. It keeps me energized for next-day activities, be it a swim, a hike or more running around with the tot.
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| Breastfeeding station, SM North EDSA. |
And as a bonus, whatever I save from not buying formula, I am able to allot to other fun travel stuff. Like more budget Sundates with me tot.
So with all that nipple tugging, acrobatic nursing and breastfeeding-on-demand during solo trips, will I finally swear off nursing for good?
Not today. Not today.
How about you moms? How has breastfeeding affected your travels?
