Our 5 year old used to frequently ask for breastmilk. And one time I almost gave in.
Let me explain…
We were at an indoor playground and there were these ball blasters that are pretty fun to aim and shoot, but this time one of the balls hit her so fast and so hard in her eye. She dropped to the floor and started wailing. I was super nervous about the potential damage the ball had done. She wouldn’t open her eye, cried in pain for at least 10 minutes and kept screaming, “it hurts” —
and honestly, all I wanted to say was — “do you want to nurse?”
We were in a public place, so I was slightly embarrassed.
This wasn’t my first time I felt the urge to nurse her. She got hurt pretty badly a year prior and those same feelings emerged.
I didn’t nurse her that day, but wrote this to say, don’t feel bad if you do. I’ve heard there are plenty of 5 year olds that still attach to the breast.
And I realize now that nursing physiologically and psychologically does something to my brain. Whatever hormones are released give me the peace of mind that nursing is how I protect and comfort our children. And now that our daughter was older, I had no idea how to work through painful moments.
My mind was an emotional wreck. But luckily, holding her tight while rocking and showering her with kisses eventually calmed her down. Moments later we were playing again — outside the ball pit of course.
Have you ever had the urge to nurse an older child? How old were they? And what happened?
Until next time.
Love Thyself,
