Our grandmas gave birth at a time when "Twilight Births" were all the rave... they would wake up with ace bandages binding their breasts and would get to meet their baby's when they were a few days old. Hardly a choice about it... it was just the way things were done.
One of my grandmothers breastfed and the other did not. For the in-law side, I know one attempted breastfeeding and "just didn't have enough milk" and I'm not sure about the other one. My mother breastfed me to 11 months, and then when I was unable to latch during a cold and went on a nursing strike she considered me weaned. Roosters mom breastfed him to around two and a half, and even tandem nursed for awhile, but kicked him off of the boob because she felt like there wasn't enough for the baby. So, my husband and I come from a mix of breastfeeding and formula feeding backgrounds for extended family - but we were both breastfed.
I remember when Chicken Little was about 6 months old my grandma who did not breastfeed started making comments about not understanding what I would do if I wasn't a stay at home mom and that she thought I should be done by now. I tried to explain pumping, and she just thought it all seemed like a lot of work over something that just could be bought at the store. I wasn't about to argue with a woman who had nine children about how formula from the store is not equal to breastmilk.
My nursing of Chicken Little had pretty much been under the radar for family after probably 15 months old. No major holidays to showcase my behavior... he only asked for it before naps/morning time... not too many folks probably knew I was nursing him still. Then along came baby Chicklett and a flurry of visitors. The biggest visitors being my grandparents staying with us for 10 days. Living in my house. Being around us 24 hours a day. This was the grandma that did breastfeed... but I think it was under a year for any of her children. I wasn't sure how to broach the subject... and pretty much made a deal with myself to hide in bedrooms and keep it out of sight. Worked pretty well, until my son started to get more vocal about asking for "Boobies" and my husband didn't understand my subtle ways and would inform me that "Your son needs some boobs in the bedroom" right in front of everyone. ::face palm:: I don't know that they understood what was going on... and I never clarified. I just didn't want to explain myself. And I shouldn't have to. This is just what we are doing in our family. It would have been much easier to come clean to this BF grandma than to my FF grandma.
FF Grandma has been gone out of town since November and is returning next week. They live about an hour away and it's always a goal to go and visit once a month minimum. I often worry about the reaction from someone who frowned upon me nursing at 6 months if she saw me nursing at 31-35 months as the summer timing goes. Do I continue to hide it? Do I come clean before the issue comes up with some informative literature? It is such a tender subject because that generation was told formula was better than breastmilk, and worse yet they were barely given an option to even try to breastfeed. I don't want anyone in that situation to feel like they did anything wrong. Yet I don't want anyone to think I am doing something wrong. Mrgh!
BF Grandma will be returning for another visit in June and this will start all over again. What should I do? Come clean? Keep my subtle ways as much as I can? Advise please!
