Why I Am Thankful to Breastfeed My Toddler

This week has been a rather hectic week.   Miss T woke up with a fever over the weekend and then started with a cough and congestion.  My sister, who has been battling anorexia/bulimia was thrown out of the eating disorder clinic she was in because my mom’s health insurance no longer wanted to pay for it.  My mom spent the week fighting with the health insurance over the phone several times a day.  My dad had a bad cough and cold and went to the doctor’s for it.  They did a CT scan and told him that he broke 2 ribs and had pleurisy which wasn’t normal. He’s going to see a pulmonologist next week.  The dreaded “C” word came up in the conversation with his doctor, a few times.  My poor husband works his fingers to the bone trying to provide for our daughter and me and we’re barely making ends meet.   This week was just so overwhelming, that all I could do was sit back and worry. 

But through this all, one thing has remained consistent – my daughter’s breastfeeding.  When she was feverish and didn’t want to eat a bit of solid food, she continued to nurse.  When she was feeling miserable with congestion and nothing could comfort her, she found solace in my breasts.  When things were spinning out of control at “grandma’s house” and our house and mama retreated into a panic, breastfeeding comforted my daughter and provided her with the stability she needed to carry on “business as usual”. 

In this tumultuous world, I wish I had something that could nourish me, treat my physical and emotional health and be a constant in an ever changing world.   I am happy that I am able to provide my toddler with that security.

What are some of the reasons that you are thankful to breastfeed or to have breastfed a toddler?