A Mom's Story: Breast Feeding Times Two

We are pleased to welcome, local mom Bree Stenger as she discusses her story of co-sleeping and breastfeeding.   Bree is lives in the Milford, Ohio area with her husband and their two boys.

I am a mommy of two boys, ages two and four. When I was pregnant with our first, my husband was the perfect, doting father to be. I rarely had to lift a finger! Fast forward two years: we were in the process of buying a new house and my husband and I worked opposite shifts, so that we could both stay home with our son. We had moved out of our home and were temporarily staying with family before moving into our new home. All of my maternity clothes had been packed and put into storage. A week after moving in with family, I found out I was pregnant! I hadn’t realized how easy I had it the first time. I couldn’t nap whenever I was tired...which was always! I woke up before 5am, worked full time, then would come home and be full time mommy while my husband worked. And we were still co-sleeping and I was still breastfeeding my older son.

Looking back, I don’t know how I did it! I was terrified to take anything away from my older son, as I didn’t want him to feel replaced by the baby. We continued to co-sleep and breastfeed with no plan of when to stop. I just figured I would know when the time was right. I knew I had to prepare him for seeing his baby brother “eat booboo.” We would talk about it often and play with a baby doll, pretending that it was nursing. When Zack first met Dominick in the hospital, it was a magical moment to hold both of them in my arms. Zack was more interested in his new Spider-Man toy, but that was ok. After a little bit, he said, “Baby. Baby eat booboo!” I was so glad that he understood!

I figured that was the end of nursing my oldest, as he had gone without it for the three days I was in the hospital. He, however, had other plans. We brought Dominick home and then my in-laws brought Zack home to us. As I sheepishly nursed across from my in-laws, Zack started to get fussy and jealous. In that moment, I knew I had to do what was best for both of my boys; I tandem nursed with an audience! I never planned for that to happen.

I had to start cutting back with my older son, as I was exhausted. He asked me one evening, “Mommy, can I sleep in my room tonight?” My older baby was growing up. He weaned shortly after that. This experience gave me a strength that told me “I am the mommy and I know what’s best for my babies.” People would criticize me for nursing so long, they would lecture me, warning that I’d have a teenager still in my bed if we didn’t kick him out. Everything has worked out perfectly with my boys, all without plans and expectations. I just followed my motherly instinct, which is way better than anything I could find on Google.