Noah isn't nursing right now but I remember that nursing during holidays the past two years always brought a lot of anxiety for me.
Relatives asking..."when are you going to wean?" or "are you sure you need to feed him again?"... etc.. etc. Besides the fact that its not always the most comfortable situation trying to nurse in front of a BUNCH of people who are close to you especially if they aren't familiar or supportive of breastfeeding.
And sometimes... older babies are too distracted by all the chaos to actually settle down and nurse.
My advice.... find a quiet place to nurse and make sure you tune into your baby's needs when they start to fuss instead of letting relatives tell you why they are upset or why they aren't. BREATHE.... mostly.. just breathe. If you can't relax, let down isn't going to happen very quickly.
Here's some useful links I found for nursing during the holidays
Beware of Holiday Weaning
Handling Criticism about Breastfeeding
Nursing past 1 year?!
Nursing Mother's Guide to Surviving the Holidays
Good to know I'm not the only one it stresses out! Fortunately, I think in England breastfeeding is a little more accepted because it is extremely encouraged by the health system. I'm also very lucky to be spending this Christmas with my husband's family who are supportive of breastfeeding. When Reuben was born it was difficult becuase my mom was constantly making me question myself because of how often I was feeding Reuben (she didn't breastfeed.) Adam's mom was so helpful because she did and she knew that they nurse often!
ReplyDeleteHopefully this Christmas isn't too stressful!