Ouch! A look down at my nipple showed a definite ring of teeth marks and one look at the impish face smiling at me and I knew it was no accident.
Bungee jumping, hot air ballooning, skydiving and abseiling have nothing on this! This is the most extreme sport known to man, or rather woman. I'm talking of course, about breast-feeding your toddler.
Wait a minute, I hear you say, Aren't you supposed to stop breast-feeding at six months or if you really persevere, a year?
Well, no. Current guidelines published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) indicate that a two-and-a-half- year breast-feeding period is optimal.
Studies have shown that after the first year, new antibodies are released by the mother and the continuing benefits of breast-feeding during the transition to solid food and the ordinary diet have a great impact on the development of the child.
Theorists argue that most mammals have a lactation period of about two-and-a-half times the length of gestation, putting human lactation at a minimum of 20 months.
Of course, detractors from this theory will be quick to point out that some animals like the northern elephant seal, only nurse for 28 days. However, in the case of this particular mammal the infant nurses continually for the 28 days gaining 10 per cent of their body weight per day by the end of the period.
A human giving birth to a 3-kilogram baby who gained weight at the same rate as the elephant seal would weigh nine kilograms by the end of the first month!
Its rather doubtful whether you would want to breast-feed your newborn for a continual period of 30 days, although no doubt our society would feel this more socially acceptable.
Western society has made great leaps and bounds in the promotion of breast-feeding over formula but most mothers still stop breast-feeding at six months citing in the majority the return to full time employment as the reason for stopping.
Other reasons include shyness, a feeling of the baby having taken over one's life', insufficient lactation, breast-feeding problems such as sore nipples, mastitis and thrush, lack of support from family and peers, and of course, broken sleep.
My friend Pippa says that she felt constrained the entire time she was breast-feeding. I couldn't eat what I wanted to or drink a glass of wine; I was at the beck and call of this little person. I couldn't use a breast pump properly and I felt I could never just go out with my husband for a night out, to watch a movie or even leave the baby for a sleepover somewhere.
Pippa felt her problem was exacerbated by the fact that little Jonah wouldn't take a bottle of formula at all and by the end of the first year she was eager to wean him.
I am glad I got to the end of a year, she says, but I really doubt if I could have continued much longer.
Joanne on the other hand, loved breast-feeding. Her second baby, Amy, was born 20 months after Elijah and she breast-fed both until they were about three years old, at which time they both self weaned.
Joanne says, I feel such a sense of achievement from breast-feeding my babies, even though it was difficult at first with both of them feeding.
About feeding two at once she says, Strangely enough, the toddler breast-feeding helped the milk supply to stabilise for the little one and she gained weight much faster than he did when he was that age.
Pregnancy brought on some difficulties with extended breast-feeding. Ouch! she says, Sore nipples!
Most people fall somewhere between these two - you want the best for your baby but also want some time to yourself to be a real person again.
The following tips seemed to work for the group of mothers I spoke to.
To make extended breast-feeding work you must:
· Keep up a good diet: you need an additional 300 calories per day if you're breast-feeding and if you happen to be pregnant and breast-feeding, 300 calories for each baby.
·Drink plenty of water: try to drink a glass of water every time you breast-feed.
· Take a multivitamin supplement
· Get enough rest
· Treat nipple thrush and mastitis immediately: your doctor will be able to recommend a anti-fungal suspension that you can put in your baby's mouth just before breast-feeding and so treat both at once.
· Try to form some kind of routine for feeding after baby reaches a year or so, e.g. baby only has breast milk if you are both lying down.
· Have time to yourself every day, even 20 minutes to read a magazine and take a break.
· Introduce a cup with juice or formula as soon as you can so you can have an occasional rest.
· Co-sleep. Its difficult to keep a milk supply up if baby is in a separate bed.
· Have a support system.
· Know that this is something that you really want to do.
Things to avoid:
· False expectations.
· Becoming irritable with the baby for his demands.
· Feeling obligated or pressurised to continue.
But, I hear you asking, how do you know when its time to stop?
Most babies will wean sometime between two and three years on their own. The sucking reflex which they are born with disappears automatically at a certain age, so you may put your toddler to the breast to find that he doesn't know how to breast-feed any more.
Alternatively, reducing feeds to only at night- time works with babies eventually giving up altogether.
This makes for a much less traumatic weaning period for both mom and baby than a sudden stop.
Linda says, After Kayla was born I found that Max suddenly wanted to breast-feed again, which at four years old I thought was a bit peculiar! I chatted to the La Leche League counsellor and she said to let him have a try and then he might get over it. Well, I did, and he took two sucks, said, milk not nice' and that was the end of that.
Other moms have a more difficult time, especially when the second baby arrives. Often the toddler, at a challenging age anyway, will tend to become more so as regards breast-feeding.
When there is no second child, the mother will often find that breast-feeding gradually tapers off as the child grows older.
If you need to stop breast-feeding in a hurry, your over-one baby will be more vocal in his protests about being deprived of his source of comfort. After a couple of months though, the breast will remain a fond memory.
Give extended breast-feeding a try, who knows, you may find it a mutually fulfilling process and especially if this is your last baby, something to treasure in your memories.