>> Conor,
>> I find ec bf to be a bit sedentary right now. With 4 other kids, this
>> has
>> been a sacrifice. I don't alway want to lay down with the baby @ 15
>> mos.,
>> but I do find that with 5 kids that I need to just keep the baby happy
>> and
>> the house runs much more peacefully. I lay down and then sneak away much
>> of
>> the time. (But my dtr. doesn't have the suckling frequency that my son
>> did!)
>>
>> This is the first time that my cycle returned and then I went back into
>> amenorrhea. Our King mattress is on the floor. I do not have a crying
>> baby
>> here. She wakes from naps on her own and comes out to play with the
>> others
>> on her own. With homeschooling, I don't have to be interrupted to go and
>> get her. I also can have one of the other kids go and keep her company
>> when
>> I'm in the middle of things.
>>
>> I see BF as an extension of pregnancy and spacing is in God's hands. I
>> cannot know what is best and do not know the emotional factor for each
>> child. My first two were 3 years apart due to a miscarriage and my first
>> was very sick starting at 11 mos., nursing until 31 mos. At two years
>> old he was very ill with
>> vomiting for a week and he totally reverted back to BF and it was the
>> ONLY
>> thing that he could keep down in small amounts. Each period of sickness
>> resulted in weight loss. I could have never foreseen
>> that by bf that I would keep my kid hydrated and out of the hospital when
>> he
>> was just 6 mos old as this happened much later. Another child got the
>> Rotovirus a month or two before weaning and nursing was the only thing
>> that
>> she could keep down with the recurrent stomach and intestinal problems
>> that
>> recurred for a few months. She was my shortest nurser at 20 mos (I was in
>> mid pregnancy when she weaned). So, right now, I really like to see my
>> kids
>> nurse over the winter and get to summer as everyone fares better if the
>> house gets sick when baby is happy. Also, when mom gets sick, it is
>> easier
>> to just stay in bed and nurse!
>>
>> I really don't have the patience at this point to try any other
>> strategies
>> as I feel that ec bf is the most time effective way of caring for the
>> needs
>> of a baby in the short and long-term. All this attention pays off for
>> the
>> future. A need is not met until it is met, so why not meet the child's
>> needs today. I was one of those kids that sucked my thumb until age 6
>> and
>> always longed to be hugged. My parents were detachers and I don't feel
>> very
>> close to them at all as an adult! There is definitely a missing
>> bond...........
>>
>> I have to trust that the spacing is also for my benefit to be at my best
>> in
>> hope for a new life.

>>Perhaps for your wife, this "down" time for your wife is just on the job
>>training. I found my computer skills soar with bf. Perhaps your wife can
>>do some banking and bill paying while the baby sleeps in her arms. It is
>>about the most useful one-handed thing that can be accomplished with a bf
>>baby!
>> Carol
>> (one of the "radical" ec breastfeeders by default)
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