Advice

jsiconolfi

I am a FTM due 8/1 and am having a little girl.  I also have an amazing 5 yo stepson that I could not imagine not being here.  We have joint custody but his primary residence is still with his mom. He is with me when his mom is working and every other weekend so it works out that he is with us almost half the time.  we are close and he tends to ask me questions that are more personal or sensitive such as how did the baby get in your belly and what happens to people when they die... so I tend to field these questions and then just let mom and dad know that we discussed it. My question is how do I handle the topic of breastfeeding with a 5 yo? I am always very modest with him around and he has not walked in on me changing or in the bathroom for quite a long time. do any moms have advice on dealing with the change? or any tips to prepare him that I will feeding the baby not with a bottle but my breast?

HoolyGo

Congrats! I'm due at the end of August and I have thought about how to deal with this too with my SD who will be 4 right after baby is born. My hospital offers a sibling class for 3 to 6 year olds and they will cover breast feeding. We are going to take SD to the class and then refer back to the class when/if she has questions about it. Does your hospital offer a class like that? If she were my bio child, I feel like I'd be more comfortable just addressing it on my own, but cause she's not, I like the idea of the concept being introduced in a group class as part of a range of topics.

jsiconolfi

He is going to a babies need buddies class but I'm not sure if they talk about breastfeeding.

Ilumine

Why not be straightforward about it?  Babies eat by drinking their mother's milk, just like animal babies do.  

The more you put into it; stress or explanations; the more he will bug you about it.

But if you are to the point, and then move on he should move on too.  

Lavender P

My SS was 9 when my DS was born and I didn't ever nurse in front of him, but all the women in our family are very open and talked about it. One day SS mentioned to DH that he knew I fed DS 'from my chest'. He figured it out on his own and so we brought it up to him just saying that it is another way that babies are fed.

Alohalove

Ilumine:

Why not be straightforward about it?  Babies eat by drinking their mother's milk, just like animal babies do.  

The more you put into it; stress or explanations; the more he will bug you about it.

But if you are to the point, and then move on he should move on too.  

 Absolutely!  My SS was 16 when I had my baby so I didn't breastfeed in front of him.  However, I think it's fine in front of your 5-year old SS. 

jsiconolfi

Thank you

Banana44

My SS was 6 when DD1 was born and 9 when DD2 was born.  I EBF both girls until 1 and then continued BF until they were 2 (well DD2 isn't 2 yet, but I still BF).

I don't put on a cover in my house or go to another room.  I just breastfeed.  I'm discreet around SS but there is no reason to hide it.  What I do is natural and it doesn't even phase him that I am nursing.  

This is my opinion, but I think covering or going into other rooms makes it a bigger deal than it is!  Ads on billboards and in magazines show more than I do when I BF, so why should I hide under a cover. 

Just my $.02.

Good luck!