Hello B.;
I have four children that I nursing all of them until 1 1/2 yrs old. The mother's milk is the best gift we have to feed this precious gift from god. Not only the mother's milk is healthy and clean. It will help you and your daughter a good bonding together because of the closeness when you nursing her. The challenge of being a mother is wonderful and rewarding after we do lot of sacrifices with raising our children. My eldest daughter is 25 yrs old and married, have a first grand daughter of mine at the age of 17 mth old. My eldest son is 21 yrs old and in college doing Video and Games Designer in NY, my 16 yrs old is already in Junior College and 14 yrs old son is freshman from high school and involved in Marching Band and Boy Scout. I am a homemaker mom and give up my career because my time with my children and family is the most important job for me. I took all of my four children with me every where I go, I don't have any family here in California and mostly of my family lived in
Alaska so I took care of everything myself while my husband is providing us everything. I schedule everything what my four children do including play. They're all routine and when they went to school, the routine is such a good idea because it will help them to use their time wisely. All of them has to go to bed at 8:30 pm. When they finished school, I always pick them up right away and I have them sit down in our big family dining table and doing their homework first while they're eating their snacks and drinks. I make sure I bake them some cookies and cake so that when they come home they have snacks to eat. I always advise them to work first before play or sometimes they requested for a time off for 30 minutes then work with their homework again which I allow them and teaching them how to negotiate with me. But their priority is work first then play. Being a mother is a hard work but it is rewarding when you raised them properly. Since I am housewife, I was active to volunteered in my children school to be a room mom,PTA,Soccer,fund raising,doing Chairperson etc., I used to teach Art in elementary until my children went to middle school. I chaperone with their school field trips everywhere I could see my children growing up. I was involved to be Girl Scout Troop Leader because I am helping my 16 yrs old work with her Gold Award even thought she is in Junior College already. I am helping my son also to reach his Eagle Scout Award right now. My 25 yrs old,16 yrs old and 14 yrs children are playing 5 musical instruments and they loved music so much that I have them a private tutor to come to my house to tutor them with piano. I also drove them to a private music teacher to teach them drum,alto saxophone,clarinet,trombone,electric guitar and base guitar and it is worth it my time and effort. It is tiring but if they are all happy to do it, why not and invest with your children. My 21 yrs old is also musician but his passion is art and very good and had a natural talent in art. So if your daughter wanted you to nurse her in order to sleep, do it and enjoy the experienced of being a mother because she will grow so fast and you will be surprised how she turn out. Being closer to her all the time, she will be close and she will be very good child. Invest those time with her and she needed you. Since this is your first time, give her the best time and milk in her life. She will be good to you later on in my life because she will remember those moment of you and her. My advise to you, if she goes to sleep, go to sleep and take a nap because that's what I do when I nursed them. You have to take care of her and yourself. Enjoy every single time of her because she is precious gift to you by god. Imagine a lot of women all over the world would like to have a child, but unfortunately, they can have it, so think about it. Some paid to have in-vitro fertilization in order to get pregnant but still sometimes it did not work. Be thankful and appreciated her that you have a wonderful daughter and healthy. Please take care of her and adore her. We as a mother, we have to sacrifice to have this child in our womb and then giving birth to them. Don't you think that is miracles to have this process to our body and why do you think god gave us this mission to have because we as a mother, we are more stronger and understanding,patience and lovingly to be a mother than giving this to a man. Man does not have a patience that we have to raised children. By the way, my mother had 10 children 5 boys and 5 girls but one of younger sister died when she was a baby. I don't know how my mother did it but she done it. Look around you and you will see and heard that there is so much children neglected in the streets all over the world and mistreated,molested,abandon. Love her and do your best to raise your daughter, the first child is our first experience. It is okay if we make mistakes,we are just a human being and we are not perfect. Also take photo of her every month and start her scrapbooking which I only took photo of each one of my children then gave it to them when they grow up to see what I have to go through with them. I noticed that children that are breastfeeding,become a good children and they're not perfect but they turn out to be a good children. None of my children are in drugs,alcohol and other stuffs that this teenagers do. I was raised in strict catholic family but since I was living in america, I have to try my best to raised my children in Christian way and make sure they understand how to respect themselves and others. I hope I did not bore you with my experienced with my four children, I just wanted to share with you how hard to raised four children into one child. A big difference but they're all in a good situation right now and doing what they suppose to do. Good luck and take care of your precious gift and yourself,husband. Always cuddled and hug,give her kisses and she will be a fine child.
A.