Careful what you wish for...?

So, after my breastfeeding saga, I'm glad to report that we've gotten it down. I am even comfortable nursing in public (with one of those fashionable cape-like covers) Furthermore, AJ's 2-month check up revealed that she continues to gain over an ounce a day. Makes me feel like I have magic boobs.

I remember reading posts out in the breastfeeding blogosphere about women whose babies were so "good" at breastfeeding that they didn't want to take anything but mommy's nipple. As a mom who was experiencing quite the opposite, I felt anger toward these braggarts. So what if you your baby just wants to suckle all the time? Stupid jerks. I remember reading one blog comment that said something like, "My baby will only take directly from my breast! I guess she knows what she likes!!!" and absolutely hating those extra exclamation points. With throbbing nipples and 6 pumping sessions a day, I despised the cheerful b-word who gloated about her picky baby.

Well, last week, I was in the park- having a girls' outing with some friends. I'd pumped and packed a bottle to avoid whipping out the boob during the picnic. When AJ acted hungry, I grabbed the bottle and sat her down. She took the bottle nipple into her mouth, spit it out and dribbled milk everywhere. She fussed every time I tilted her back and offered the bottle. She refused the bottle! My friend, Georgia, who had her 2nd child in late June said, "You'll probably have to hand her off to someone else if you want to feed her from the bottle. She knows you have the real thing." I ended up sitting under a tree and nursing her; she ate with no hesitation.

Since then, she's refused bottles every day from me, daddy and even grandma. We will continue to offer her the bottle in the hopes she will pass through this phase. Part of me is flattered that she seems to want the intimacy and warmth of breastfeeding. Another part of me is panicked that I have cursed myself to a year in which I will not be able to be away from my daughter for more than a few hours at a time. This week grandma is visiting, and I would like to take her up on her offer to give us a baby-free date night, but don't want to stick her with a baby that gets pissed every time she's offered a bottle. Also, there's a bit of terror that comes with realizing your 2-month-old is already proving to be extremely opinionated.

In the end, I think it's kind of hilarious. And I feel confident that Aleida will re-learn to take the bottle eventually. I do value the nursing relationship we have established and her refusal of the bottle feels like an odd kind of victory. Still, I can't help thinking of the saying, "Be careful what you wish for..."