THAT woman

I can’t believe I just became that woman. That woman who says things judgmentally to other moms or questions their decisions. I can’t believe I did. The boob police must be getting to me – their brainwashing is working.

I was having lunch with a friend of mine today whose daughter is 9 ½ months old. She told me she was trying to stop breastfeeding, but ‘couldn’t’ so she guessed she’d continue. And I asked “why?” And not just that inquisitive – oh, why is that? But that truly perplexed look of – why would you do that now? I didn’t mean to! It came out before I even thought about it. Really what I meant was ‘why now particularly?’ Like why at 9 months? I know lots of people go for 6 months (because then they start food) or a year (because then they don’t require the vitamins anymore) or two or three years (because they are crazy. Oh God… I did it again.). I just wondered why at 9 months. I also wondered what she meant that she couldn’t stop…

Her first answer was – well, she’s almost 10 months old! So I knew she’d taken my question as I’d asked it rather than how I’d really meant it. She went on to explain that after pumping for 9 months (her daughter won’t take it “on tap”), she was really tired of it and just wanted to stop. But apparently her body didn’t want to stop, so she had to keep pumping to relieve the pressure.

I’ll work on my table manners for next time.