When a baby arrives in the family there is a great change in family dynamics and it is normal for the older brother or sister to feel jealous of the new member of the family who has everyone in love.
I bring you the case of Kim Kardashian to talk about a situation that most nursing mothers are going through at some point: the jealousy of the older brother in breastfeeding. The actress has commented in an interview a couple of days ago that He had to stop breastfeeding his five-month-old baby because his eldest daughter, North, died of jealousy.
The older sister's jealousy
Since Saint was born, North let his mother know how much it bothered him to see him hooked to his chest. "She was crying like crazy and trying to tear the child away."
Sometimes. Kim used the breast pump to extract the milk and for North to give her the bottle, to also involve her in this act. But when Mom put the baby back to her breast, she sought to get her attention in every possible way.
One day, according to his mother, "I was breastfeeding and was so jealous that he took his carton of milk and put it inside my bra, pulling out the straw and trying to drink while the child was sucking."
Breastfeeding lasts until mother or baby decide they no longer want to continue, but in this case the mother said that it was North who decided for them. Unable to handle it, her eldest daughter's jealousy forced her to wean the five-month-old baby.
Tips for managing breastfeeding jealousy
Jealousy is normal and happens in all families, not only in the Kardashian, but the solution may be another if you want to continue breastfeeding your baby. We give you some strategies to implement if your oldest child dies of jealousy when you breastfeed your baby:
Understand your emotions and talk about them: communication is essential in these cases. We must explain that the baby is tiny and needs his parents completely, even to feed. That he has not come to displace him but that there is love for everyone and that together they must now take care of the baby. And the tit can only be given by mom. Remind him when when he / she was little and also took the tit. You can look at an album with photos from that time, for example.
Involve the elderly in baby care: what Kim has done is very good. Milk has been extracted so that her little sister would occasionally give her the bottle. Although it has not worked well, if we reinforce with other behaviors and involve the elderly also at bath time, choosing the clothes you will wear, etc., is a good strategy. The elder will feel important and that is taken into account.
At the time of the shot, make the elder also feel special, but in another way. Ideally, another person may be dedicated to the older brother, since the baby also needs tranquility during the shots. Try to match the bath time, the walk with the grandparents or go shopping with Dad. But as the shots throughout the day can be many and you will not always have the option to do so, you should look for other strategies. For example, in the evening, he invites the elder to read a bedtime story before sleeping while you breastfeed the baby.
Another good resource that I made with my daughters, (because I had no one to take care of them at all times) was "distract them" with some activity they like how to paint or draw, sing, watch a video, whatever ... It is also good to anticipate what will happen to avoid jealous attacks. For example, "I'm going to breastfeed the baby, if you feel like it, bring some paintings and show me how you draw." Even through drawing you can talk about emotions and what they feel about the baby. It is a good way to connect.
Dedicate time exclusively to the major. The baby demands almost one hundred percent of your time, but a couple of hours a week the baby can stay with dad or someone to take care of him and you can make a plan with the elder (something that makes him especially excited as go to the park, go for a walk together, go to the movies, whatever ...) So you will understand that you also have an exclusive time with mom, even if it is not on the tit.
Physical contact: What happens to many older children is that they feel they lose that intimate contact that establishes breastfeeding. Try to continue maintaining that contact through the caresses, skin-to-skin contact, kisses, will make you feel comforted even if you no longer breastfeed.
