Tandem nursing children of different ages

It was a very sweet experience when I became a mother to my eldest son, Muhammad Razziq – more lovingly called “Ajiq.”

He made me determined to breastfeed him until he was two. God had granted my wish to have the determination to go on. However, when Ajiq was eight months old, I found that I was pregnant with my second child.

When I found out, I had mixed feelings. I was happy because I would have another child. But, I was also disappointed for fear that I would not be able to continue breastfeeding Ajiq.

Ajiq was still small and he needed the attention and cuddles which I would give him whenever I breastfed him. All this while, he only knew that his sleep time would be more meaningful with breastfeeding.

Because of that, I had to seek professional advice from my doctor. Many people around me, especially family members, asked me to stop breastfeeding Ajiq for fear of any effects on my unborn baby. They said that the baby also needed nutrition and if I breastfed Ajiq, the baby in my womb would not get enough nutrition.

I was worried, but my doctor said that actually it was up to me. If I wanted to continue breastfeeding Ajiq, I had to take care of my diet, because it involved three parties (me, Ajiq and the baby in my womb). I would also need to take care of my health and take the necessary vitamins.

After seeing the doctor, I went back home with a feeling of joy and eagerness to continue breastfeeding Ajiq even though I was pregnant with my second child.

With the support of my husband and prayers to God for strength, I continued breastfeeding until I was nine months pregnant.

In July 2009, when I was about to deliver my second child, there was a wave of Influenza A(H1N1). The hospital did not allow Ajiq to visit me at the hospital because the doctor said that he was still small and feared that he would get infected.

I felt so sad because all this while I had been with him. I was afraid that Ajiq would get sick because he was not able to sleep at night without breastfeeding. However, I felt a bit relieved because my husband said that Ajiq was well and could sleep.

From the moment I started having contractions, I prayed that I would have the strength to give birth so that I could be with Ajiq as soon as possible. I managed to give birth to my second child – a baby girl weighing 3.2kg. The moment I was discharged, I was eager to be with my son.

Obviously Ajiq was very happy when he saw me at the door with the baby. He immediately ran to me and asked to be breastfed. I am so grateful for the opportunity to breastfeed both my eldest and the baby.

Although they are not twins I had the strength and spirit to “tandem nurse” both of them. Even though the pain of childbirth was still there, I managed to feed Ajiq and Nur Affiqa simultaneously.

Although I work as a teacher and the workload was heavy, I still wanted to breastfeed my children. It was a pleasant feeling when I returned home to have both my children look for me to be breastfed. This makes a very strong bond between me, Ajiq and Affiqa.

It was very easy because I did not have to struggle to wake up at night to prepare any formula milk because both of them sleep with me, hugging me while breastfeeding. I am very proud to be a breastfeeding supporter. Even though my body is small, God has given me a chance to do tandem nursing.

Now, my eldest is four years old, second is two years and I have a newborn baby - Nur Affrin, eight months.

I am now breastfeeding Affiqa and Nur Affrin. Thanks to my beloved husband (Mohd Ariff) for giving me a lot of support while I have been breastfeeding our children.

For me, breastfeeding is a precious moment between mother and child, however mothers need to be strong and willing to take a balanced diet and good food. After all, studies have shown that babies who have been breastfed from birth to two years have higher IQ and strong antibodies. Most importantly, we must have the confidence to continue breastfeeding. Self-efficacy is the strength to make it happen.

Azlin Razziq