Weaning Complete....

It is with both great joy and sadness that I announce my third, and final, child has been weaned. She breastfed for 25 months, longer than any of the others. Actually, she nursed longer than the other two COMBINED. She was a boobie hound, boobie-holic, whatever you want to call it. She took to nursing like a champion and never looked back. I tried to cut her back slowly, but she is just not that type of child.

It became clear to me that there would be no child-lead weaning here. If I wanted to be done, I had to call it, cut her off cold turkey and deal with the repercussions. I made the decision to do so about 3 weeks ago. It was not until about 3 days ago that she stopped asking for boobie. She has been having temper tantrums for the duration of the weaning, which I cannot completely attribute to the weaning. I mean, she did just turn two.

My boobs got engorged almost immediately, which was actually helpful when I told her they were broken. Every movement, every time she touched them, shoved her hands down my shirt, or even looked at them too hard, they hurt like CRAZY. She could tell I was in pain. I saw the empathy in my little child's eyes. She could somehow see that this was hurting me too. She stopped asking except for at bedtime. That has been a struggle, and continues to be, although she does not ask anymore. She does try to pull them out. Yes, I know it may sound creepy to some that I have to fight off a two year old. But that is because you are sexualizing the situation. Remember, we are talking about innocent breastfeeding. No nasty comments please.

So now, my little one has been weaned, and as far as I can tell I will never again nurse another baby. I am both happy to have my body back, and sad that this part of my life is over. I try to focus on the happy to have my body back part.

Breastfeeding Bonanza

My nineteen month old is still a breastfeeding machine. This is something I never thought we would be doing at this age. My older two daughters weaned much earlier. My littlest princess really loves the nurturing, soothing feeling she gets from nuzzling up to my breast and latching on even if just for a couple minutes. She is teething right now, which means her nursing sessions are more frequent. I wonder if she will start to self wean after all the molars she is cutting have broken through.

I read an article once that said if a child does not start to self wean by 18 months then the mom will have to force wean them. I am not 100% sure if this is true, but I hope not. I am trying to let her lead the way into weaning, but she seems to have no interest. I, however, am beginning to hope the light at the end of the tunnel is near. While I love her to death, and love our little moments together I would like my body back. I am happy to snuggle, nuzzle, and cuddle her whenever her little heart desires.

Maybe if she did not nurse as much as she does I would feel differently. I don’t know. She asks for boobie every couple of hours, and a couple times still at night. So I have not slept through the night in over two years, including those pregnancy months where I was up peeing every hour or two. She asks so politely too, “Boobie please, Mommy, boobie please.” I mean really who could say no to that. Then she gives me this cheesy grin and sometimes kisses me. She is a con artist of epic proportions.

I don’t know. I say I want her to start weaning, but who knows, if she does actually start I may cry about my baby growing up. I think I am ready to start weaning, but then again this is probably the last baby I will ever have the chance to nurse and wean anyway so why not relish the last moments we have like this. She is smart, healthy as a horse, happy, and a complete joy. I guess when I really think about it, in my heart of hearts I am happy with her still at the boob. I just wish she would give me a break at night.

Formula Freebies...

There is a push in today's mother/baby units to remove the free sample formula.  In New York, Mayor Bloomberg is exercising his efforts to increase breastfeeding by telling formula companies that they may no longer provide free samples of formula to the new mothers.  Many people are up in arms over this.  People seem to think that he is trying to take away a mother's right to choose whether or not she breastfeeds her child.  In reality, he is trying to level the playing field. 

These companies are simply exercising a marketing campaign.  They are selling their product to new moms by giving it away first.  These same companies do not provide free samples for moms who choose to breastfeed exclusively.  I did not leave the hospital with breast milk storage bags given to me free.  No, I left with a can of formula, which I did not use.  I have been nursing my 15 month old since the day she was born, and have no use for formula.  If I did need it, I would be okay with the idea of having to buy it myself. 

No one is taking away the choice to breastfeed or bottle feed.  What is being taken away is the advertising to new moms who may be inclined to give up on breastfeeding when it gets tough, and sometimes it gets tough, because they have this free can of formula sitting there.  It is meant to encourage moms to give breastfeeding a chance.  This country is one of the only ones where breastfeeding is almost deemed as a bad thing by a large group of people.  They become vehement at the site of a woman nursing her baby.  Only in America.

We claim to stand for the free and the brave, but turn our backs on the most basic of sustainance giving practices, breastfeeding.  Our society is filled with over weight, under exercised, disease riddled people and we cannot figure out why.  Hello, wake up!!!  It is what we put into our bodies, starting from DAY 1!!!!

So I say, ditch the FREE formula at the hospitals!!!  It is still your choice whether or not to breastfeed or formula feed.  No one is taking that away from anyone.  You just have to pay for it, which you do anyway once you run out of that first can.