Okay, so you all probably know by now that my baby, Finn, recently turned one. Which was my breastfeeding goal.
First off, let me say – I. Am. Proud.
With Hudson, I didn’t make it nearly that long…between working full time and his food allergies, we were not a breastfeeding match made in heaven.
Finn, on the other hand…well, I was ready. I researched, read, and planned from inception. When they told me in the hospital that I might need to supplement (due to the possibility of him having a staph infection), I promptly asked for a pump and proceeded to pump or nurse for the next 36 hours. (He did NOT have staph, thank the Lord!), but we did nurse, pump, nurse, feed bottles, repeat for three days. Sigh. It was crazy!
Anyway. I went in to having my second babe, knowing that I wanted to breastfeed for a year. And there were many, MANY times during that year that I wanted to throw the towel in. From the fact that he is/was a cluster feeder and only eats a bit at a time, to his aggressive/crazy wild behavior once he learned that he could move around and eat (hello, acrobatics while nursing!?!!), we have had our fair share of struggles…but all along, I maintained that I was going to breastfeed, on demand, for at least a year. And we made it!!
Then he turned a year. And he still loves to nurse. I guess I was hoping that he would magically just decide to be done once he had a taste of cupcakes and cow’s milk, but, that is not the case.
So, now I am left with a dilemma: to wean? or not to wean?
Me, personally? I am ready. After a year, I am ready to turn in the nursing bras and tanks, dig in to my wardrobe that is not “easy access”, and reclaim my body for myself! But, Finn, my sweet love… is not so much…so I am not sure what to do. I didn’t have this issue with Hudson. He naturally weaned and transitioned to bottles and cow’s milk with no problem. So, I come to you AMB readers today seeking your advice!!! As a baby wearing, breastfeeding, bed sharing momma – this is a challenge for me!
Did you wean your kiddos when YOU were ready or did you let them create the time line? If you did, what were your strategies? This momma loves her time with the babe, but is also ready to move to the next stage. I would love your feedback!
At a year with my eldest, we didn’t stop nursing, but I returned to wearing my favorite clothes, including my regular bras. It meant that we didn’t nurse in public anymore; he was old enough to have food-snacks. We saved nursing for home, for cuddle time, for before naps and bed and stuff like that. It made me feel a little more like myself and helped me draw some boundaries on what could easily had been all-day-all-the-time nursing. But we still kept a little bit going, cuz it was too sweet to say goodbye to all at once.