A time to nurse and a time to wean
It seems that the time has come to move Little from the breast to the cup. I don’t necessarily think she is self-weaning, but she has begun to be more interested in other things than in nursing. She is constantly in motion these days and there are so many new and exciting things to explore – even if it’s just exploring, again, the same pillow she’s been in love with since she was itty bitty.
Before Little was born I was planning to nurse until six months. Those first few days and weeks I thought we would be lucky to make it to six weeks. Once we reached the six week goal I pressed on to three months. By three months things were going very smoothly and I decided we could do at least a year. As we’ve drawn closer to the year mark I’ve wavered as to whether we would be ready to give it up at one year or if we might continue on for a while. Now, at ten months, I think I’m ready to move on and she seems to be at a point where she is receptive to the idea.
It is getting more and more difficult to get her to lie still for a complete feeding; most nursing sessions leave me feeling frustrated and as if I’ve wrestled an alligator to get a few ounces of food in it’s mouth. So, on Tuesday evening we took the first steps of the weaning dance. This will probably be a slow dance, one that doesn’t end until she transitions to whole milk around her first birthday.
Mixed feelings rule the day with me right now. On one hand, it will be nice not to be “tied” to her schedule. On the other hand, I will miss those few minutes of snuggling every few hours. On one hand, I won’t have to nurse every hour because she won’t be still long enough to fill up her belly in one sitting. On the other hand, I won’t be a nursing mommy anymore. On one hand, she will get to experience the fun of being in control of her own cup. On the other hand, I will have to pump milk until she is a year old. On one hand, I recognize that it is part of her moving from “baby-hood” to “toddler-dom”. On the other hand, I don’t want her to grow up so fast. On one hand, I’m sure it will be a tough transition for her. On the other hand, I’m not entirely convinced that it won’t be an even tougher transition for me.
As my friend Diane said the other day, “I guess this means it is time to have another one.”
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I know exactly how you feel. I have often considered weaning my 1yr. old but I’ve decided to wait until we move and things settle down.
Boy, this sure brings back memories as her dad was exactly the same type of nursing baby which I also decided to wean around 10 months old because it was so exhausting holding him and he had started to cut teeth and so enjoyed biting his mom! With each child I nursed a bit longer and it was sad letting them go but the time and energy that I gained was wonderful. I nursed Lauren until she was 15 months (but then she was much easier to nurse) and Mark until he was 2 yrs. old. When he started asking for my breast, I decided that it was time to wean him! It is just one more milestone in their growing up.
I know you’ll make the right decision and I am excited for you to be a “free” woman again! I am proud of your determination to breastfeed even when it was difficult. I know I’ll need your support and advice as I try to breastfeed again. Just be encouraged that you did it! No one says how long you gotta do it! Oh! And yes,….now you can have another one!
I know this will be a difficult transition for both of you, but she does seem to be getting ready for her cup. Just take your time, and it will go smoothly for both of you. And then, we can babysit overnight!!!!
[...] few weeks ago I posted about beginning to move Little from nursing to a sippy cup. I thought some of you might be [...]