Adventures in Weaning

I mentioned in a previous post or two that we have begun the weaning process. I still have really mixed feelings about the whole thing and I also think that it's going to take a lot longer than I'd planned, for a few reasons.

I've always had kind of a borderline supply, so I'm nervous about dropping too many feedings before she hits her first birthday because I don't want to have to stop breastfeeding early. This is completely mind thing. I NEED to make it to one year.

I struggled so hard for so long to breastfeed in the beginning. I dealt with six months of awful painful blisters before I finally figured out something that worked to keep them at bay. Since around the 6 month mark, breastfeeding has been a largely positive experience. We've had a few hiccups with pulling and biting and distractability, but generally, it's been wonderful.

The closeness with my little girl is so special. We've finally gotten pretty good at the side-lying thing (just in the last couple of months. I'm not sure how anyone does it with a newborn) and when she lays there and wraps her whole arm around me while she nurses, I just melt.

But it's not all rosy, or I'd keep nursing her until middle school. She nurses 6 times a day. Her nursing sessions have finally shortened, but it's still difficult. I plan outings and shopping trips around where I'll be able to nurse her when it's time. And, I'm tired of wearing plastic cups over my nipples because if I don't I get friction blisters. I need to be able to spend a whole day away and not worry about pumping. And, it's time. I'm ready. Well, I'm ready most of the time.

So, two weeks ago, I dropped a feeding. Then we dropped another one last week. However, I've given in a couple times when she wanted to nurse or forgot when I got her up from a nap and nursed her. So, I am sabotaging my own attempts at weaning, but we're getting there.

Sprout is drinking whole milk from a straw sippy cup now. She won't drink out of a regular sippy cup. Maybe once she realizes what good stuff is in there, she'll make more of an effort. She's a big girl and she can handle it. I may try to drop another feeding or I may hold off a week. I don't want my supply to drop too soon.

In my dream world, I'll be able to hang on to her early morning feeding and her late night feeding for quite some time, while letting the others go. I'm not sure my body will cooperate with that, though. So, we'll just keep taking things one step at a time and see how it goes.