I love nursing - as in breastfeeding. Like I've admitted before, my son Landon was attached to the boob for 2 1/2 years. It took me awhile to admit it, but now I'm proud of it. I was ready to wean him after that time, because Shae had returned from Iraq about 6 months prior and we wanted another child soon. So it was no big deal to get the little guy off me. By that time we only nursed at home, although he would ask to "murse" in public. If it was close friends, I would admit to them he wanted to nurse, if it was around acquaintances, I would pretend like I didn't understand him and distract him with something else.
Nursing for Landon was really easy. I don't need to tell you that he loved it. He was allergic to cows milk until he was about 3 years old, so nursing was a way he could get the nutrients he wasn't getting from other sources.
I swear he was born with a tummy ache. The first year of his life was all spit-up and diarrhea. And sometimes bloody. He rarely slept for more than an hour and a half without waking up and crying. I remedied this by bringing him to bed with my husband and me. *I heard that collective gasp.* Yes, I know they say don't do it, but I loved it. I could sleep through nursings and he slept so much better. Even after my husband got back from Iraq, he would end up in bed with us. He would start in his own bed, but would eventually move to ours during the middle of the night.
Anyhow, for the last year Collin has been on the boob.
But unlike Landon, he is beginning to show signs of being ready to wean. He just turned a year and he only nurses now mainly for comfort, but I'm having a hard time getting myself ready for weaning. My experience with Collin nursing wasn't has easy as Landon, but I made it to the year mark and with Collin showing signs of readiness I know it is best if we try to break this tie. Ah, but it is with a heavy heart on my part. I'm sure this feeling will come back again, like when he goes to school, graduates, gets married, etc. But how I long to just hold him to me a little longer. He still sleeps with us, like he has since the day he was born, but that too will come to an end sometime.
My husband and I have a vacation planned over Labor Day weekend for us only, so I guess my goal is to have him completely weaned by then. Only 6 weeks.
4 comments:
The most shocking thing about your post is that Labor Day weekend is just 6 weeks away! Wow! I did not realize that...where did summer go?
Weaning is SO hard I think no matter when you do it! I remember being totally caught off guard with how emotional I was about it with the first. Gee! It is so hard to let these little ones grow up sometimes!
I agree...weaning is VERY difficult. Both my boys had an easy time letting go of the boob, but I had a terrible time letting go of it. I really enjoyed nursing and the snuggle time it gave me with them.
I think it was especially hard on me the 2nd time b/c I knew it was the end forever. We don't plan on having anymore biological children, so my breastfeeding days are officially over.
BUT...I will say that weaning gave me a tremendous sense of freedom when it was finally completed. I felt free to go and do what I needed to without dragging that darn pump with me everywhere. I gave my pump away a few months ago and I was not at all sad to see it go.
It is so sad to see the big milestones pass by! It just means your little baby is growing up and that is hard to realize. I hope you have a somewhat easy time with it and I am glad you get a big reward when it is done (a nice trip with your hubby!)
I think there are a lot of women who "secretly" sleep with their babies and nurse them into the toddler years. I never would have thought I would sleep with a baby but with my first I couldn't imagine her being all the way over there in the bassinet next to my bed - it just seemed so far after having her be so close (inside!) for so long! Eventually she moved next to our bed and about 6 months later moved to her room across the hall (gasp!). At 13 months she pretty much weaned herself and on the last day that we nursed I found out I was pregnant again!
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