This is the only nursing picture I have. I had one more from the hospital but it’s awful with the IV in my arm and all. This picture reminds me that Phoenix is probably the last baby I’ll ever nurse. We’re pretty happy at 3. I did want a girl, but I’m also quite certain I do not want 4.
We began weaning while back. He was teething and chewing and I thought I couldn’t bare it. For a long time I didn’t offer and I didn’t refuse. Then we seemed to have journeyed somehow back to full time nursing. He slowed down again in the months before we moved, and stayed that way until recently.
He doesn’t sleep at night. He nurses ALL night long. Then maybe once during the day. I talked it over with my husband, and made the decision to night wean. We were already back to the don’t offer/don’t refuse pattern and he was rarely asking during the day. Except at night when he’d wake 3 and 4 times. On the first night, when he woke up instead of offering him my breast, TJ got up with him. They watched Blue’s Clue’s and drank milk together. After about an hour and a half he started asking for me. So I got up and watched Blue’s Clue’s and rocked him and distracted him with lollipops. Eventually he fell back asleep around 7am and we all slept in until 10:30 or so. We made it! With no night nursing!
The next day he didn’t even ask to nurse and we had one nursing session after dinner. I offered. It was against my plan but, I was starting to hurt. That night he cried some. He was understandably sad. I do believe crying is a necessary part of the process but, he was easily consoled and again we watched Blue’s Clue’s, had lollipops, and drank milk. He fell asleep faster again the second night than the previous night.
My ultimate goal was night weaning as gently as humanly possible. I have been so exhausted for a 1.5 that i feel like the whole thing has a been a fog. I felt that all that nursing at night and that losing sleep was really taking away from the type of parent I wanted to be for all of them. That was my driving factor. Phoenix never asked to nurse again after that second night. He has been off the breast for a week or so. I couldn’t imagine in my wildest dreams it would have been so fast. I only nursed the other children until under a year and I remember them just stopping. No big deal. They just stopped. When Phoenix nursed and became so attached the way he did, it was all new territory for me.
On one hand it feels great to sleep and to have him so effortlessly wean. On the other hand I am sad. My hormones are totally whacked out. I didn’t really expect it to go so well and so fast, so now I’ve been sent into a small depression. I’ll get past it soon enough., just hopefully I can find a little space this weekend. He also happens to be most cuddly baby on this entire earth, that helps.
Here is my tiny guy enjoying one of many corn-dogs he had last week. He has weighed in at 22lbs for what seems like forever now. You’d think a corn dog or two might help! Reminds me of Milo and how tiny he was as a baby. So stinkin’ cute.
Wow! That was easy! My last guy was hard! I remember the end being so very bittersweet. I was so glad I was done after a four year nursing spree, but like you, he was my last. You did awesome, now try to enjoy just the cuddles. For the longest time all those cuddles and kisses, he was attached to my breast, and all of a sudden I could see his whole face and he could kiss back! :>)
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You are lucky to have one picture, it never occurred to me to take a picture of my nursing babies. Oh, and I can relate to that wanting a girl thing, but boys are my world now!
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