wan-na find something?

Thursday, September 10, 2009

the end of an era

disclaimer: this is a super emo (and perhaps super lame), rambling post about breastfeeding. i know some of you have zero interest, so if you continue to read, consider yourself warned.

so here we are, 20 days before the bean's second birthday, and i just put her down for a nap sans boob for the very first time.


of course, she's had no problems falling asleep while under the care of MIL or the hub - she doesn't associate the comfort of nursing with either of them. it's just me who's always had that crutch to rely on, the tool that never fails to comfort and soothe her.

when she was born, i was bound and determined to be her sole source of nutrition for the first six months of her life, and then continue to nurse without having to supplement with formula until her first birthday. you all know i was wildly successful with this. and i never felt any hesitation to feed her when we were out and about - i'd just whip out that pretty little pink-and-orange nursing cover and we'd be fine. she came to recognize it as she got older and would get all excited and grin ear-to-ear when i'd pull it out of my bag.

and so when she started to transition into solid foods - first puréed fruits and veggies, and then on to more fun finger foods - i went through a little bit of depression as i came to terms with the fact that she was growing up and was starting to need me less and less with every day that passed.

i'd told myself (and anyone who asked) that my goal was to nurse till she was 1, and then switch over to whole milk and wean her off of nursing completely. but then she had such a difficult time getting used to the transition - it took quite a long time before she'd actually even touch the stuff, no matter what we did to it or what kind of fun cup we put it in. and so i continued to nurse, telling myself (and again, anyone who asked) that i'd definitely, positively stop before she turned two. totally.

not to mention, we were all getting a great night's sleep. she wouldn't necessarily sleep through the night, but when she'd wake up, she'd reach for me and i'd sleepily pull her close and let her latch on till she fell asleep again. yes, i was a human pacifier. and i loved it.

over the last few months, i've known that she didn't need the nursing for nutrition anymore. it was always for comfort. i knew this. and yet i had to admit that it was comforting for me, too. it was our special bonding time, during which i'd get to hold her close (being an active little thing, she often resists long hugs and cuddles nowadays in favor of running around and being on her own two feet, on her terms) and she'd look in my eyes, reach up, and hold my cheek with her chubby little hand.

so as her second birthday gets closer and closer, i've been getting increased pressure all around me to finally put an end to it. i've been stubbornly clinging to statistics from the world health organization, la leche league, and everything else i could find that told me that extended breastfeeding is perfectly fine and seemingly acceptable everywhere else
except the good ol' united states of america.

as it is, it's just barely possible to nurse in public at all - even completely covered up - without drawing stares and the side eye from a big chunk of society. hmph.
and i'm giving in to that pressure. i'm trying to remind myself of the positives - i'll get to wear pretty bras again, not have to concentrate on accessibility when shopping for clothes, get to the point to where the bean will sleep in her bed all night without reaching for me at 2 a.m., not have to carry the nursing cover everywhere anymore. i won't have to hear the annoying "OMG, are you STILL nursing her?" or "wow, how old is she? are you going to stop that soon?" anymore.

today, i'm actually wearing a crew-neck tee as i concentrate on being firm and not giving in to the desire for that bonding time whenever the bean comes over and says "boob? peeeeeease?" with that beautiful, happy, cheerful smile. the smile that crumples into the saddest little face i've ever seen, and ends up with big, round tears rolling down those hopelessly squeezable cheeks.


by the way, i swear i didn't teach her the "b" word. i don't know where she picked it up, but i guess weaning her at last will save me from having to flash an embarrassed grin when she says it in public. see, another positive. yup.

i dread tonight, when she'll inevitably wake up looking for that familiar comfort and be denied. i've tried to withhold it in the past, but when she'd cry and end up fully awake, i'd cave in so that we could all get back to sleep. but tonight, i'll have to be strong. and prepared to be a tired zombie tomorrow. besides, i really DO have to do it, since we'll be off to vegas in a little over a month for two whole nights, leaving the bean with the ILs for the weekend. and it wouldn't be cool to stick them with the sleepless nights as she learns to comfort herself and get back to sleep.

part of me is excited for this change, but a bigger part of me is really, truly sad. my little baby bean is growing up. it's so hard for me to come to terms with this - it seems like just yesterday she was born, and now she's a little person with opinions and thoughts and personality. how/when the hell did that happen?

after she wakes up and the day goes on, and i continue to tell her "no, baby, no more" when she reaches for me, i wonder who'll be crying harder - her, or me?


right now, as i type this and ponder day-to-day life from here on out, it's definitely me.

16 comments:

  1. I know its hard, but it takes work, and *hopefully* you'll both be fine in no time :) A lot easier said than done, but it will happen. Can't even believe she's gonna be two yrs old!! Hang in there mama :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. this post hits home because i totally thought i would've stopped nursing at 1 year. when my little gal was 20 months, i got an infection & the dr prescribed me antibiotics. upon reading the drug pamphlet, i came to find the antibiotics were not recommended for nursing mothers. obviously, not treating the infection wasn't an option. so the thought crossed my mind that maybe now would be a good time to wean her. and that's when i totally started bawling. i wasn't ready to give up that special closeness & bond with my gal. needless to say, i called my dr & asked for a new prescription (one that would allow me to nurse).

    i eventually got to the point where i was SO ready to wean her. i understand there's a lot of pressure, but i say take as much time as you need. there will certainly be a point when you will be SO OVER BFing. good luck tonight!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I can't say I understand what you're going through, but I can sympathize. Be strong and good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Mama, I'm so very proud of you. I can imagine the taunts you endure, and I can't imagine anyone else who could withstand them better.

    Like I've said all along, whatever works for your family - everyone else be damned. But good luck on your weaning journey. I'm actually awaiting a call back from our pediatrician to talk about it ourselves.

    And btw, this is NOT a lame post at all!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Be strong! You can do it! I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you. I didn't think this was a lame post either. Good Luck!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I rarely reply and for that, I'm sorry. I just wanted to say that I really was touched by this post. The thought of telling her "no, baby, no more"...ugh. It breaks my heart for you. Stay strong. You've done an amazing thing for her (coming from someone who was too lazy to breastfeed...a decision I really regret).

    ReplyDelete
  7. How sad :( Good luck!

    And remember that even though she's getting older, there are great things about every age.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Good luck tonight!

    I had to wean my first at 14 months b/c I got sick and the antibiotics the doctor prescribed were not recommended for nursing. It was a tough night, but we got through it. Good for you for nursing as long as you have.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I cry. My heart hurts for you.

    I'm not even a mom. I'm sorry you are struggling. Change is hard.

    If you want a pep talk, read on. if you don't, stop here with my commiserating (sometimes you just need to feel sad for a while without a pep talk):

    If I know you, you will be super excited about the next, new parenting adventure with both the Bean and the Teen.

    You rock, girlfriend.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Awww :(

    Yes, it's the end of one era, but just think of it this way...it's the beginning of a new, exciting, fun time to come :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. i'm sorry mama! You have done such a great job as a mama to the bean... and giving up that "special time" between the two of you has got to be really hard.

    Like I told you earlier, i knew i had to be done by my trip to Spain in October. The feelings were sad, but i have to go, and I ain't lugging that pump across the atlantic.

    Once i made up my mind about having to wean, it actually got much easier.

    stay strong tonight, i'll be thinking about u.

    ::hugs::

    ReplyDelete
  12. I can relate a little bit because this reminds me of when I had to sleep train my daughter. It was SO HARD to listen to her cry, just heartbreaking! But we somehow both survived amidst the tears. Hang in there, you'll both get through this.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Just remember, it's all part of the growing process that will make her a strong independent woman, eventually

    ReplyDelete
  14. you have been given her the most amazing gift for almost 2 years, that is pretty freaking awesome! i wish you tons of success during this transition.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I could have written this post! My dd is still nursing a good 4 times a day and I keep saying to those around me that I will wean when she turns two but the truth is I don't really want to. That being said I really don't want to be nursing a 2.5 or 3 year old. I think I will just have to go cold turkey. It's a good thing I have 2 more months to prepare myself.

    ReplyDelete
  16. she doesn't need you less...just in different ways, right? good luck!

    ReplyDelete

i heart comments. i wan-na hear what you have to say.
um, i think.

heading out to the big apple

like most of our best vacations, our christmastime trip to NYC was kind of a last-minute decision.  i don't even think there were six we...