Bye Bye Boobies

I feel weird sharing this on the internet, but it's official, we are done breastfeeding (imagine fireworks and a marching band and a lot of silly mama style dancing in the streets)! Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of things I loved about nursing Claire. I loved the way it gave us cuddly time each day. I loved that it was something only I could do for her. I loved knowing that I was feeding her the best food I could. Oh and if we're being honest, I loved having a reason to have a sit down every couple of hours! On the other hand, after about a year and ten months of not having my body be totally my own, it's nice to have it back.

I took a slow pace to weaning Claire. Honestly, I didn't delve too deeply into the theories of how one should a ween a child. Every one has an opinion that they are sure will make your child happier, healthier or a better eater in the long run. I did a few internet searches, read a few articles and decided to just go slow and steady with it.   I figured if we cut one feeding every couple of weeks it wouldn't be too much of a shock to Claire or myself. We got a little derailed when we all got sick over the holidays because I didn't want to cut out any fluids while she wasn't feeling well, but now its all done. She gets three sippy cups of milk during the day and my boobs are free to just be decorative.

Honestly, my biggest fear about weaning her was the middle of the night feeding. It was the last feeding I chose to cut because it worked so well at getting her right back to sleep when she'd wake up. Yeah, my 13 month old was still having trouble sleeping through the night. She had been doing it about a third of the time, but decided to stop from Christmas through February. Lately  however, she was starting to STTN again sometimes so I just bit the bullet and did it.

I didn't tell Jeff about it and tried not to think about it too much because honestly, I was a little sad to be ending this chapter of Claire and my relationship. It's not like it's something we can just go back to down the road if I change my mind. I know this sounds silly to get so worked up over but it's the truth. So how did I get through this? Wine. I had a glass late in the evening so I knew I couldn't chicken out and feed her before bed and then had her sippy cup ready to go for the middle of the night. It's been two or three weeks since I weened her and for the last week she's slept from 8:30 at night until at least 7:00 in the morning without waking up. Go Team Asbury!