Wednesday, September 28, 2011

The End Is In Sight

The end of nursing, or at least pumping, that is.  Ella turns one on Friday (I still can't believe it!), at which point I will start to wean her, slowly but surely.

I have to say--I'm pretty proud of myself for going the whole year.  I remember six months ago when I was trying so hard to get to the six month mark of exclusively breastfeeding before starting solids.  I was getting up in the middle of the night--even after Ella started sleeping through the night--to pump so that I would be able to keep up both my internal and external supply.  Sometime over the summer, I realized that I had more milk in my freezer than food, so I let myself cut out the late-night pumping, but I was still pumping double-time at work (twice in the morning, twice in the afternoon, and fed her directly at lunch). 

Last week, I was down to about ten bags of milk in the freezer, and I started pumping just once in the morning and once in the afternoon at work, while still feeding her during my lunch break.  Her one-year appointment is on Monday, at which point I'll talk to her pediatrician about introducing milk.  My plan is to mix her sippy cups with half-breastmilk/half-milk until she totally transitions to milk.  At that point, I'll stop nursing her at lunch...then stop nursing first-thing in the morning...then cut out her bedtime nursing. 

I admit--I'm thrilled at the thought of no longer being hooked up to a pump.  At this point, it's become so routine that I no longer hate pumping the way I did at the beginning.  But I know that I'm really, really, really going to miss the nursing time.  I love my special time with her.  I really do.  I'm not going to "rush" her, but I now that the end of her reliance on me for this kind of nourishment is coming soon.

Today's blessing is seeing new life in a little plan at work.  I know this sounds totally corny, but there was a plant in our lobby at work that was dying over the summer.  I re-potted it a couple months ago now, and it now has three new leaves.  I love walking by it every day and seeing it continue to grow.  I know it sounds crazy, but it gives me hope.  Sometimes it's just the little things in life, right?

1 comment:

  1. I can't believe she is going to be one!! Even though it meant I could EAT, ending breastfeeding was soooo hard. The last night I fed her I put her down, walked in to the bedroom & cried like a baby into my hubby's chest. There are days I still miss it. We will be praying your weaning process goes smoothly.

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