I won't give lots of detail, but from the title of this post you might've guessed that, after many tears, debate with my husband, prayer, lots of lost sleep, pain, etc., we decided to give up the benefits of breastfeeding in favor of bottle feeding. As it was with Sophie at 6 weeks (who pulled away from the breast and wouldn't nurse anymore), and Aidan (who was slowly killing me with sleep deprivation and starvation, etc.), it has totally been the right thing for me to do.
Here are some of the reasons I'm glad we weened Ian:
- His daytime feedings are no longer 1 1/2 hours apart on a regular basis. (I kept thinking, "Is this a growth spurt? What am I missing here? I thought growth spurts typically lasted just a few days at a time." Yeah, yeah, you may argue I was misreading his cues, but I'll not defend myself on that matter. I know he wanted to feed.
- My chest doesn't hurt anymore, and I get to wear a bra everyday and all day, if I like - and I like!
- I'm not starving anymore. I get to eat dairy, peanut butter, fruit, etc.
- My baby is happier more often.
- I don't have to change my top in the middle of the night.
- I get to sleep and pawn off night time feedings on my spouse.
- I have energy to actually do stuff. Lactating really exhausted me (not to mention all of the night-time feedings).
- My baby is kind of poochy. As a matter of fact, I'm convinced he gained one pound the first week off the breast. Sounds crazy, yes, but when my babies are a little chubbier, they're a lot happier!
And the final reason it was right for me:
The day after we weaned Ian, I said, "Sophie, can you tell that Mommy is feeling better today?" Sophie replied, "Yeah, Mommy, you haven't even yelled at us at all yet!"
Don't get me wrong, I kind of liked that purple mouth look. It was pretty punk!
6 comments:
Why is his mouth PURPLE???
That was a good picture to put at the beginning - I was intrigued and had to read more.
I'm so glad that you're feeling better and yay, pb&j sandwiches with a tall glass of milk! Plus no yelling - sounds like you're livin' the life!
What a difference uninterrupted sleep can make! (We are still trying to achieve that with breastfeeding too, and it's been sooooo long.) I am so happy you and Ian are doing better; those decisions are so tough, it's nice when you see that you made the right choice! Maybe it's time to treat yourself to a new 'over the shoulder boulder holder'!
BTW, we have a purple punk picture of Averie too that I love but she's not striking a pose like Ian. So funny! What is that stuff called anyway--is it Gentian Violet (sp)?
Good Job Wonder Mom!
You made a brave righteous choice! I'm proud to call you friend, I wish I could stop yelling at my kids that easily
You are so beautiful!!!
LOL nice work Sophie :) Gotta keep your mum humble :)
I'm so sorry you've had to experience those difficulties so many times. It took us over 3 months to get the hang of nursing little josh (after 7 clogged ducts, a bleeding "n" word, a yeast infection, and more!!) but finally we got lucky. Being a mom is so rough sometimes. And I can only imagine doing all that PLUS having two other children to take care of.
I'm so glad you are happier now. I hated the gentian violet! (plus it made little josh throw up a lot)
Ian's getting big!!!!
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