Tuesday, October 4, 2011

The End Of An Era

Today marks the first day that my son is officially weaned from nursing. I made it past a year, but I didn't make it to my goal of 18 months. I just couldn't do it anymore. From day 1 I have had problems with nursing. I got motion sickness every time I nursed him for the first 4 months. Motion sickness! I had never even heard of that until I got it. On top of getting sick and dizzy with every nursing, I constantly had plugged ducts and got mastitis over and over. For those of you who don't know what mastitis is, it is an infection in the boobie. And it hurts. Oh my dog does it hurt. It also comes with flu-like symptoms that knock you on your butt. This last time I got it was the last straw. It is hard enough to take care of 3 kids without feeling like you've been hit by a truck.
The decision came with lots of tears, changing my mind 20 times, and of course...pain. I know I have portrayed nursing as some kind of medieval torture, but in reality, it is the most amazing gift I have been given as a mother. Knowing that I can nourish my child with my own body is such a feeling of accomplishment. Even with all the baby weight I still loved my body because of my ability to keep my new baby alive. The other magical aspect of nursing came with the bonding. Staring into my son's big blue eyes while he ate was my favorite time with him when he was first born. I knew that he knew exactly who I was and that he could count on me. It made me feel loved, and needed, and that always outweighed the nausea and pain.
Alas, the time has come to say goodbye to this wonderful experience. My little Philly now sits in his highchair and eats with the family.



 He can rely on his sippy when he is thirsty, and he has learned that he can count on Mommy to care for him no matter where the food is coming from.


My days of being a human vending machine are over, possibly forever. I'll miss it and I'm sure I will cry about it for weeks to come, but on the bright side I can now cry about it with a glass of chardonnay.

15 comments:

  1. Thanks for hosting! Thanks for sharing your sweet story about your baby:) How I miss those days!!!!

    XOXO,
    Tasha

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  2. Congratulations on nursing as long as you did, especially with all of those hurdles! I though I had every problem imaginable when nursing, but motion sickness??? You poor thing! Glad you made it through. You are a great mama!

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  3. You are such a great momma...just look at that happy little guy!

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  4. You made it farther than I did with my boy. He was a biter!!! But you did great considering all the problems you went through. You're super mom!!!!

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  5. You are stronger than I, I gave up all hope of nursing Cadey after 5 months and decided to stop pumping then too. You have amazing kids, you are an amazing woman and I tip my hat to you for all your amazing awesomeness.

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  6. Way to keep going even after you had all those problems! Many mothers would have given up a lot quicker than you did. I made it 2 weeks with our firstborn so when our second was born I was determined to make it to a year. I am proud to say that I made it 13 months! So pat yourself on the back momma, you did GREAT :)

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  7. OMG you are amazing!! I had mastitis twice with my 2nd child and after the 2nd time (only 6 weeks into nursing) I gave up. I thought I was going to die. It was the most painful thing I've ever experienced, including child birth. I am always amazed at those that just nurse through it! Ugh! just thinking about makes me sick and upset LOL. I think a year is perfect for a baby. By a year they should be drinking from a cup indepenantly so no more nursing or bottle is necessary. And by the look of your son, he has the sippy cup down pat!!

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  8. Congratulations on a job well done!

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  9. That's awesome!! Now look forward to many more milestones :)
    New follower, I love all the craft link-ups and I look forward to reading more about your life as a SAHM!
    Have a nice day :)

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  10. Hi there! I just wanted to let you know that I wrote a follow up post on my Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes! I know you wanted to know about how I got all of my cups and so I wanted to give you a heads up! http://notsosimplehousewife.blogspot.com/2011/10/questions-and-answers-pumpkin-spice.html

    Kaitlin-The Not So Simple Housewife

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