You just can’t make this crap up!

So after our first weaning attempt, and second weaning attempt, we have now changed courses again…..

A night or two after Max got sick from what we thought was the whole milk, what happens?  David comes home from work feeling awful.  He’s out for the day, and I’m feeling pretty miserable myself.

With the stomach bug going around, we realize it has probably hit our household.  Not knowing for sure if Max had the flu or a bad reaction to whole milk, we have no choice but to continue with the weaning experiment.

I purchased whole milk again today, and we will slowly try that again this week.  I waited until this week because guess who’s coming to town?!? Grandma Cathy and Papa Gary!! Soooooooo, if there happens to be an “incident” over night, or even during the day, this momma will have plenty of help!  One person to give Max a bath, one to wash the sheets and clothes, one to sanitize the crib, and one to get up at 4:30 a.m. to go to work (that one gets to be daddy!)

We’ll see how this goes! Wish us luck!!

So a little has changed with our weaning plans since they originally kicked in last week.  Another reminder that in parenting, the best laid plans usually require flexibility, change, and experimentation.

(Click here to read about our first attempt to wean.)

After emotionally preparing myself for the weaning process, and after a successful one week trial run, we have reverted back to breastmilk, at least for the time being.

Saturday, David and Max had a father/son day.  David took him to the park and out to eat.  So, naturally, I gave him a huge sippy cup filed with whole milk to drink in the car or at the restaurant.  He happily drank the whole cup.

Later that night, Max sat on my lap and drank another large amount of whole milk from his sippy cup.  It was the first time during the weaning process that he actually drank this much milk.  Usually he’d just “test it out” or play around with the cup, sucking on it every now and then.

I was thrilled that our “big boy” was taking so well to the process.

Around midnight that night, David walked into the nursery and yelled for me to come in.  Max had thrown up all over himself, the crib, etc, etc………….

I will spare you the details, but I will say this:  in my one short year of parenting, this was by far the most disgusting, rotten, miserable, most unenjoyable experience I have had to deal with.  My heart went out to Max, but I honestly couldn’t breath in his room it smelled so badly.

Thankfully David was home, and he cleaned the room while I gave Max a bath. 

Max was such a sweetie!  No fever, no fussiness, just a happy little boy that fell right back asleep (for another few hours until we had to repeat the above detailed process once again.)

Since this, we have kept him off the whole milk, until we decide how we want to proceed.  David wants to try almond milk, and I’m thinking 2%.  I’ve also been reading advice from many pediatricians that suggest toddlers don’t HAVE to have daily doses of milk for a healthy diet.  The main reason they suggest milk is because of the calcium and the fat it provides.  Thus, a no milk diet with lots of yogurt, cheese, or other dairy products may suffice.
Also, lots of health care professionals point out that there is something a little unnatural about humans drinking cow’s milk, which may be why so many have lactose intolerance problems.  We are the only species that drinks another species’ milk.  I personally cannot tolerate the stuff.  Perhaps this is just one more thing Max will inherit from his mommy

So, we are back to the weaning drawing board.  At this point, I’m just ready to do this and get in a healthy routine for max and myself.   

Keep you posted on the process………….!

The time has come.  And honestly, I have such mixed emotions about it–both sad to realize my son is no longer a baby, but so proud and anxious for the next phase in both our lives.

Weaning has been a lot more emotional than I thought it would be.  It’s nothing personal to me as a mom that Max is ready now for the big boy world of sippy cups and cow’s milk.  I know I’ve served my time, and although I am no longer his main provider for nourishment, there are still a plethora of needs he will continue to rely on me for, hopefully, for the rest of my life.  My sadness is less about no longer breastfeeding, and more about the passage of time.  Where did this first year of his life GO?!?

David says one of his favorite memories of Max’s birth was when I first fed him.  He remembers it being almost as special as the initial delivery.  He said he’d never forget the look on my face the first time Max latched on.  It is a very special, weird, cool, feeling. 

Some women aren’t able to breastfeed due to various reasons, and their children are more than fine growing up on formula.  I felt fortunate that physiologically speaking, I was naturally able to breastfeed my son.  It’s something that I tried hard not to take for granted (even when it was 3:00 a.m!) remembering that not all women are able to.

Breastfeeding is something that is really important for me to do for my kids—and for myself.  Everyone knows about the benefits of breastmilk for babies.  But selfishly, I found breastfeeding to be beneficial to me as the mom as well.  Studies go so far as to say it can help reduce postpartum depression, encourage weight loss, and even reduce the risk of breast cancer in the future. 

But by far, the best benefit to me as a Mom was simply the time we spent together everyday, when we would quietly rock or lay in bed and feed.  I will miss those moments.

HOWEVER…. I am also selfishly excited about Max being weaned.  I loved breastfeeding him, but as many moms that chose formula will tell you, breastfeeding doesn’t provide near as much freedom as formula does.  Sure, if I want to leave for a bit I can pump, but even that seems like a lot of work just to run to the mall and back.

When I was first feeding max and his feedings where every 2 hours, it left very little room or flexibility for me to get away.  By the time he ate, I had about 1.5 hours till it was time to feed again.  I’d think, “Oh I’ll go to Target.”  But if I did go, I’d feel rushed the entire time, and it became more stressful to run an errand than to not run one.

In fact, many a fights were caused between me and David regarding this schedule.  I tried to explain to him how my entire day revolved around Max’s feedings–at least at the beginning.  I was very flexible and would feed Max almost anywhere—at the mall, in the car, etc.  But it still took planning, timing, and sacrificing.  Sometimes husbands don’t always comprehend this as well as we do.

Additionally, I didn’t get the help from David that a lot of Moms do with night time feedings.  This wasn’t just because he was breastfed, but more because of David’s residency schedule.  I was not about to make him get up with Max at 4 when he got home from work at 2, and had to be back in at 6.  But for breastfeeding moms in general, it does seem silly to pump a bottle just so dad can give it the baby.  Then two people are working for the same result, which seemed very inefficient to me!

And when I finally got away for Girls Weekend or a weekend getaway with David, I still didn’t “get away” from breastfeeding.  Every few hours, I’d have to pump.  A small price to pay, but cumbersome nevertheless. 

So for all of that, I am looking forward to having my body be mine again.  After 9 months of pregnancy, and a year of breastfeeding, I’m anxious to get “back to normal”…. that is until it’s time to do the whole thing again!!!!!!!!!!!

UPDATE:   This didn’t go quite as planned,  click here for the Weaning Addendum