One question every pregnant woman is asked is if she is going to breastfeed her baby. I've been fortunate to be able to breastfeed all three of my boys. Colten self-weaned at 5 months, Carson at 11 months, but Cooper is still going strong on nursing. I've been so lucky to have made it to one year nursing him, and he's a great nurser. He doesn't pull annoyingly at my shirts, doesn't have a name or word for nursing, doesn't nurse sporadically. He's really a great nurser. The only annoying thing is that he is still up at least two times a night.
So now that I've hit the major milestone of nursing for a year, everyone is asking me when I'll wean Cooper. It's a tough choice to make and it's one I haven't HAD to make with my other boys. Some changes are certainly going to happen to the nursing schedule when I return to work. I'm not going to be pumping bottles for Cooper any more which will be a huge relief for me because I now have more time to actually do my job and not stress about milk supply for the sitter. Another change is that the third week in September I will be at outdoor school for three nights, and while able to bring Cooper along last year, he isn't going to come up to camp this year. That is three nights of no nursing! I might sleep better at camp than at home!
I'm not sure when I'll completely wean Cooper. A part of me wants to wean him soon so I can lose the last ten pounds hanging on from being pregnant. I want to fit into my clothes again and not have to wear nursing bras and tops all the time. I know my husband would like to see me own my body again. But.....
I really enjoy the time I get to spend with Cooper. He's my last baby and a part of me wants to get every minute of snuggle time I can get with him. Once I stop nursing there is no other chance of nursing again. That part of my motherhood experience will be over. Forever. Don't know if I'm ready to force Cooper to quit.
What am I really hoping for? I'm hoping that once I go back to school Cooper will start to lose interest in nursing so much and will wean himself. It is sad, but easier if Cooper sets the pace.
2 comments:
It's a very difficult decision when to let go of this stage. If you can let Cooper set the pace, I think it will be easier on both of you. And what I discovered with JD, he's still my snuggle kid, so Cooper may still do that for you.
Annora still snuggles too ... cuz she never got that space taken away from her. ;)
Post a Comment