I’m Just Wondering What They’ll Look Like
After everyone’s awesome, insightful and suportive comments on my “Wean Me, Seymour” post, I got the courage to do something good for myself.
We’re starting the weaning process.
Since the 11th, we’ve gone down to just one feeding a day, the morning feed. The girls don’t rely on nursing to sleep, but we all love the morning feeding, so it was easy to eliminate the night feed.
Then, yesterday, we just didn’t nurse at all. I went 48 hours without nursing. I didn’t get engorged at all, but something clicked in my brain last night and I started to panic a little bit. I don’t know — it was just this internal impulse to nurse the girls. So I went ahead and nursed them this morning. I’ll do every other day for a little bit until it feels right to just stop.
I have mixed feelings, of course. I’m sad to let go of this phase in their lives and this phase of our relationship. On a selfish note, I’ll be very sad to see my boobs go to the great nursing bra in the sky.
But after experiencing a full day of not breastfeeding, it was kind of liberating. Like, “Wooohooo I can get wasted at 9am!”
Which of course I didn’t do. But I could have.
Also, I’m kind of excited at the idea of buying a bra that doesn’t unsnap to full-frontal nudity.
I’m curious about the hormonal shift when you stop breastfeeding. Any experienced mamas out there have any input?
9 comments
I didn't notice any hormonal shifts, however when Thaddeus weaned I was newly pg with Heath, and when Heath weaned, while it was just barely 7 months, I was also newly pg. With Silas, he weaned around 10 1/2 months. I too didn't have the painful engorgement with any of them leading me to believe my supply was that much lower so much of the hormonal shifts may have already taken place. I also found that while I dropped all my pg weight with Silas, I didn't lose all of it with Thad while I still nursed, then of course I became pg so didn't really get a chance to lose it all. Not that you need any weight to lose
I liked the comment "the great nursing bra in the sky"….that's funny.
I didn't have a major hormonal shift, but my cycles started again when we dropped to 1 feed for the chix. I think you did the right thing with keeping the morning feed. I kept the nighttime, which meant I was doomed to be around at bedtime until they weaned completely. Doh!
It's possible you'll get to keep your boobs. I'd kinda like to donate the extra boobage I have now, it's a little ridiculous. I don't remember anything hormonal but I was very ready to be done with breastfeeding, so that might have helped me not freak out when we stopped. You're taking it slow, which is perfect, I think you'll be fine.
Not a really bad hormonal shift for me, just a little sorrow as we would sit on the couch in the am watching Blues Clues and he wouldn't try to lift my shirt up. I had a few days of feeling un-needed. The big shift for me was weight. I gained 5lbs when he dropped to 1 feeding, and once I got that back off, he completeley weaned and I put it back on again. Ugh! I'm still working on that 5. I sure like my chocolate cake and pizza and burgers and… Heck, I should just have another so I can eat like a pig again. Oh, and my boobs really didn't get any smaller, but bras with no snaps are awesome! I haven't gone back to underwires though. Those things hurt!
I gained eight pounds in a week and a half.
The new-bra-buying part was AWESOME though. Also the weight was probably also related to a new job where I ate snacks all day long to avoid throwing myself out a window.
When I stopped pumping at work a few weeks ago, I went from three pumps a day (plus the occasional fourth at night) to one within two weeks, then none a week later. I think it was too fast, but I just could not take it anymore. I did have some more irritability and close-to-weepiness than I would normally. (Normally, I am just delightful to everyone I meet.) But that only lasted a few days, and now I'm okay. That said, I'm still nursing during the rest of the time, so I didn't have to go all the way at once.
I didn't have any big shift the first time, but I weaned my son slowly, over like two months. The second time, I was pregnant and had to wean in a quicker fashion but it was fine. I am worried about this next time, which is imminent. My daughter will be one year in May and won't take a bottle and is not much of an eater. I would REALLY like to be done and have some time to myself. Also the thought of getting wasted at 9:00 is cheering me greatly! Good luck!
Good for you! I'm on that path with my littlest one, and it's a hard decision for both of us. I've night weaned her and stopped most daytime nursing, but we still have a few special times during the day that neither of us is quite ready to give up. Like that first thing in the morning nursing.
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