follow-up to the "waning about weaning" post

For those of you that may have commented earlier on my post waning about weaning (when did you stop breastfeeding?) I wanted to encourage you to visit again and read all of the comments that have since come in. There is a gold mine of experience and wisdom there among the feedback.

And for those who have asked, I also wanted to give a quick update with regards to where we're up to in the mommy's milk verses cow's milk dilemma.

I've decided to continue to nurse Levi first thing in the morning and at bed time for the time being, but during the day he's now drinking cow's milk.

One day a few weeks back I just tried giving him diluted cow's milk in a sippy instead of nursing him when he woke up from his nap... and he hasn't asked for mommy's milk during the day since! We were really lucky to have a smooth and easy transition when I introduced cow's milk (which reassured me he was ready).

He loves his sippy cup milk... and he still loves his mommy's milk to start and finish the day, so it's working out great for us! I love the freedom of not nursing during the days, it's not seemed to effect my supply for the other feedings (which I was a bit concerned about), he's still getting the benefits of breast milk for the time being, and I continue have my brief (very brief) moments of stillness with him in my arms that would otherwise be impossible to get with my busy little go-er!

I feel like it's a win-win-win-win. Yup, an all around win.

The other factor in my equation is that I'm not keen on breastfeeding two babies at once. For moms who choose to nurse a toddler and an infant at the same time - good for you! I think that's great if that's your thing. Personally I think it's just too much for me as I already struggle to keep the pounds on as is. (Breastfeeding has caused me to revert back to my 16-year old body size which is underweight for my height and quite honestly makes me feel waify* and unhealthy!) I know the body is an amazing and adaptable thing, but I already feel stretched to my capacity just nursing one child. I don't want to attempt two, thankyouverymuch.

So... this is where we're up to and I'm very pleased with our arrangement for the time being. It's a balance that's working really well for all of us, and I feel it will lend itself to a natural progression of weaning the last two feeds when Levi and I are both ready.

Dear friends, thanks to each one of you who took the time to comment on the original "waning about weaning" post last month. You gave some great food for thought - on a lot of levels. I'm so grateful.

love,

* Waify - pretty sure I just made that word up. But you get it... right? ;)

P.S. We're camping at the moment, so if I don't respond to comments and emails right away... that's why. No phones or internet for me!

what are your favorite baby shower games?

Help! I'm throwing a baby shower for a friend next week and I need some good ideas. What are your favorite things to do (games, activities, etc.) at baby showers? All ideas are welcome... {grin}

Dear friends, don't you love celebrating mamas and their new, adorable babies?! Tell me about the best baby shower you ever went to...

excited,

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2010 
do not reproduce without written permission

oh teething, we will conquer you! or not. but we will try.

We have now successfully made it through seven rounds of teething from the time Levi was four months old… and we have five teeth to show for it.

How does that work, you ask?

Two starts (with an edge poking through and everything) that proceeded to move back up and disappear… only to again come in (to stay) later. For one of those, it came in a week later… For the other, it came through two months down the road after two separate agonizing weeks of drama.

Can we all say “frustrating” together now???

Word.

But now with a few rounds under our belt, I’m a little less intimidated by the teething process… and a little more able to roll with the punches.

Have we mastered it? By no means.

But we can (usually) see it coming now.

The only problem, with my little guy at least, is that it looks a bit different each time. But with some careful observation (and many a prayer under my breath) I’m proud to say that I'm learning the ropes.

It seems with Levi’s bottom teeth – they come in without much pomp and circumstance: maybe a few fussy days and a little interrupted sleep.

And then there’s the top teeth: runny nose and cold, fever, crying at the drop of a hat, too many night wakings to count, loss of appetite, Crankiness with a capital “C”, unusual daytime sleep patterns… and the list goes on. And on.

For whatever reason, it seems Levi’s top teeth cause a lot more drama than the bottom ones. And those rounds of teething are the doozies. The latest for example:

{Poor little bubba. Not only was he miserable… But mama insisted on taking photos of the misery too. What can I say? I was learning how to use our new camera. And for the record, he's better now. I'm not posting about current misery... These photos are from last month.}

As difficult as teething is for everybody, of course I'm so glad that Levi is developing normally - teething and all. (Let's not forget to count our blessings here folks.) 

And now, some of the things I’ve found that help with teething:

1. The perfect teether. I know, sounds like a given, right? But we have this one little blue fish… and I’m telling you, it’s magic. Levi can happily chew on that thing a billion times longer than anything else that could possibly hold his attention at this age. LOVE the fish. (Who knew that $4.95 would equal $1M when it comes to finding the perfect teether?!) If you experiment and offer a few options, then you're bound to find the winner for your little chomper.

2. A cold (frozen) washcloth. Take a clean washcloth, roll it in a tube, tie the ends together, dampen it, and freeze. I guess it’s the combination of the cloth and cold that does the trick.

3. A clean, peeled carrot. It needs to be a big enough carrot so that they can’t bite little pieces off (chocking hazard)… But give bubs a cold carrot to chomp on--and presto--some good, natural relief right there folks. The yummy carrot flavor is a nice little bonus and helps keep bubs interested a bit longer.

4. Mesh feeders with frozen fruit. Levi loves holding and chewing on those little mesh feeders filled with fruit. I pop one in the freezer until it’s semi-frozen and then let him chomp away. (I use it in the highchair – it’s messsssssy! But oh so fun.)

5. Pain reliever drops. I know, duh. (What does mommy want when she has a headache? And why would it be any different for a hurting baby?!) Using a small dose of infant pain reliever does wonders. As long as you follow your doctor’s orders, the instructions on the box, and your mother’s instinct, infant pain reliever will be your friend and help you get through those few long nights. Even better, it will help your precious baby get through those long nights. Let's not forget they they suffer even more than we do.

Dear friends, this list is by no means exhaustive. That would be boring. And pretentious. I’m just listing some of my top tricks so that you can fill in the blanks. What has helped you and your little ones get through teething?

set on conquering,

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2010 
do not reproduce without written permission

waning about weaning (when did you stop breastfeeding?)

I was one of the lucky ones.

Long before having Levi I had decided that I wanted to try breastfeeding. I had done a bit of reading about it and talked to a lot of other moms about their experiences. I would have considered myself pretty well-informed on the subject, and I was very well-prepared for the fact that it might be extremely difficult… and painful. 

Actually, I had heard so many horror stories that I thought there was no way around it.

I thought to myself, “If I can just make it through the first six weeks it will get easier and it will be so worth all of the pain and trouble.” I would prepare for the worst and then grit my teeth with sheer determination until it got easier. (I know, I know. You’re already snickering here… Classic first-time-mom response right?)

And then I gave birth… And tried breastfeeding… And from the first moment it was…

Easy.

Imagine my shock! 

Imagine my relief! 

Imagine my joy!

I know that my experience is not the “norm” unfortunately, but for me breastfeeding was as natural and easy as anyone could ever hope for. (And after my unexpected c-section, I think it was grace to me… I'm not sure if I could have emotionally handled breastfeeding dramas at that point in time.)

And aside from the standard clogged duct here and there (yeah, that’s painful!) it has continued to be easy and hassle-free up until this day.

My plan has always been to breastfeed until Levi is twelve months old so that I wouldn’t need to wean to formula and then over to cow’s milk. I figured that if I could make it to his first birthday then I could easily wean straight over to cow’s milk and that would be that. Easy peasy.

It is now 24 days until Levi's first birthday and I’m faced with decision-time. 

And--although I'm normally an incredibly decisive person--I find myself... waffling on this one.

Do I really want to wean? Is this the right time? If I do, will I regret it? If I don’t will I resent it?

I’ve loved the convenience and ease and experience of breastfeeding and there’s a small part of me that wants to hang on. (Oh, the simplicity when traveling and the unrivaled ability to quickly comfort a sick or teething baby!!!)

And yet there’s another part of me that is more than ready to say good-bye to sharing my body in that way (yes, I sometimes feel like it’s “milking time” at mama’s bar *moooooo*). And I’m also ready for the freedom of not being bound to feeding times. (I still nurse at wake-up and bedtime and 1-2 times during the day… and have never really gotten into the swing of pumping much.) And then there’s the wanting to have my hormonal balance back to normal… for many reasons.

I’ve read what the experts say – there’s really no ideal time to wean… other than when mom and bub are both ready (and when there’s no major changes or sickness happening).

So the question is, am I ready? Is Levi ready?

Never mind cultural norms. Never mind convenience. Never mind what I thought I “should” do. Never mind age or months or measured out food.

Are we ready? And if we are, then how long do I give us to go through the process? A week? A month? A couple of months?

I’m not expecting anyone to answer these questions for me. It’s our decision, it’s personal, and I’m more than comfortable with that.

But what I am wondering is how you experienced weaning? Did you lead? Did you let your baby lead? Was it a combination? What it for medical reasons or going back to work reasons or emotional reasons?

Did you just know when it was time?

Would you go back and do it differently if you could?

Dear friends, I’d love to hear your experiences with weaning? Did you waiver a little like me? Or was it a cut-and-dry decision for you?

waning just a little,

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2010 
do not reproduce without written permission

a motherhood rite of passage

I have now joined the ranks of pro moms everywhere… I survived 10 days with a sick child.

I guess I’ve been pretty lucky to have made it almost nine months without Levi getting sick. He did have a pretty high fever (102+) a few weeks back for about three days – but it was completely manageable with panadol and there were no other symptoms… so I’m not sure that one really counts. (As soon as the fever reducer kicked in he was happy as always… not acting sick in the slightest.)

But this last bout with a virus was a doozy: Low grade fever. Deep chesty, juicy coughing fits. Sneezing galore. A constantly snotty nose (every shade snot imaginable). Sore throat. Breathing problems. Ear infection. Choking and gagging (on too much phlegm) at night. And generally just miserable.

You know the kind – when your baby is just not himself? When he cries at the drop of a hat? When he snuggles far too often and only picks at food that he normally devours?

Poor little bubba.

And even now—two weeks later—the cough lingers on and he continues to have little munchkin sized sneezes. But babe is back to his normal, happy, hungry self.

I am no longer covered in snot... from head to boobs to toes. (Ever tried breast feeding a snot machine?)

The nasty little virus has packed his bags and peace'd out. (I hope you didn't feel welcome here or plan to visit again any time soon, Mr. Virus.)

Yes, all is well in the Booker household.

We made it to the other side without too many battle wounds.

Thank you borrowed vaporizer. Thank you little jar of baby Vicks. Thank you tiny droppers of baby Panadol. Thank you saline spray. Thank you endless supply of tissues. Thank you comfy rocking chairs. Thank you late-night cuddles. Thank you helpful husband and friends. Thank you patience and grace and time.

And now I can proudly say I have joined the ranks of pro moms everywhere.

We are survivors.

Dear friends, have you defeated sickness recently? How do you cope when you're knee deep in snot? Or maybe you passed another motherhood rite of passage you'd like to share abotu?

glad to be healthy and well, 

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adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2010 
do not reproduce without written permission