Feb. 17, 2008
Tonight for the first time, as I was nursing Ethan before bed I pondered the thought of weaning him completely. Not even thinking about today’s date, I remembered that initially my goal was to nurse him for 14 months.Once it dawned on me that he would be 14 months in two weeks, I must admit that I got a little nervous. I had to ask myself, “Am I really ready to end this chapter in my life that means so much to me and begin a new one?” The other question I asked myself is, “Am I the only one that is sad for this chapter to end or does Ethan feel the same way?”
I began the difficult process of weaning him off his nap feedings when he was 12 ½ months old, and since then have only been nursing him in the morning and evening. I must admit that it wasn’t as painful as I thought it would be. I was misty eyed off and on for a day or two, but survived. To my surprise, Ethan had a more difficult time adjusting than I did. I had been hearing just the opposite, that usually mothers have a harder time.
Feb. 28, 2008
For the past week I have only been nursing Ethan in the evening. My goal was to have him weaned by the end of this month, but I’ve had a change of heart. Both of us are definitely not ready to end this chapter in our lives. When Ethan shows me the sign for milk, which makes me aware that he wants to nurse during the day, I feel guilty for only nursing him at night. I have to remind myself the reason I began the weaning process in the first place.
Last semester when I was nursing exclusively, I was on a time restraint to pump on campus between classes. Now that this is my last semester and I am taking more classes than I did in the fall, my schedule does not allow for me to pump anymore. At least I feel good knowing that he’s getting extra nutrients by only nursing in the evenings, rather than not nursing at all.
I feel confident that when the time comes to completely wean Ethan, that he and I will both know. Ever since I started to only nurse him before bed he has been sleeping 10 – 11 hours, which leads me to believe that he has adapted to this new change very well.
Being a full-time college student I don’t have the time or energy, physically and emotionally to invest if he were to get sick. This motivates me to take a little extra time out of my schedule to nurse him before he goes to bed. I have been blessed so far that he has not gotten sick and hope the added nutrients from my breast milk will continue to protect him until I graduate. Otherwise, how could I possibly be away from my little guy at school while he’s sick? It would be devastating.
7 comments:
Your blog is really unique! I think it's awesome and you give a lot of information with a personal touch!!!
Wow. What a blog, Amber. I can't imagine what it must be like to be a mother and still have to go to school full time.
Espicially while you are still weaning for him and even pumping between classes is remarkable.
I also love the first person angle you are going with it. It does give your blog a very intimate feel.
I have a book for school that is called "Nutrition in Health Promotion". As I was reading through the Nutrition for infants & children chapter, I came across some statistics. You may already be familiar with them. A recent study showed that about 75% of children between the ages of 4 and 24 months had been breast-fed to some extent. The average age at which breast feeding was stopped was 5.5 months. Only about 30% were still feeding at 6 months, and 16% at 12 months. I think that what you have done for Ethan is great considering your school situation and those statistics reguarding longevity. You're an awesome mom Amber.
It's amazing to me how great of a bond breastfeeding really is. I loved reading your Breastfeeding Journal because it reminded me of when I breastfed my daughter Memphis! I just quit breastfeeding her about a month ago, and I already forget sometimes what it was like. I really think what you are doing with your blog is a great thing for moms! It is inspirational and has great information on a lot of areas of parenting! THANK YOU!
Very Inspirational!
I enjoyed reading your blog on breastfeeding. I am currently 8 months pregnant, and am planning to breastfeed my son for at least a year. Reading about your experience gives me the motivation that I will be able to succeed. I am lucky that I will be able to stay home with my son since I will not be working for about a year and i just completed my graduate studies. I figure if you can do it, as busy as you are, I can too. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Amber, you have done a remarkable job with this blog. So much information and as others have noted, with a personal touch that many mothers can relate to so well. You are going to do great. Thanks for keeping in touch. Please continue to do so after graduation. You know where to reach me. Congrats!
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