And Then There Were None

13 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days.

This morning I woke up and decided we were done. Noah has been down to one nursing a day for about a week. I think it was more of a first thing in the morning habit, so today, I just gave him a bottle of milk. I actually think he had a better morning. I am pretty sure my milk supply was non-existent for the last few days, so the full bottle of milk must have been quite welcome.

I am pretty proud of myself for nursing Noah for as long as I did. It definitely wasn't always easy. I didn't pump a lot, so when he was eating 8-10 times a day, it was all me. Up in the middle of the night multiple times, all me.

In the beginning, he didn't take to nursing very well. Of course, going into the hospital, I had read several books on the subject, and I felt like I knew what to expect. I had no idea. You think it is going to be such a natural thing, and well, it is hard, at least it was for me. The one thing that the books kept repeating was getting the baby to latch on as soon as he is born. Well, Noah wanted no part of that. He did have a pretty rough delivery, so I can definitely understand.

During my stay in the hospital, the nurses and lactation consultants all hovered around saying things like, "don't worry he doesn't need to eat yet, when he is hungry he will" or "don't give him formula in a bottle it will just confuse him, feed him through a syringe" So, I tried not to worry, I tried to listen to all the conflicting advice, and I kept trying to get him to latch. My breasts were pulled and prodded. Someone mentioned something about a nipple shield, so Dean ran to the "Milk Bank" (clever name for the breastfeeding store, right?) to buy one.

Poor little guy, he barely had a sip of milk the entire time we were in the hospital. Born at 7 pounds, 15 ounces, by the time we were checking out, he weighed 7 pounds, 4 ounces. As we were leaving, the pediatrician said, "I know you want to nurse, but he has to eat something." So, we gave him formula in a bottle, and he sucked it down. Sucking reflex. Good. The first four weeks were a battle. Me using the shield. Noah fighting to gain some weight.

I got great advice from my cousin Rebecca. "If you can make it six weeks," she said, "it gets so much easier." And, you know what, it did. And, it just got easier. My goal of six weeks turned into three months, three months into six, six into a year. So, here we are. 13 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days.

Weaning was such a gradual process that it was pretty easy for both Noah and I. I think I was the one hanging on to those last two. Noah has really taken to whole milk. Honestly, I am not too sure if it is the milk that he loves or the bottle I put it in. While most mom's are weaning their one year olds off the bottle, we just started the habit. I know I should probably have just weaned to a cup, but he does take both bottles and sippy cups. Bottles are strictly for naps and bedtime. So, I won't worry too much about it.

I really loved nursing my little guy, and I am a sort of sad to be done. It is a clear sign that the baby stage is over, and I have a toddler on my hands. I am looking forward to the next stage though... Noah needing Momma in different ways.