Got Milk?

*WARNING*

Should you be of the squeamish type, or find that you just don't want to read about breastfeeding today, please be so kind as to avert your eyes to the upper right hand corner of this page and select the "X" to exit. I will not hold your exit from my blog against you, being that unless you tell me about it, I will never know...

*Ahem, otherwise, please proceed...

I am a nursing mother. I have nursed my daughter since birth, for a total count of 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks and 2 days (and counting!). It has been a wonderful experience for both of us. Luckily, nursing came easily for us, with just minimal pain at first. We have always loved being snugly together, whether nursing her off to sleep or just having a snack midday. Its been great!

I highly commend any mother who at least attempts breastfeeding. I understand that it just doesn't happen for everyone and I am so grateful that it works for us! For those working moms like myself, please give yourself a round of applause at this time. *Insert Applause here* It takes an extreme amount of dedication, time, patience and willpower to do what we do, and no one who hasn't been there will ever understand. So, take your Atta-Girl, proudly so!

The time has come for Waverly and I to begin weaning. I always said that I would nurse for as long as I could or until we reached the one year mark. Its been a little longer than that, and it sure would be liberating to free myself from lugging around that heavy and awkward pump. It would be great to travel for work with ease, to complete assignments without a necessary break, to come and go without a time schedule! Not to mention, a date night with the hubby and without the pump shouldn't be out of the question...

Waverly has done so well with transitioning from a bottle to a cup during Mommy's work hours. She has been great with giving up the plug (aka a pacifier, which she occasionally uses during naps). She has been doing wonderful at Pam's during the day. Its time to take the next step!

Last night, Waverly had a cup of Vanilla Soy Milk, with just a bit of Mommy's milk.

She likes the soy milk, but definitely not whole milk or 2%! She will not take any of that! For easier transitioning, I opted to give her some soy milk for now.

The goal is to decrease nursing over the course of the next week or two. I offered Waverly a cup of milk before bed time. She tried it out, taking a few drinks as she played with some toys and wandered around.

We read some Night-Night books...

and then settled down in the rocking chair.

Waverly wasn't having anything to do with the cup then! She knew what comforts her and wanted it! After just a few minutes of nursing, she was off to sweet dreamland!

The hope is to lessen by minutes the time she is nursing (since I have no idea of amounts) each day until we are down to 2 minutes, 1 minute, and no minutes. But every night, we will read our stories and rock in the chair, having some good quality time together before night-night.

Ah, in the crib, fast asleep!

(We're still working on the 'sleeping in the crib' thing too...

She usually starts out in the crib and ends up in bed with us! Eh, we're not complaining! She's a good snuggle puppy...)