Wednesday, November 7, 2012

My Breastfeeding Weaning Story



I haven't talked about breastfeeding in this blog in a while. The truth is, I'm afraid how people would react if they find out I was still breastfeeding my 2y8mos old baby boy. My dad and even some of my family members have been insisting that I wean him already. Good thing my hubby supported me all the time and that was one of the most important factor for a successful breastfeeding for me.

My baby Liam is a very sweet kid. He hugs and kisses me when he wants to and say "I love you so much, mommy!". Mommy is the first word he mentions when he's hurt or sad. He embraces me when he suddenly wakes up at night. Of course he gets scolded often now that he's at his terrible stage. But I'm very happy with how close we are right now and I think breastfeeding helped a lot.


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We reached the late stage of breastfeeding because I didn't think he's ready to wean yet. There are a lot of scary weaning stories that I've read online too. I would never put toothpaste, chili or pepper on my nipples just to wean my baby haha! And I also can't stand my baby crying for hours if I don't give him milk. I told myself, he'll just wean when he's ready but I'm afraid he'll be 6 yrs old and still breastfeeding. That was not part of my plan!


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But 2 weeks ago, I had diarrhea and the doctor asked me to take antibiotics to kill the bacteria. I had no other choice but to take it and he told me that I can't breastfeed my baby while taking it as that type of medicine can pass thru my milk and might have side effects on my baby. I didn't believe him at first so I researched online. And then I found out he was telling the truth. It was a sad moment for me. When I got home from the hospital, I was afraid to carry my baby as I'm sure he'll ask for his precious "dede" and I didn't want to disappoint him. 

The first night was hell. He was crying the whole time. But I kept calm and tried to explain him over and over and mommy's taking medicine that might have bad effects on him. He fell asleep crying. He even woke up around 2am asking for dede but I just explained it to him again and feel asleep crying again. I felt like a bad mother then. And I thought it's going to be a hard week for us.

The following day, he sat on my lap and did his dede position but I told him again the same words. And to my surprise, he didn't insist anymore. He asked for juice or milk instead. He also fell asleep without crying that night anymore. I think he understood all the words I told him. He's really a bright kid. 

After 4 days of trying to wean, he doesn't ask for his dede anymore. It's really not that hard. And we're still close btw. He still loves me :)  

Now it's been 10 days and I'm glad that I've totally weaned my baby. My breasts can now rest. I noticed my baby drinks fresh milk more often and eats more solid food now. I guess it's really time to wean. I love you baby Liam for not giving me a hard time.

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4 comments:

CherryColors said...

OH, that was.. easy? :o
How old is your little fellow? I said the same thing.. that he'll probably wean off himself, but now I'm not really sure. But again, he's only 6months old and I plan to breastfeed him up to 12months or over (we'll see how that plan goes.. you know plans and kids - they rarely work out).

And congratulations! ^^

Issa said...

wow! i admire and envy you for breastfeeding your son that long.... I was only able to breastfeed my son for only 2 months :( (I have very low supply of milk).

Ida said...

That was cool how, in a way, he understood and accepted it. :) It can be so hard to wean- I know! Breastfed my daughter til she was 2. Had to stop because she began biting. Then one day she pretty much just understood and stopped asking for dede. :)

Kim said...

@Tamara..he's 2yrs and 8 mos now. It's harder to wean for toddlers. I planned to bfeed him for only a yr and we reached this far haha.

@Issa...if you plan to bfeed longer to your next baby join support groups. It really helps

@Isa...I think 2 yrs is enough talaga. And it was a very wonderful experience noh?