I Breastfed My Girl For The Last Time...

I breastfed my little girl for the last time last night. I remember it being such a bittersweet moment with Lincoln and this time was no different. She is so long that her body stretched across my entire lap, her fingers twirling her little piece of hair around her ear. She didn’t even really want to eat before bed, but I did it to get my one last time with her.

We all hear these horror stories of babies not wanting to stop breastfeeding until they’re 4 or drinking a bottle past the recommended time. I always heard it was such a tough process to cut feedings and stop night feedings or dream feedings or whatever you do with your baby. However, both of my kids just sort of figured it out on their own, without much intervention from me.  

​Layla’s journey is fresh in my mind so I’ll start there and filter in bits from Lincoln. Both stopped wanting the boob around 9-10 months. Lincoln was completely off bottles by 11 months old and drinking whole milk from sippy cups and water at all meals. I picture Layla as so little, but in reality she’s not. She’s the same age that Lincoln was at when he went on this endless milk strike. I don’t know why I was surprised that she’s over milk. 

​Weaning isn’t a scary process, and in all honestly, it doesn’t have to be a process at all. Listen to your baby. It’s no surprise that they’ll tell you when they’re hungry—trust me, those hunger cries are no joke and you WILL know the difference. 

​When they no longer need night feedings, they’ll sleep through without eating. Don’t cut the ounces you’re giving or try to space the feedings longer or do a dream feed. Follow your baby’s lead. Just because they wake up crying, it doesn’t mean they’re hungry. Listen to them and respond appropriately.

Same with day feedings. Give it time. If for a week, they aren’t taking that 6-ounce bottle, cut it to 4, cut it to 2, space them longer. Trust me, your baby will not starve. Unless there’s a medical condition or your doctor is advising you to force feedings, it’s really not a thing. 

​It’s a natural progression in life when your baby starts to get their nutrition from food. Some babies love food and the weaning process starts early (case in point both of my kids). Some take a while to get to a developmental level of loving food, being able to eat food, and using a sippy cup. It’s a case by case situation but at the end of the day I think the main point here is, follow your baby’s lead.

​I’ll definitely miss the easy feeding of popping out a boob and the snuggles that come with breastfeeding. I’ll miss her grunts and making eye contact with her. 

​It’s such a special bond that’s created when you’re feeding your baby and I’m sad that I won’t get these soft moments in our hectic days. But it’s a sign of the change in the season. She’s growing up and I only have more moments to look forward to together.