I think we'll survive!
I am no longer breastfeeding Saioa. I never had an end-date in mind but at 15 months old I felt like it was time. Being able to be at home with her and nurse her for this long has been an absolute dream.
She never did take a bottle and fortunately it was never really necessary. Once she started eating solids there was no need for me to push the bottle on her and by then our nursing sessions were reserved for naps and bedtime. Now she drinks whole milk out of a sippy cup and it’s nice that I won’t have to wean her …
One advantage of a weaned baby 
(To read part 1, click here) While Nathan was certainly a large baby, he has nothing on Joshua. Joshua is by far my biggest baby. Consequently, he is also my hungriest baby. While my milk supply had leveled off at about five months with about Emily and Nathan, it started leveling off even earlier with Joshua, at about four months. As with Emily and Nathan, I tried extra pumpings, eating the appropriate foods, staying hydrated, everything I could think of. Even with starting cereal at five months, I could tell the milk I was producing wasn’t quite enough.
The last …
Nursing has never been one of my favorite aspects of having a baby. Some women, like Kelly, are devoted nursers, and I applaud them for it. I am thoroughly impressed that she is still nursing her nineteen-month-old. That will never be me, though.
With Nathan, my first, I wasn’t quite sure how long I would nurse. The combination of teeth and nursing was not a pleasant image, so I mentally put the first tooth as the end date for his nursing time, reserving the right to change my mind down the road. I ended up nursing him for nine months, putting up with the time it took, the difficulties …
It's that time again Mom!
A good pre-cursor to this post is a blog I wrote a while ago titled “Sleep Patterns“, about Saioa’s sleeping habits at night. She was conditioned to waking up three times a night and had to be nursed back to sleep. I decided I had to cut down her nightly feedings to just one a night. I knew that the first few nights would be the hardest. I expected that when she didn’t get her 1pm feeding she would cry for maybe 20 or 30 minutes and then fall asleep. I also expected that the next night she would cry 10 …
All is quiet in my house
After many months of changing sleep patterns, it’s finally come to this: After Saioa goes down at around 6pm, she wakes up three times. At 10pm, 1am and 4am. It’s always on the clock; she’s very punctual for being only 8 months old. But she’s eating well during the day so I know that she shouldn’t be waking up three times a night at this age because she’s hungry. She’s developed a habit of waking up and so have I. Sometimes I’ll wake up right at 1am and wonder why I’m awake. Of course I’ll look at the clock and then hear …
This stuff can be a weary mom's best friend.
Saioa recently had her four-month checkup and I’m happy to say that she’s growing beautifully, as happy and healthy as can be. During her appointment, the Pediatrician asked how long I was planning to breastfeed for. I told him that because I’m a stay at home mom, I was willing to nurse for as long as it is recommended. We went over some things and my conclusion in regards to breastfeeding is this: I definitely am planning to breastfeed exclusively until she’s six months old. After six months, I’ll start supplementing with baby foods and other solids. I’d like …
