Last week my two year old began the weaning process. It wasn't planned. He's been nursing less and less often the past few months and eating a larger variety of foods…and more of them. But the weaning kind of caught me off guard.
I've nursed all of my babies. Due to their many food allergies, discovered as nursing babies, this seemed like the best option nutritionally for them. I could tell when foods bothered them as young as a few weeks old because when I would eat the problem foods, they would affect my milk and cause tummy complaints, eczema, respiratory symptoms, ear aches etc. When I avoided those foods myself my babies were happy and healthy. As they got older I could test those offending foods by actually offering them to the babies, and then determine if they had outgrown the allergies or still had problems. Because there were so many foods that a typical toddler would eat that my children could not, I tried to nurse them longer than what is often seen. I wanted them to get the nutritional benefits of my milk as long as possible, until their tastes and teeth and ability to chew allowed them to get their nutritional needs met without me.
David is 28 months old now. He is what we believe to be the last of nine children. So weaning him is not without its emotion filled moments. I don't know how many months or years of my married life I have spent nursing children, but I am sure I have spent more time nursing than not nursing. It has been an enjoyable and satisfying part of being a mother. I have nursed in every setting imaginable…in a bathroom stall, at amusement parks, on the beach, waiting for a valet to bring our car, at concerts, at very noisy BYU volleyball games, on airplanes, on the top of "Y" mountain, at cross country races, next to Old Faithful…you name it I have done it. Babies have to eat and since I chose not to ever use a bottle, to ensure the crucial milk supply for babies who could not use typical baby formula, I had to feed those babies wherever I was. I've always tried to be discreet and stay covered, but this post is not about that.
Last week, due to an extremely busy day, David did not nurse once from early morning until bedtime. When bedtime came I had a thought come to my mind that I should ask Jerry to put him to bed that night, without his regular nursing. Jerry offered him a snack and drink, brushed his teeth, sang to him in his darkened room and lay him down. He went right to bed. He slept well that night and did not wake early morning to nurse. When he did wake up I offered him oatmeal. He jumped at it. Throughout that day I had these little feelings (kind of like the same feelings I get when I just know that the time is right to potty train) that David was weaning.
A few days later he still hadn't nursed again. He'd asked a few times for "milky" (his name for nursing) but when I offered to read him a story or get him a snack or cup of almond milk, that always made him happy.
It's been ten days now and he isn't even asking for "milky" anymore.
And now, I am going through my own "weaning" process. I still have milk but no one to drink it. Emotionally I am weaning as well. I have always enjoyed the bonding I feel with my babies while nursing and I will miss that. There will most likely not be another baby for me and that thought makes my heart a little tender. No more waking up for middle of the night feedings, but also, no more of that quiet sucking little baby looking up at me with absolute adoration in his eyes.
There are benefits though. Our babysitting age children can attest to that. David will be much easier to put to bed when we go on dates from here on out. And Sophia, who is four, decided this week that if David is done with "milky" she is done with her binkie. Hallelujah!!!! Just last month when I asked her if she would think about getting rid of her binkie she told me she needed to wait until she was five!!!! But Sophia has been binkie free for over a week now. I promised her a pack of gum all to herself this week as a reward. We will go to the store together so she can choose her favorite flavor.
My babies are growing up so quickly. Brandon, our oldest is 23 and fulfilling his dream flying for a living, Kyle is getting married soon, Benjamin has only 10 months left of his mission, Jacob has had his first date and will soon have a driver's license, Nathan is soon to be a Teacher in the Aaronic priesthood, Olivia will "finally" be in Young Womens in just a few weeks, Emily is baptized and becoming a great little babysitter, and now Sophia has relinquished her binkie and David is weaned. It reminds me of a quote that my sister in law had on her wall, "A mother holds her children's hands for a while... their hearts forever." The time with our children goes so quickly. We must cherish every second.
Jerry and I have many years of child rearing ahead of us and look forward to every year with anticipation. We were talking the other day and are grateful with our decision to have these 9 wonderful spirits come to our family. What better way to spend our life together.
Psalms 127:3 states that "children are an heritage of the Lord." We truly believe that children are a gift from God.
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