My 2.5 Year Breastfeeding Journey Has Come To An End

December 14th will always be bittersweet for me. I’m stuck between I’m happy to have my boobs back and sad my baby is growing up. I didn’t think I would be emotional when breastfeeding was over but I am. It has been a huge part of our lives for the last 2.5 years. I decided to self-wean and it took a while but I wanted to make the transition as smooth as possible for our entire family. I’m so happy that I followed my instincts because now I know he is ready.

Self-Weaning

I was clueless when it came to weaning because I’ve never done it before and I knew for a fact I couldn’t just cut him off cold turkey. As he got older he naturally dropped feedings because he was eating and drinking other things. The last few months he mainly nursed for comfort. During the last few weeks I began to offer an alternative and sometimes he was fine with that. Sometimes…not so much.

He went to sleep without nursing for a few days back to back and I knew that he was ready. Over the last 2.5 years he has rarely gone to sleep without breastfeeding so this was major. My milk supply basically stopped and the rest is history.

My Support System

I honestly cant believe we made it this long and I know I couldn’t have done it without my amazing support system. I want to give a special shoutout to Milan, my biggest cheerleader. My husband took all the prenatal classes with me which included a breastfeeding class. He knew exactly what to do in the beginning when breastfeeding was the hardest. He has always had my back when people had smart comments or didn’t always think I should be nursing as long as I did. I always knew I could count on him. Even when I wanted to give up he kept me going.

I am also thankful to have a great group of friends that lead the way and gave me the scoop on what to really expect. Thank you, Shonda, Dana, & Tara for being great role models for me. My colleague Jasmine was such an inspiration for me when it came to nursing in public. I was terrified at first but she really did #normalizebreastfeeding in public for me. I’ll always be grateful that she shared her journey with the world.

A Few Words To My Son

Dear Myan,

Thank you for being the best baby a new mom could ever ask for. You crawled up my belly and latched on like a pro, not even an hour after being born. Every single breastfeeding session has brought us closer and our bond will never be broken. It wasn’t always easy but you made it worth it. I love you sweet boy and even though this part of our journey has ended our snuggles never will.

Love Mommy