So I feel like I should not jinx it, but Omar has officially gone two weeks without nenen--with the exception of one occasion where I gave in and let him suckle for five minutes, after which he proceeded to ask for Pink Milk.
I was trying to read about how long is it before you know your child is weaned off breastmilk for sure, but I could not find any real estimates (weeks, months?). For now it seems that Omar only asks for it when he is extremely bored or extremely cranky, but on average he is requesting it once a day or less. Mostly I get by with DISTRACTION. I pretend I do not hear him ask for it and ask him back "Do you want Pink Milk?" "Do you want Vitagen?" even resorting to "Do you want ICE CREAM?" and "Do you want POTATO CHIPS?" usually, he is happy to accept Pink Milk or Vitagen. Occasionally, only the real treats will do.
I would love to say, Omar was weaned at 25 months with little drama. InsyaAllah that will hold true in days, weeks, months to come. My mother seemed very concerned that he was still nursing as frequently as a younger baby just a month ago, and seriously suggested I use bakawali (?) probably to smear on the udders as a deterrent. I dismissed it and said it is fine for me to keep nursing him and I am happy to do it until he is two and a half, at the same time I was slowly trying to get him to go to sleep without breastfeeding usually by feeding him with a heavy dinner and lots of (cow's) milk. It worked every now and then, but honestly it was easier to get him to sleep without nenen than it was to get him back to sleep whenever he stirred. It felt like I really was going to have to end up breastfeeding until he turned two and half, and then continue to breastfeed his future sibling as well.
Then I realized, I had no more milk! Apparently some women stop making milk at some point in pregnancy. That's when I decided, you know, it's time. Thus began the bribery and distraction-- which he took to ok. Pretty soon hours went by, then a night, and more nights where I could read him Little Bear's Little Boat once or twice and he would nod off to sleep next to me. Seriously, just like that. My son, who used to nurse ALL night every night. And as I said, it is now two weeks and I am hoping favorable conditions prevail to aid us into a successful and complete weaning to the point where he will think "Yuck nenen".
I was reading that weaning is often accompanied by some sense of loss or sadness, usually because it means its the end of a phase, and a special bond. I can't say I feel that way right now. Maybe it is because I have been rotating 3 or 4 nursing bras and nursing tops for the past two years, along with the continuous interrupted sleep, I am more than happy that we are growing into another phase of our mother son relationship. It would be terrible if I HAD to wean him a lot earlier than when either of us was ready, and I feel for the mothers and children who have to go through that.
I am such a strong advocate for breastfeeding and can only speaks positively of its benefits on the baby, on me, despite some of the natural difficulties and adjustments we had in the beginning. But all good things should come to an end to allow for better things! Such as mom having a full night's rest next to a little boy who put himself to sleep, and tosses around sometimes but goes right back to sleep with a "big hug".
I was trying to read about how long is it before you know your child is weaned off breastmilk for sure, but I could not find any real estimates (weeks, months?). For now it seems that Omar only asks for it when he is extremely bored or extremely cranky, but on average he is requesting it once a day or less. Mostly I get by with DISTRACTION. I pretend I do not hear him ask for it and ask him back "Do you want Pink Milk?" "Do you want Vitagen?" even resorting to "Do you want ICE CREAM?" and "Do you want POTATO CHIPS?" usually, he is happy to accept Pink Milk or Vitagen. Occasionally, only the real treats will do.
I would love to say, Omar was weaned at 25 months with little drama. InsyaAllah that will hold true in days, weeks, months to come. My mother seemed very concerned that he was still nursing as frequently as a younger baby just a month ago, and seriously suggested I use bakawali (?) probably to smear on the udders as a deterrent. I dismissed it and said it is fine for me to keep nursing him and I am happy to do it until he is two and a half, at the same time I was slowly trying to get him to go to sleep without breastfeeding usually by feeding him with a heavy dinner and lots of (cow's) milk. It worked every now and then, but honestly it was easier to get him to sleep without nenen than it was to get him back to sleep whenever he stirred. It felt like I really was going to have to end up breastfeeding until he turned two and half, and then continue to breastfeed his future sibling as well.
Then I realized, I had no more milk! Apparently some women stop making milk at some point in pregnancy. That's when I decided, you know, it's time. Thus began the bribery and distraction-- which he took to ok. Pretty soon hours went by, then a night, and more nights where I could read him Little Bear's Little Boat once or twice and he would nod off to sleep next to me. Seriously, just like that. My son, who used to nurse ALL night every night. And as I said, it is now two weeks and I am hoping favorable conditions prevail to aid us into a successful and complete weaning to the point where he will think "Yuck nenen".
I was reading that weaning is often accompanied by some sense of loss or sadness, usually because it means its the end of a phase, and a special bond. I can't say I feel that way right now. Maybe it is because I have been rotating 3 or 4 nursing bras and nursing tops for the past two years, along with the continuous interrupted sleep, I am more than happy that we are growing into another phase of our mother son relationship. It would be terrible if I HAD to wean him a lot earlier than when either of us was ready, and I feel for the mothers and children who have to go through that.
I am such a strong advocate for breastfeeding and can only speaks positively of its benefits on the baby, on me, despite some of the natural difficulties and adjustments we had in the beginning. But all good things should come to an end to allow for better things! Such as mom having a full night's rest next to a little boy who put himself to sleep, and tosses around sometimes but goes right back to sleep with a "big hug".
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