Weaning

I stopped pumping at work. I have to say I don't miss it even a little.
I know I wont be able to say the same when I stop breastfeeding though. I am still breastfeeding Noah a couple times during the day/night. I feed him in the morning before I go to work, then when I get home from work and again for his bedtime routine. I love the early morning hours while Sean is sleeping and I get some one on one time with my Noah. He eats and stares up at me with his beautiful eyes and I just feel so loved. I love knowing I am his source for comfort, nurishment and love. I am not looking forward to letting that go. I don't really have a time frame of when we are going to stop breastfeeding. I know I don't want to be breastfeeding when he is 2 or 3years old. The image of a certian TIME magazine enters my head (child on step stool breastfeeding) and I just don't really feel right about it. It's a little extreme for me. Not my type of parenting style. I'm not knocking it, just not for me. That said I'm not sure what age is appropriate to go to. I think I will leave it up to him. When we are ready we will know. I think its a personal choice each parent has to make. Yes I do believe that the father has a choice in the matter. I know the woman is the one offering up her breasts to be used for it but still its the dad's child just as much. I think he should have a say, even if it only counts as a fraction of the voting process, when his child stops recieving the very importnat nurishment from the breastmilk. Sean wanted me to go at least a year and less than 3 years. So good thing we are on the same page. Now we will see what page Noah is on. Right now he is very pro still breastmilk. He has been given a variety of jucies, pediasure, a little bit of cows milk (he is pretty close to a year so I don't think its too bad at this point) and water ocassionaly and he still seems to prefer the breast. I'm pretty sure he enjoys the one on one time with mommy just as much as I do.

Weaning off the pumping wasn't as difficult as I thought it was going to be. I imagined moments of wet lactation cirles on my shrits at work after missing a pumping time. Luckily this didn't happen. Can we say embarrasing? I did the weaning gradually, which I believe is the definition haha. I stopped the second pumping time around 2 weeks ago. Then yesterday I stopped the morning pumping. By the time I got home my breasts were quite full and a little sore but not too bad considering. Noah ate and in the middle of chugging he pulled of and squeezed by boob. Result: Milk flew across the couch and onto Kenny's arm! haha He was like "what the?" haha we all had a good laugh at it.  Ken is always making comments about how he can eat breastmilk ice cream because he is lactose intolerant but breastmilk has no lactose. Noah was trying to share.

I can't believe he is growing so fast! Soon he will be walking, not breastfeeding, and talking. I just have to soak up all the baby time I have left with him. Man I love that bug :)