Adios, Breastfeeding!

Zoë is weaned.

Phew!

I don't know why, but nursing had turned very painful again towards the end of last week.  Couple that with a new quirky behavior in Z: that she'd fall asleep on the boob, but when I slipped it out she'd scream bloody murder and LUNGE to latch back on and start vigorously nursing again, over and over and over again, well, it was just time.

So Sunday I told P let's give not nursing a shot.  I could always nurse later or tomorrow if it didn't work (we've skipped evenings before, on a few occasions, when Z stayed at Papa/Nana's).  My only hesitation was after her shower and dressing in her sleeper, she happily said, "Boobie time!" and I was nervous.  But I said, "No, no boobies tonight.  Want to climb up the stairs to your room and read a book?"  And she said, "Oh!", which means yes (she used to say, "Oh yeah!", but now she's dropped the yeah), and up we went.  I sat in her chair and told her to pick out a book.  We'd read 3.  She did and we did, and after the last one she said, "One more!" and I said, "No, let's let Daddy put you in bed."  And she walked over to P and he put her in the crib.  She whined a bit and asked for kisses, so we both gave and recieved kisses, and then we left her.  She whines/plays/sings/talks for a bit in her crib, then crashes on her own.

And it has been that way every night since.

Also, I haven't watched TV since she weaned!  I would always watch the first half of a program while she nursed and then finish it off before bed.  Now I never even start it.  I actually kinda miss TV, maybe tonight...

Funnily enough, I don't really miss breastfeeding.  I thought I would.  And I suppose I do, a bit.  I miss just cuddling the Z while she falls asleep all sweetly.  But I don't miss being stuck on the couch, the pain, and the obligation.  I don't know - I did it for so long, I guess the end feels a little anticlimactic.  But what else do you say?

Z was exclusively breastfed for the entire first 5.5 months of her life, except one bottle in the hospital (grr).  Then we added solids, but breastmilk continued to be her only drink aside from the occasional bit of water through a year.  At that time I quit pumping and we introduced cow's milk and slowly started weaning feedings until we were down to morning and night only.  I think it was around 15 or 16 months that we weaned morning, and then did only night through 20.5 months.  And that is all.

If I had it to do over, I'd do it again, and if I have another, I will do it again.