After my first posts many years ago to MDC, about my low supply, how long would I be able to keep getting some milk into Dd, here I am to say that at 7-1/2, she decided she was done.
Early in January she still nursed every night and sometimes during the day. At that time she announced that she was "thinking of stopping." She said she loved to nurse but it was getting to be time to stop.
Over the next two weeks, she seemed to forget, but then said that she really wanted to stop, and she wanted me to help her. She wanted me to distract her from nursing when she felt the urge, to remind her that she could cuddle instead, or have a sip of water. Or both. A few times we brought chocolate to bed, to let melt in our mouths in the dark. I thought this would become a regular thing for the rest of Dd's life; I rather liked it. But it was just a few nights. After a few nights of that, she skipped a few nights and had a last few moments mid January.
At first she said that she was thinking of nursing all the time. But one day she was very upset and did not nurse. Later she was pleased with herself because she realized she had not even thought of nursing when she was upset.
We are still deciding what to do to celebrate. I asked her, "What are you going to do to celebrate not nursing. Nurse?" She finds this hysterically funny.
I was recently at a lecture by Mari Douma, a physician who speaks about the anthropology of nursing. She says that except for humans, who generally wean earlier, most mammals wean when they are 5X birth weight. Humans are different because there are sweet foods and Mama may be off at work. But in Dd's case, she decided to wean just at the time she reached 5X birth weight. She's small, so it took awhile.
It was a lovely journey for us both. Wish us well on our next stage of travel.
Early in January she still nursed every night and sometimes during the day. At that time she announced that she was "thinking of stopping." She said she loved to nurse but it was getting to be time to stop.
Over the next two weeks, she seemed to forget, but then said that she really wanted to stop, and she wanted me to help her. She wanted me to distract her from nursing when she felt the urge, to remind her that she could cuddle instead, or have a sip of water. Or both. A few times we brought chocolate to bed, to let melt in our mouths in the dark. I thought this would become a regular thing for the rest of Dd's life; I rather liked it. But it was just a few nights. After a few nights of that, she skipped a few nights and had a last few moments mid January.
At first she said that she was thinking of nursing all the time. But one day she was very upset and did not nurse. Later she was pleased with herself because she realized she had not even thought of nursing when she was upset.
We are still deciding what to do to celebrate. I asked her, "What are you going to do to celebrate not nursing. Nurse?" She finds this hysterically funny.
I was recently at a lecture by Mari Douma, a physician who speaks about the anthropology of nursing. She says that except for humans, who generally wean earlier, most mammals wean when they are 5X birth weight. Humans are different because there are sweet foods and Mama may be off at work. But in Dd's case, she decided to wean just at the time she reached 5X birth weight. She's small, so it took awhile.
It was a lovely journey for us both. Wish us well on our next stage of travel.
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