It’s been a really long week and I’m exhausted. Last night was the topper, though, when both Maja & Madeleine began wailing in the middle of the night — but of course not at the same time. Thankfully I was able to get Maja back to sleep and Richard was able to get Mads back to sleep. We’ve reached a point now where Madeleine is reliably (knock on wood) sleeping through the night and where if she does wake up, Richard is able to get her back to sleep.
This milestone coupled with Madeleine turning 8 months (where did the time go?!?) has led me to the decision to begin weaning her. My goal with Madeleine was to absolutely get her to 6 months with the nursing and 8 months if it was going well. So, we’re here. And I’m done.
This is a major decision for me because the nursing is going well and the only reason that I’m stopping is because I cannot take the pumping at work any longer. I’ve mentioned this before and I’ll say it again: I hate it. I do it 2x a day and it’s always a struggle for me to convince myself to go downstairs and pump. It feels very unmotherly of me to think of myself before my child. On the other hand, if I’m unhappy and tired and worn out… then everyone else suffers, too.
I still have quite a stash in the freezer that Madeleine will drink over the next few weeks and I’ll continue to pump 1x/day starting next week. Once the stash runs out I’ll cut out the pumping all together, give her formula during the daytime, and just nurse in the morning and evening.
Considering that only 14% of women continue to breastfeed exclusively to 6 months, I think I did pretty well. Also of interest is this article about working moms who breastfeed.
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