Got Milk?

Liliana is officially done nursing and I only have 3 bags of frozen milk left and I haven't been able to pump any milk to save for some time now. So, it is over. But it has been a great run and it was a gradual, natural weaning process.

When Liliana started really eating solids she was on a nursing schedule of 4 feedings a day. (I had to be pretty scheduled because I started watching Layla at that time and it made it easier for all of us.) When she was around 10 months old I started supplementing my milk supply with a formula bottle for her at night, so she was only nursing when she woke up and before her naps--3 times a day. Then, a couple months ago she went to one nap, so another feeding was naturally dropped and I was no longer able to pump. And, I figured that because her nap was right after lunch and I wanted to teach her to sleep without nursing right before, I dropped another feeding. So, she has only been nursing once a day for over a month. And, she has pretty much decided that she is over it. I am not making the amount of milk that her voracious appetite requires, so she hits my "bo-bos" and tells them "no" and asks for "nums" (food) and has finally stopped even trying. She is ready, and honestly, so am I.

I am a little sad that this phase in our lives is over. It's just another step to her becoming a big girl. As all moms know, it is a little hard to let go. I really enjoyed breast feeding. It was convenient and made me feel very close to Liliana. (I will forever be amazed at how my milk would come in seconds before I would hear her wake and cry in the middle of the night.) I will fondly remember holding her in our orange chair and nursing her. I will remember how she held on to me so tight, patted my chest and looked up at me with her big brown eyes. It felt very natural and I was proud of doing something that was so healthy for her and I. But, the timing feels right and the weaning process was also natural for us both. I couldn't have asked for a better experience.

Now, Liliana gets one formula bottle before she goes to bed. I am not quite ready to fight the battle of weaning her from that habit. She is falling asleep easily and sleeping great and I don't want to mess with it for now. Instead of giving her cow's milk (or soy or other alternatives) during the day we have decided to give her hemp milk. My friends and I did a lot of research and were impressed with the amount of omegas and the fact that it has almost as much vitamin D and calcium as milk without any of the health pitfalls that cow's milk contains. I usually make her an afternoon smoothie with it so that I can use the sugar free version and she loves it!