The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) now recommends breastfeeding until your baby is 12 months old. Now that Amaya just celebrated her 1 year birthday and has been given the go-ahead to begin whole milk, we've started the process of weaning Amaya. Unfortunately, I think this process is going to be harder on me than it will be on her.
I remember when Amaya was first born, it was very challenging to nurse her. There were some days, I nursed her 17 times! Because she was so little, her stomach couldn't hold much, so she needed to eat more frequently. I remember cringing every time Steve said, "I think she's hungry again." I stuck with nursing because the benefits were so much greater for the both of us. If it hadn't been for the lactation consultants at Mayo, Steve's support, and both sets of Grandparent's support, I don't think I would have made it this far. It would have been so much easier to mix a bottle of formula, but my mom and Steve's mom were flexible and dealt with the frozen breastmilk. Thank you for being a big part of Amaya's life!
Here's a link to what the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee says:
Benefits of Breastfeeding
Over the past year, I've really enjoyed nursing Amaya. It's our special time during the day where I can snuggle her as much as I want. Now, that we're decreasing her feedings and introducing more adult food, it's been a grieving process for me. I've eliminated her morning session first because it is generally the easiest to remove. Her afternoon and bedtime sessions are related to sleep, so it isn't recommended to eliminate those first. She's handling the transition just fine and loves the whole milk! I'm doing okay - just realizing that my baby girl is getting older. I'm also realizing that I need to be more intentional about making time to cuddle more - while reading books together, after she gets up from a nap, etc. The AAP also states that babies will still need that closeness with their mother even after she's weaned.
Our family medicine doctor also told me that weaning can take as long as you want - cold turkey, 2-3 days, 2-3 weeks, or even 6 months. I think we're going to try eliminating one feeding a week and see how it goes. Both of us are going to require a little adjusting, so we'll learn along the way.