So when are you going to wean her?

Gianna @ 1 week

In honor of World Breastfeeding Week I have decided to share our story. This is in no way meant to lay judgement on anyone else's choices. I feel that as long as an individual has made informed decisions and implements them with love, then they are doing what they feel is best for their family. This is the one that I have made and although it's nothing for the history books, it is something I'm proud of.

When I was pregnant with Gianna I knew that I wanted to breastfeed. It's not hard to find evidence that proves the many benefits. I read everything I could get my hands on and I felt that it was the right thing for me. That being said I am not immune to the western worlds view of breastfeeding, which I believe a direct quote from many is "Ew". So my goal was 6 months...because that was the MINIMUM recommendation by most of the health organizations....Fast forward over a year later and I can't help but laugh at some of the goals that I had. All the "I will never...'s", "my baby won't...'s" and the "I'll just have to...'s". I learned very quickly that life with a baby is NOTHING like what I thought it would be..... But it's better

Being a first time mom I had heard so many horror stories of everything from babies refusing to breastfeed, moms not producing, to it hurting so bad that the mom couldn't bear it. So when Gianna latched and I nursed her for the first time it was like the weight of the world had just melted off of my shoulders. It waaas a little uncomfortable in the beginning... I think I compared it to something like "setting my nipples on fire". But my wonderful mother was there to cheer me on and after about a week and a half the discomfort was gone and I was becoming an old pro.

Gianna @ 5 months

A lot happened in the first 4 months of G's life but one huge event was that she developed colic and it forced me to read even more into breastfeeding and this is when my thoughts began to change. I won't bore you with the facts that were brought to my attention, just know that I was blown away. Because of what I was learning and really meditating on my instincts, I realized that giving Gianna the minimum just wasn't good enough, when I felt like she so deserved the maximum. I also started realizing a common pattern in today's western world of having children... Wish all our hearts we can get pregnant, get pregnant and hate being pregnant, birth them as soon as possible, wean them as soon as possible, put them in some form of child care as soon as possible, send them off to school as soon as possible for as long as possible, grow them up as soon as possible and then wonder why our family's are all so disconnected and dysfunctional... I couldn't let this happen to Gianna or my family. Yet, I was beginning to feel very alone so I sought out a group of moms called the Milk Moms, they are a breastfeeding support group. Finding these like minded mommas made a world of a difference to me. When I made the decision to not wean Gianna according to the calendar, but rather to her cues and my instincts, it was so much easier with their support.

When people find out that I'm "still" breastfeeding some look at me like they feel sorry for me... Well, I don't feel sorry for me, I really enjoy G's moments spent nursing.  My favorite thing to say to people when they ask THE question... "So when are you going to wean her?" I say "I won't send her off to Harvard still breastfeeding". Gianna is the most important thing in our lives and we want her to know that, and always feel loved and respected. She's not an inconvenience, so why should I force her to do something she's not ready for physically, or emotionally? So that I can leave her more often? Nah... Her infant years are the shortest years of her life and I am going to savor every minute. The decision that I have made for our family isn't easy because it's not widely understood, but being a christian has taught me that the right path isn't always the easiest path. Also, I know how people look at moms who breastfeed toddlers and I am not trying to offend anyone or make a statement. I am just trying to do what I feel like is the best thing for Gianna and my family.
.....And make it to the cover of Time Magazine, of course. :)

Gianna @ 1 Year

Some of my favorite evidence based resources:

The Breastfeeding Book by Dr Sears and website: http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/breastfeeding
The World Health Organization website: http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/infantfeeding_recommendation/en/index.html
The American Academy of Pediatrics website: http://www2.aap.org/breastfeeding/
KellyMom: Evidence based breastfeeding and parenting website:
http://kellymom.com/