One of the best parts of being a Mother so far has been the bond between my daughter and I because of nursing. It has been our lifeblood, our link, a deep connection tying her spirit to mine. It is beautiful and nourishing and inspiring. But some days it is also hard and exhausting and a real challenge. You see, my daughter is now over 18 months old, and nursing a toddler is nothing like nursing a wee babe. A toddler is spirited and inquisitive and not always gentle. And my little one in particular, quite likes her milk, thank you very much, and isn't so keen on replacing it with regular 'ole food. Which brings us to our current state of things...the slow wean. I first gathered some info from some other dear nursing duos, and then made a loose plan for how often I wanted her to nurse. Now admittedly I kinda cringe when I think about creating a schedule for this, her thirst, her hunger. I am a believer in doing things naturally, and nursing has always been led by my daughter. But as with most things there comes a time when we need a little push, a gentle nudge to move us into the next stage.This is especially necessary when Mama is tired and getting sick a lot, and desiring a solo outing once in a while. So, for us right now the nudge has been me offering more fruit and yogurt, and creating impromptu dance parties as a means of distraction. Much to my surprise it is working and hasn't been as painful as I thought. In fact, I think it's been harder on me than on her, and as much as I look forward to the next stage of sentences and dress-up, for now I am cherishing the sweet baby times we have left.
You and your daughter are so beautiful:) I love this post- and I relate so much... I nursed my daughter until she was 22 months... I explained everything to her and was able to reason with her about a few reasons, which helped a lot... and it was gradual and slow and she was so patient, and it did hurt my heart I think more than hers, but we rode the wave together and went on to our new adventures in bonding and expressing our love for eachother... Trust your intuition and you won't be dissapointed... ♥ Oh and the more emotion you put out about being sad about it the more she will... they pick up on our cues so much... Be strong mama :)
ReplyDeleteThank you wise Mama! :) Your words are such a comfort and support to me...I hadn't thought to explain it all to her (instead I've been trying to shelter her from the discomfort), but what an honest and respectful approach, and so important to help her understand. Such an obvious thing but something I'd been missing...thank you again, deeply.
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