A while ago I wrote a post ‘Breastfeeding For Me Of The Baby’. I was feeling torn between continuing my extended breastfeeding with number five. He was still very dependant in the evenings and I was no where near ready to stop even though there was a worry in the back of my mind that even though I loved everything about breastfeeding he would never wean himself off.
After some wonderful feedback from my readers I continued to do what was best for both of us and carried on. I loved the closeness, the way it still helped him to settle and knew that he was still getting lots of goodness from it. If I’m honest though there was a huge part of me that wasn’t ready to let go.
After having fed five children I knew this would be the last time I would be able to enjoy everything that breastfeeding brings. I’ve struggled with feeding all of mine from one that didn’t know how to suck when he was first born, one with a tongue tie and countless bouts of mastitis that even landed me in hospital. It’s been a tough journey with all of them but something I will never forget and I’m so glad I battled through each time as it was such a special experience for me.
A few weeks before Christmas number five was waking in the night as usual but not needed to be fed. He wasn’t asking and was settling with a little cuddle. This was actually a welcome change after nearly two years of night feeds! He was still having his feed to get to sleep and this was the one that I couldn’t see going as he routine was bath, story and milk and he was extremely set in his ways about this.
But then the hustle and bustle of Christmas started and with a few late nights he had happily fallen asleep without a feed. When it came to two concecutive nights without a feed I just went with it and neither of us have looked back.
I didn’t get that planned emotional last feed I was expecting, I didn’t have an upset baby crying himself to sleep at night it just worked. He had weaned himself away beautifully and I am finally happy about that.