I think it’s official – Sam is weaned

I might be jumping the gun a little bit – but think I can safely say that we’re almost entirely done nursing. YAY! I’m so proud of going for as long as I have (he’s almost three and a half) and so thrilled that we did it peacefully and on terms that we can both live with. He’s falling asleep more and more without it, nursing for just a minute or two when he does nurse, not asking for it first thing in the morning, skipping the afternoon nap.

I did it with no family support, and with a lot of disapproval and outright hostility towards it. I did it even when it hurt tremendously, I’ve nursed in front of rabbis, doctors, on a train, in museums, in a sling while shopping, in food courts, in the park, etc. I nursed for as long as he wanted to – and I’m super proud of that. I didn’t night wean, I let him outgrow the need on his own, and it actually worked – he’s a great sleeper. I’m so happy. I actually did a little dance last night when he dozed off in the chair instead of crawling up to nurse. I honestly can’t remember the last time he asked to nurse, I’ve offered a few times when I KNOW he needed a nap and it was a quick way to ensure he got it, and will probably do that still when it’s necessary. But he’s done, really. He’s outgrown it – and I’m so proud of him and so happy that I was able to nurse him for as long as he wanted it.

That being said – if this next baby wants to wean at a year, I’m going to be delighted. This weaning process has been really difficult for me, I didn’t like being at odds with everyone about my parenting choices, and there were lots of time when I was gritting my teeth and crying with frustration. I’m grateful for Marc because he never once discouraged me from doing what I thought was best, and I know that a big part of Sam’s weaning is because Daddy is so much cooler now than Mommy is. And he’s more than willing to sit up and snuggle Sam to sleep, instead of letting me handle it – and that’s made the weaning process easier. Also have to give props to the baby – because the fact that the milk changed and gradually dried up made it a smoother transition as well. And mostly, I have to thank Sam, for teaching me so much about patience, about parenting, about mothering, and about myself – I’m enormously proud of what we’ve accomplished, and I certainly wouldn’t have chosen this path (I thought toddler nursing was weird, and never wanted to nurse longer than a year). But I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything 🙂