How I Quit Breastfeeding

A few months ago, I wrote about the last time that I nursed Evie.  At the time, I had mixed emotions about being done.  I knew that it was time.  Evie was ready.  I was ready to have my body to myself for a while.  But I knew that I would miss sharing the bond that only she and I could have.  Oh, and I would miss the ease of calming her down just by nursing her. 

In truth, the process to wean started about 5 months before that, when Evie was 11 months old.  We went through a rough patch when she became more mobile.  Evie was a late crawler, and up to that point, breastfeeding had been easy for us.  We didn't have latch problems when she was a newborn.  I was fortunate to never experience thrush or mastitis.  Aside from a nasty dairy allergy that prohibited me from eating any dairy for about 6 months, nursing was a piece of cake for us. 

About a month before Evie's 1st birthday, nursing became a huge battle.  Probably because it had been so easy for so long, I really didn't know how to handle it.  My supply was dropping.  I cried when I wrote this post, because I thought that I would wean her and breastfeeding would just be over for us.

I toyed with our schedule and I dropped a couple of feedings in which Evie was most distracted.  This worked great for us!!  I was so relieved that I could continue to nurse her.  From June to November, we gradually dropped feedings.  In mid-November, I knew that the end was near.  I was only feeding her every other night before bed, and my supply was awful. 

Evie went through the transition without noticing the difference.  At least, it didn't seem like she noticed.  That made me feel better.  It was probably harder on me than on her.  I still miss our quiet time, but I know that I did the right thing all along.  I did what she needed, and I'll always feel good about that.