Growing up, my Mom always referred to changes in life as closing a chapter or beginning a new one. Graduation from high school, moving off to college, relocating to New England by myself are all chapters in my book. Two weeks ago, another chapter in my life closed: breastfeeding.
The last 13 months have flown by. Although my son’s birth wasn’t ideal, I was fortunate to have the best possible experience with breastfeeding. When I was first able to attempt nursing Jackson, hours after my c-section, he latched on immediately. It was a surreal experience and I remember everything in the hospital room just blurring away to nothing. To just my son & me. Neither of us had any experience with breastfeeding before, he was my first child and I wasn’t breastfed as a baby. I was in awe of how natural it came to us both.
I feel so blessed that I never encountered any issues with our breastfeeding relationship over the past 13 months. The nurses at the hospital brought me tons of lanolin samples telling me I’ll need them, but I never did. I never got mastitis, sore nipples or a clogged duct. Weaning went just as smoothly, although I it hurts my heart that my little man is growing up so fast. The most difficult part about weaning was dealing with it emotionally.
When Jackson started drinking whole milk (delivered to our home from local dairy Munroe Dairy), he went from nursing 5-6 times a day gradually down to once a day- in the morning. Then it became every other day, then every third day until I realized when I cuddled him in the morning he was no longer interested in nursing. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect breastfeeding experience, from the beginning to the end.
So I’m a little teary as this chapter in my book ends, but look forward to the next chapter, toddlerhood, with great joy.
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