This morning when I woke up I decided that today would be the day that I completely wean 17 month old Titus. I haven’t been planning it; I didn’t tell myself before I went to bed that today would be the day; before I heard his calls from the crib, I just decided it. I’ve been thinking for a while now that I’d like to wean him, and I think he’s ready. I don’t even feel like he’s getting anything most of the time when he does try to nurse.

When he woke up and I heard his calls for me, “Mama! Mama!”, I went into his bedroom to cheerfully get him up. As soon as he saw me come through the door he sat up and immediately started signing and saying “milk”, like usual. Normally I would take him straight to the couch where I would sit and nurse him. Not today. Instead I sat down with him and a warm sippy cup of milk and said, “Here, this is milk.” He angrily pushed the cup away, whined, and signed and said “milk!” I said, “Here buddy, this is milk.” He wanted nothing to do with that cup. He kept pushing it away. Finally, I sat it down and said, “That’s your milk, baby.” And I went about making breakfast. He whined for just a second, then decided he’d play. About 30 min. later he crawled up on the couch and again, whining, asked for milk. I fed him some breakfast and he quickly forgot all about it. He went the whole day without nursing… until 5:00 came.

When he woke up from his afternoon nap, he was signing “milk” again. I tried another cup of warm milk. It was a no-go. Again he just angrily pushed the cup away, and could not understand why I wouldn’t nurse him. I started to feel bad and rationalized with myself, “He’s still young. I can wean him in another month or so.” And I gave in.

What am I to do? I weaned my daughter at 14 mos no problem. I guess all baby’s are different. I’ve heard that boys are harder to wean. Is that true? I even added a tiny pinch of sugar to the milk, but it didn’t help. He just won’t ever drink cow’s milk. Now, I have found that he will drink vanilla soy milk. Is that okay for him to have every day? I need to ask his doc. So, I guess I’ll try again in a few more weeks and see how that goes.

Any advice for me??

*I thought I’d add a little note: I’ve gotten the nursings mostly down to just once a day; first thing in the morning. Sometimes he asks for milk mid-day, but when I nurse him it’s only for like 1-2 min. and then he stops. I don’t think he’s getting anything during those second feedings. So, I’m just trying to stop this final feeding in the mornings. But you know, if he isn’t ready then I can wait

• That I would wake up in the morning with my shirt completely soaked the day my milk came in, and for several days afterwards.

• That I would go from a size B to a D, and back down again in a matter of hours.

• That the first two weeks of nursing would be very painful, even though my technique was right.

• That I would get so cracked and sore that my curious 3 yr. old would ask me if the baby was drinking blood!

• That these two products would save me tons on agony: Lanolin and Soothies . These are WONDERFUL! I gave them both to my sister when she had her baby.

• That I needed the baby to nurse, just as much as he needed me! Can you spell ENGORGEMENT!

• That there aren’t many public places that will accommodate a nursing mother. Try nursing your baby in a public restroom with no chair to sit in. Fun!

• That at first, trying to pump milk was like trying to get juice from a banana! You’re lucky if you get a few drops!

• That my entire day would revolve around this one person’s hunger.

• That I would be able to sleep nurse successfully!

• That I would learn to twist my body into uncomfortable positions at times in order to nurse my baby in cramped spaces (try an airplane seat!).

• That my long hair would come in handy to cover embarrassing leakage in public. I suggest you keep nursing pads close by!

• But most importantly: That I would never feel such a fulfilling, rewarding joy as knowing that I was able to personally sustain and nourish my beautiful child. I wouldn’t trade it for all the formula in the world!!

I’m dedicating this post to my friend Kim, who just had a beautiful baby girl. Congratulations you guys!

Breastfeeding women need an extra 500 calories than they normally take in. And it makes sense! When you breastfeed your child, your body is doing a tremendous job producing “liquid gold” to sustain your child. If you do not consume adequate calories to maintain this work, your body will start tapping into “reserves” and you will find yourself:

• Fatigued - making it hard to take care of your home and baby
• Having a hard time producing enough milk
• Losing too much weight too quickly

In order to maintain your energy and milk supply you need to drink adequate amounts of water and eat nutritious foods (just like you did while you were pregnant).

A good way to get the extra calories is snacking . I remember when I first started breastfeeding being particularly thirsty and needing to snack throughout the day. I made sure to keep a bottle of water and a snack (be it cheese cubes, dried fruit or a granola bar) by my “nursing station” to keep my energy going.

When snacking, choose foods full of nutrients and packed with protein in order to provide you with the energy and nutrition that you need throughout the day. Don’t indulge yourself with junk food – this will only increase your fatigue and irritability.

Here are some power-packed snacks for lactating women:

• Yogurt
• Cup of Berries
• Baked Sweet Potato (simply bake for 1 hour at 400 degrees F in casserole dish)
• Healthy Granola bars (full of nuts and grains)
• Handful of Nuts
• Bowl of Whole Grain Cereal
• Multi-Grain Crackers with Cheese
• Guacamole and Corn Chips
• Fruit Smoothie
• Avocado Slices with Whole Grain Crackers
• Hard Boiled Eggs
• Whole Wheat Pita with Hummus
• Bagel with Cream Cheese
• Veggies and Dip
• Apples slices with Peanut Butter
• Salads – colorful and full of variety
• Fresh fruit
• Orange juice
• Dried Fruit

If you’re like me, you’ll forget to snack, or because you haven’t prepared a snack ahead of time for quick grabbing, you’ll grab for something easier…like junk food. So here are a few helpful tips to make healthful snacking possible:

• Make a list of snack ideas and stick it on your fridge so that if you need a snack, you won’t be lost for an idea!
• Stock up on healthy snack foods.
• Prepare your snacks ahead of time (like chopping fruits or veggies, etc.) and put them in convenient containers.

Happy snacking!