Breastfeeding: The End of an Era

I think it’s safe to say Lydia has officially weaned herself. We’re going on day four without nursing and it’s been a gradual process ever since she’s turned one. Nursing three times a day quickly turned into twice a day, in the morning and before bedtime, and then a few weeks later she dwindled down to only nursing at night. Then suddenly she would go a day without nursing and then the next day she would want to nurse at night or in the morning. She was nursing every other day for about two weeks and would only nurse about five minutes or so. Nursing time decreased once Lydia was 12 months old, after that she always got to the point and quickly moved on, she had places to be I guess! 

Because she’s so active, I give her chocolate milk during the day and snacks in between meals. She’s always been a good eater which has been a tremendous blessing and might also be why she was ready to wean herself.

As happy as I am that she weaned herself and is moving on with her life, a part of me will miss our breastfeeding journey and I am a little sad it’s over. I know that may sound odd but she still seems so tiny to me, maybe time has just flown by so quickly that I’m not always prepared to let go. I laugh because when I was her age I was still nursing and my mom eventually had to force me to quit nursing (aka cold turkey) because I was well over two years old and asking her if I could have “nursings.” She told me that she had me sleepover a family friend’s house so I wouldn’t have access to the goods! I guess I figured Lydia would be the same because much like I was, she is a mama’s girl. Though Lydia choosing to wean herself couldn’t have been a more seamless transition, and I’m proud of her!

I feel fortunate that I was able to have a pleasant breastfeeding experience and am even more fortunate to be her mama! She is the sweetest little girl, quirky like Michael and I, and so incredibly sharp. So even though we’re ending this era of breastfeeding, I know we’ll have so much more to bond over as she grows into a little lady and the thought of that just melts my heart. I love you Lydia!

Lydia Renee's One Month Update :)

Last Friday, Lydia hit her one month mark! I’m amazed by how much she has changed these last five weeks and am falling more in love with her each day. She’s at an age where she still needs lots of cuddles and loves being held but she is also starting to become more independent. I can tell by her wide eyed look that she loves to sit up when she’s on my lap looking around the room, and viewing the close by surroundings. She's also beginning to give us a little smile! When she begins to doze off, I sometimes will put her in the swing which eases her into a short nap. This week she has been taking a 45 minute to an hour nap after breakfast time and then she will stay awake for a couple of hours before dozing off again. She takes her long three hour nap at around 2pm. While she naps I can eat (although I've mastered the art of eating while holding a baby!), clean, shower, prep meals and finally exercise! 

I am still exclusively breastfeeding and it's honestly a physically demanding job but it's also been such a rewarding experience because Lydia now weighs 10 lbs and 2 oz. is now 21 3/4 inches tall! She doesn't sleep through the night quite yet, and I don't know if she will anytime soon, I'm just happy she's able to fall asleep on her own! She wakes up every 2-3 hours to nurse; I usually change her diaper before nursing her so she's nice and sleepy when I put her in the bassinet. She had 2 nights where she slept a four hour stretch and that was just wonderful. Her pediatrician told us that her sleeping schedule might change as she gets a little older and we may even be able to look forward to six hour sleep stretches; praise Jesus!!   

I took these pictures of my beautiful girl with my parents during their visit with us. My parents staying with us helped tremendously! They helped with groceries and my mom made delicious meals for us but most importantly they got to spend time with their first granddaughter. I started to pump and Lydia took the bottle without fussing so, Michael and I took advantage of having my parents over to go on a little date. We got dinner at a restaurant called Bonnie & Clyde's which was gangster themed and shared mussels, and split both a steak and fish sandwich. It was really nice to get out of the house and spend alone time with Michael! Sadly my parents are back home in Jersey and we won't see them til mid-May but until then I'll just have to send them lots of pictures of this little cutie:

And that's our Lydia in one month.