The blessing of lactation.

Men: Beware.  That's your only warning.  


I know it's coming.


The time when peanut and I will inevitably end our lactation relationship.  


When I first began nursing, my goal was to make it till at least a year.  I figured that would have given me ample time to pass on all the goodness that breast milk has to offer a wee one.  And now that we are closing in on ten months of me exclusively nursing Georgia, as well as the fact that she now pulls my hair as she lays there, weaning is something I've had to think about.  I had a friend gently remind me last week that Georgia and I will both know when the time is right to wean.  And while I know we're not quite there yet, the fact is inevitably on the horizon.


Problem being this: I've never weaned a child before!


Have you?  Any advice?


I've weaned calves before, though.  I always hated that job.  You'd have to sort the babies off their mamas and drive them far, far away.  For the next week, you could expect the calves to be bawling and the mamas to be bawling...and engorged.  Not exactly an ideal picture in my head of how I see this going...

I'd like to take it slowly.  Gently dropping a feeding at a time, maybe one every week or so.  Which begs another question - what do you wean your child to?  After doing some Google-research (what did Moms do before the internet!), I've decided that we will wean to raw milk.


Now, now.  Calm down.  I know what you're thinking.  What! You're thinking about giving your child raw milk! Are you crazy! And the answer is no.  Well, maybe kind of yes, but that's a discussion for another day. Again, after some research (as well as the fact that we drink raw milk everyday), we've decided that we are confident in our wonderful raw milk supplier to provide us with a healthy and safe product for our child.  If you have questions about this, here is a great article.  Here is another.


I'm not saying that you have to make this decision for your child as well - but as my friend Kendra and I often remind each other, all we can do as parents is try to do the best that we can for our child.  And luckily, each parent gets to make these decisions for themselves - that is a blessing!


In a way, I know I will be sad to lose my intimate nursing time with peanut.  It's a time where I get to just hold her.  Snuggle her.  Love on her. On the flip side, she does pull my hair on occasion.  And my earrings.  And the buttons on my shirt.  And it can also make for some pretty acrobatic moves as I try to nurse in under less-than-ideal circumstances.


And even though she has bit me three times (*shutter*), I wouldn't trade the wonderful blessing of lactation for anything.


Now that's something you don't hear every day.