Simply Life

Our Simple Raw Life...A Natural Journey Of Creation

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Weaning!

Amazing Grace is 2 1/2 years old.  She lives up to her name in everyway!  She has impressed me over and over again and confused me too! We have had a very strong bond, one that allowed her to depend on me for her every comfort and release.  Mazi has been sleeping in my bed since birth and about three months ago we moved her to her own bed, right next to our bed, where she still wakes up and asks me to hold her hand.  Everymorning Mazi and I would snuggle and she would nurse and both of us were very at ease and relaxed, needless to say I really dreaded the time when I was going to have to wean her.

Amazing has a sensitive personality and she gets uncomfortable easy when around chaos or when life is too busy, forever she was using my magical milk of oxytocin and digestive goodness to ease her every discomfort.  I was always there for her.  She has proven to be very self aware, potty trained at 19 months, speaking all kinds of words, telling stories and using her imagination very very well by 2 1/2.  I knew she would never choose to wean on her own, its too great!  Who doesn't have an addiction they don't want to give up? Especially, when this one helps her health, tremendously, emotionally, physically, and spiritually!!!  Its the best thing we will have to give up to grow up!

Now I didn't know how to go about this so I asked, I read, I meditated deeply and this is my weaning story!

Knowing that I needed to wean my child for my sake, because I need more time to myself without the pull of dependency from Mazi, she didn't want her milk to get too far away, she hated to be away from me.  To this day we haven't been apart for more than 5 hours! When I did have to leave, the moment she saw me walk in the door, ALL she wanted was milk, milk, milk!!!  With a whine attached to it!




For her sake, because she needs to feel that she is in control of her self and to know that Mama is separate from her on the physical level, and she needed to practice self-soothing! Even though it still happens in my arms.

I talked with her about it each day for about two weeks, I got out a calendar and drew a fancy picture of some ta-tas with a big squiggly circle around them in bright red and explained to her that this was the day my milk would be all gone.
We discussed babies and big kids and why they are different, we showed her how she has teeth to eat, legs to walk and run, she is strong, she talks, she plays and she no longer needs her Mamas milk.  We pointed out children at the park and helpless babies whenever we came in contact with them.  Mazi loves attention and comforting so I always explained that we can still always cuddle, I will always hold her and give her attention, she will still get all of Mommy but we kept telling her how big she is and that she is drinking Mama's milk all gone.  She can speak so well that she repeated this over and over to her Daddy and I.  We both knew she was understanding it and approving it.  She would ask me everyday, "Is it all gone?" When I said "not yet" she would light up.  I would remind her on the calendar of when it will be gone.  Finally, we told her that big girls get to do great things like take care of a kitty all by themselves...she really wants a kitty, and when we run into a kitten we will get one for her!

My anticipation for the upcoming day was intense.  I was nervous.  We never let Mazi cry herself to sleep or ignore her cries for any reason and knowing this was her favorite thing on the planet so far, I didn't know what to expect!! Oh, and Amazing Grace is perfectly emotional, she feels all her emotions very well and she's incredible empathetic.

The last day we will ever share the moment of her taking in my milk was positive and full of fun!  We spent the day together as a family bringing up often that this is the last day for Mama's milk and that she is growing up.  We went to the park, we got her a toy, we had lunch together, we snuggled, lit candles and played fun games til night.  JJ put her to bed and the next morning was a new day!

Shocking to me, Amazing didn't want to snuggle.  Immediately, she wanted to get out of bed and get distracted.  She wasn't too whiney, she just didn't want much to do with me.  That day was harder for me than her.  It broke my heart to see her avoid snuggling with me, I totally understood and was even proud that she knew she just had to stay away from it or this will be real hard, it was will power in its prime.  I wore high collared shirts and sweaters to help.  I also, wore cabbage leaves and oils in my bra so when she did want to look at them she would say, "Mama, you got leaves on you!" I explained they were my magic leaves, as all of plant life is magic in my eyes.
I kept snacks and yummy beverages around all day, everyday, smoothies, juices, and almond butter milk shakes...yum!
 It was about 3 days where she didn't want to snuggle much.  When I picked her up she tried to get away...she never does that to me!  Finally, after day three I noticed that she became almost a different kid, instantly matured!
She talks about how she is taking care of her babies and she's a big girl.  She wants to walk more and hold my hand, sometimes she asks to not hold my hand but to just stay by me.  It kills me to see this maturity at the same time that it excites me to see her develop into her own person with her own ideas!  She wants to dress herself now, and pick her shoes, she tells me what she wants to eat, even if I only offer what I planned earlier.  She is her own Amazing Grace!
She is even working so well with other kids, she's passive and observant but if a kid respects her, she opens up and tries to communicate with them.  I've seen her be compassionate and very giving with her play, that makes me feel so proud.  She doesn't have aggression but I've seen her give little reminders to some kids to give her space, if she is playing with a toy and some kid is moving in with the eyes to "take it" from her she holds out her hand and pushes lightly like she's moving them out of her way.  Its fun to watch her interact with others.  If they do take it they often regret it with her squeal of disbelief that they would do such a thing to her!

All in all I was soooooo impressed with the outcome, it was totally the right move to make.  We have both evolved nicely and I can feel the success of our family's growth.  I'm falling more and more in Love with who she is becoming!

For myself, the weaning wasn't bad.  I had no engorgement as I prepared myself days in advance.  I drank "no more milk tea" with peppermint, sage, and parsley.  I also ate these raw.  Often JJ caught me in the kitchen with a slab of raw cheddar cheese and a sage leaf being stuffed in my mouth.  It was good and it helped tons!
I kept cabbage leaves on my breast for about four days.  I did have some left over placenta tincture from Amazing's birth and I took that the first week to help balance out my hormonal changes that I knew I would go through.  It wasn't too bad, I got sad a few times simply because I knew it would be the last of our nursing experience together and holding her next to my body in full surrender everyday while she drank from me and I smelled her in, touched her body, stroked her hair, and kissed her hands was going to be really really missed!  I enjoyed the moments of stopping and connecting.  I try often to cuddle her and stop and hug and connect but she still doesn't just surrender into me and rub my chest for 20 minutes, like she did when she nursed.  She's a kid on the go now!
Our last time sharing this moment of nursing together!!

So, we are all growing together and this was a great step we've taken.

Amazing Grace truly is my best friend, she's my buddy, we go everywhere together, even my yoga classes.  I'm so grateful for this opportunity to help raise her into a magnificent and aware human being!

and...



I loved breastfeeding my sweet little Amazing Grace Peek!

To our next chapter....














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