Mon Petit Chou
04 Feb 2011 Leave a Comment
in Baby Gabe, mom Tags: baby, breastfeeding, cabbage, engorgement, weaning
So it’s official. We are weaning. Reasons?
1. I would be weaning in less than 2 months anyway.
2. I am a hormonal mess. (Apparently this is normal when weaning? Any mention of nursing makes me break down into tears. Ugh, so annoying.)
3. I get to go back on birth control.
4. I have the freedom of leaving Gabriel for longer periods of time without worrying about when I will nurse him.
5. I get to wear normal shirts/bras.
6. And most of all…Gabey is so done. He wants his big boy cup – so who am I to argue?
There are probably more reasons really…but that’s enough I think. And there are no reasons that are compelling enough to try to continue breastfeeding. Yes, it’s better than formula, undoubtedly. But it’s not like we are talking about a 10 week old, or even a 4 month old. Gabe is almost 10 1/2 months old. He eats lots of solids. He will be fine. And I will be fine too. (Just give me a few days, and I will be right as rain.)
So…quitting cold turkey. Not what I had in mind. At all. But that decision was essentially taken out of my hands. So here we are, doing what we can to prevent major engorgement. (Language lesson of the day: ”Mon petit chou” means “My little cabbage” in French. Which is way awesome, in my opinion. Why call your lover “Pookie” when you can make goo goo eyes at a cabbage? Ah yeah.)
Which bring me to…that’s right. Cold cabbage leaves.
Totally sexy. You know that Gray is so digging the salad on my boobs. Its like, the best coleslaw ever. (Boobslaw, mmm.) It helps to prevent engorgement, makes the soreness tolerable and also makes a tasty snack. …Right. So yeah, I’m putting cabbage on my breasts. how do you do it, you ask? Buy a green cabbage, pull off the leaves, wash them, refrigerate them, then put them in your bra. A tight bra like a sports bra. (something nice and snug, but not superbinding.) Also, I’m hand-expressing the bare minimum amount of milk to keep the searing pain at bay (OK, that was dramatic. It’s not that bad). All those things in conjunction with ice packs, ibuprofen, and time, should make the whole weaning process a little less horrific for me. (Cross your fingers!)
The cabbage-wearing is quite funny, though. You can see it poking out of my bra – there is no denying it’s green, leafy presence. I told Gray, “It’s a fashion statement. You know, like a high fashion model. Cabbage as art.” I’m not sure Gray was convinced, though he did say that if he squinted, he could just pretend that I was wearing a shirt with frilly green shit around the neckline. Thanks, hubs. You know, I bet he wouldn’t complain if I was wearing this:
cabbage lingerie...sexy AND delicious.
So the transition to formula has been…interesting. Not too bad, but not super easy. Harder for us than Gabey. The pediatrician said he should be drinking around 24 oz of formula a day…this is so not happening right now. He knows when he is thirsty and when he isn’t. And I am not about to force him to drink more than he wants. We will get there. But he doesn’t seem to be having a problem with the transition in general. No stomach problems or anything. We bought Enfamil, the powdered stuff. We give him 6-8 oz when he wakes up, another 4-6 oz in the early afternoon, possibly another 4-6 oz in the late afternoon, and then another 6 or oz before bed. I think he just needs to get used to it. He ended up having like 15ish oz. in total yesterday. Today he has already had around 12 oz. So we are getting there. He will definitely have a good amount before bed, I just don’t know how much he will want when he wakes up from his second nap. (Especially because I used to give him a little water at that point…not sure if I should do formula instead of the water, or what…it’s a learning process, I guess.)
So that is where we are. I think I’m okay with it. I have to be, right? Dealing with the unexpected, overcoming adversity, and putting your child’s wants and needs first…that is what being a parent is all about.
–Marn
