Yep, we’re done (and I’m feeling fine). Celebrating our journey/relationship.
DD is weaned, we haven’t fed for a week. It wasn’t completely her choice, I had had enough and I did push her away a bit in the end, but it wasn’t bad or hard and she really was ready. I wanted to get to the WHO 2 year recommendation but I’m really, really happy that we made it through two winters in daycare. DS’s second winter in daycare, when he wasn’t being breastfed, was awful, he was constantly sick, whereas DD has been very robust and had only had a few minor things. No coincidence I say! :D She still asks for it, she calls it “juice” because we call it “boob juice”. She’s going to get a shock if someone offers her some actual “juice” one day. I have given her suck every now and again and she looks up and me and says “gone” in a shocked/hilarious, cute little voice.
Anyway, onto celebrating our journey. I have inverted nipples so never thought I would actually be able to breastfeed and was shocked when I found that I was actually quite good at it. :o I never used nipples shields and after my experience with some enthusiastic but devastatingly intrusive MWs and LCs with DS I worked out that NO ONE was allowed to do anything to my nipples to make them into something they’re not. My babies are the only ones allowed to “shape” them for feeding and they do an absolutely perfect job, thank you very much!
I ended up with an awful, excruciatingly painful cracked nipple with DD on about day 6 and went to see a LC that made the situation much worse. Obviously she wasn’t the right LC for me. Anyway of course I posted here on BB and all you lovely ladies were just amazing. I can’t thank you enough for your kind and patient advice and warm encouragement. I wish I could find that thread but I think it’s gone. Anyway, by paying close attention to attachment we worked though it and went from strength to strength.
I returned to work, just part-time, when DD was 4 months old. I used to express 5 X 120ml bottles of EBM for her and I would be dying for a break to express at work. I also worked through some mastitis around that time too.
She had her first taste of soilds at 6 months and really took to them at around 7 months and she’s never had ABM.
Our biggest challenge was breast refusal at 11 months. It went on for a few days before I realised what was happening and by then my supply had really dropped and she was so close to weaning. Again I posted on here (I found the thread this time: https://www.bellybelly.com.au/forums...ed-115259.html ) and again I can’t thank you enough for all your help and support. If it wasn’t for BB, I’m sure it would have been all over there and then. Anyway that was 29th October 2009. We went for nearly a whole ‘nother year! :dance: And I can see now (with that fabulous 2020 hindsight) that the breast refusal coincided with the return of AF, and from then on we always had a bit of breast refusal around AF time.
So cheers to a great start in life for my DD :cheer: and cheers to a next time I never thought I’d have (for surprise #3). :loveshower:
And thank you, thank you, thank you, to everyone that has helped and supported us. :hug:
