The end of breastfeeding

I have been pregnant or nursing since October of 2009 when I became pregnant with my first son. Yeah, that's almost 6 years of my life spent carrying a baby or breastfeeding one. I always knew that I wanted to breastfeed but I didn't know the magnitude of the whole experience. I don't care how you feed your child as long as you don't let them starve. Breastfeeding or formula feeding both lead to beautiful healthy children.

Breastfeeding Tman was hard work, we didn't hit it off right away and I was in constant pain. But somehow we managed and when we finally clicked it was awesome. We did it for 13 months then I got pregnant. It was a perfect transition, I was ready to be done and Tman was ready to be done.

Breastfeeding Jbird was easy from the moment he was born, he latched on like a pro and we had an awesome breastfeeding experience until he stopped suddenly at barely 9 months. I cried for days because I wasn't ready and I felt like he didn't want me anymore. I couldn't sustain pumping exclusively, my supply tanked and we had to supplement with formula for 6 weeks. I did not like the way things ended but luckily I got pregnant right after we stopped so I didn't dwell on it too much.

Breastfeeding Bean was my best breastfeeding experience to date. He was easy from day one, latching on within seconds of being out of the womb. I was also less stressed about the whole process which made our nursing experience so much more enjoyable.  A year came and went and we were still going strong and though I stopped pumping, Bean was just content with whatever he was getting. 16 months came and I was ready to throw in the towel but decided to wait until our trip to Mexico, I figured he wouldn't get it for a week and would just forget about it. It was a great ending to an amazing relationship, we lasted 17 months of exclusively breastfeeding. I was ready and he was ready (or maybe I forced him a little). This was my best breastfeeding experience.

Nursing on the couch

Nursing in front of Cafe du Monde in NOLA

 Nursing in a bar, I guess the baby was thirsty too

 Nursing on the plane what what

I have enjoyed breastfeeding my children, the closeness, the loving eyes, the cuddling and all the good stuff that came with it. It was a challenging yet absolutely rewarding experience. The one advice I can give anyone contemplating breastfeeding is to be patient and take it one day at a time. Having a baby to care for is hard enough, be kind to yourself and the rest will follow. Just like that, for the first time in almost 6 years, I am neither pregnant nor breastfeeding and it is a really weird feeling.