The End Of Breastfeeding...

at least I hope so...Since my initial plan to wean was at 6 months, I dare not say for sure that this is the end. Meera has other plans in mind or so it seems.

I was starting to think that maybe I would extend breastfeeding her till 1 year old... especially since that is the recommended age. But personally I feel 6 months was what I was prepared for and I've gone longer than that. And lately I've noticed that Meera has started to develop the habit of nursing to sleep which I do not want to encourage. It all started once she got more aware of her surroundings and would only nurse well when she was sleepy. This created a vicious cycle: when she was wide awake she wouldn't nurse well so I had to nurse when she was sleepy. Pretty soon it got to a point where nursing before sleep became a routine. Since I wasn't sure how much she was drinking I could never be sure if she was hungry or it was just a habit. Added to that she started to wake in the middle of the night to feed as well! This was so unlike her who has pretty much slept thru the night since she was around 3 months.

As far as I can see it's time to start her on formula. That way I'll know exactly how much she's taking and I can feed her enough so she doesn't wake up in the middle of the night.

But so far Meera does not seem on board with this plan. I had tried to offer her formula once in a while but everytime I did she would just push the bottle away. I even tried mixing it with her food but somehow it had such a distinctive smell that she wasn't fooled. I even tried to mix it with breast milk but she refused. Some people suggested trying different brands, so we did (Enfapro, Anmum and Babynat). But honestly, I myself found that they all tasted (and smelled) quite different from breast milk. It was no wonder that Meera was refusing.

And so we arrive at today....Trying to wean cold turkey (in the belief that if she's hungry enough she sill take formula). So far it has been extremely nerve wrecking (to say the least.)

Her last feed (nursing) was yesterday at 5 p.m. After that I gave her some solids (her regular amount for dinner) and that night we offered formula. As expected she fussed and cried. After 30 minutes of persistence she finally took 3 oz! and proceeded to fall asleep (maybe cos she was exhausted from the whole ordeal...I know I was!) She woke at 1.30 a.m., we offered formula, she refused and went back to sleep. Next day she woke up at 8...we offered, she refused. For the rest of the day we continued to offer and she finally took 4 oz. at 3 p.m.! At 5 p.m. I fed her dinner and she went to bed at 6.30 p.m. It's 9 p.m. and she's still asleep....not sure if she'll wake up or calling our bluff (I'm about to fold as it is).

I should add that being the worry wort that I am, we scheduled our pediatrician's visit today so I could make sure that what we were doing was okay. The doctor was not exactly on board with it but she did say that we could keep trying for a day or two but longer than that would not be recommended. She suggested we offer formula before each nursing and with time Meera would come to accept formula. HUH??? Call me a pessimist but how can that possibly work...all you're doing is telling the baby that if she holds out she'll get what she wants. How is that suppose to convince her to take the formula?

For now....I am hoping that my next post will have something good to report. Wish me luck!!!