So to transition him to a new routine without breastfeeding, Andy went to Alton when he first woke up in the morning and got him breakfast, a Mommy-less assimilation to mornings without nursing. Alton was happy to dig in to his banana and some scrambled eggs in his jammies, and tosses back a side of Cheerios occasionally, too. For a few days we held our breath, waiting to see if he would ask to nurse, but he didn't. I'll admit that Mommy was a little sad to end this aspect of our relationship and that part of me may have been hoping that he would show some reluctance to let it go, but in the end I am happy that the change went so smoothly for him. It would have been sad anytime to wean my baby, and I think that if he had been upset or confused it would have made me sadder. He has been weaned for one week now, so Andy, Alton and I had a little family celebration to commemorate this occasion. We went out for dinner and I baked a cake (Cake from scratch, but icing was not, this time! I was out of powdered sugar and when I hurriedly ran into Target today for other essentials, Target was also out of powdered sugar. Pillsbury it is.) and decorated it for the two graduates.
We also bought Alton a little gift: a big Magna-Doodle for his playroom. A friend had raved about the travel-size Magna-Doodle as an airplane distraction toy, so we got a cheapo Target knockoff bitty version for our recent trip to California. Alton was fascinated by it, and we loved having a small toy to bring along that was engrossing, non-messy, and quiet so as not to disturb other passengers. A full-size Magna-Doodle was definitely in order, and here you see how absorbed Alton is in his play.
Twenty successful months of breastfeeding cannot be achieved by one mama and baby alone; breastfeeding is a natural art, but it's also a learned skill. I want to first thank my mother Pam and mother-in-law Jennifer for their unflagging encouragement both before and after Alton was born. Jennifer credits breastfeeding as one of the things that kept Andy healthy as an infant despite being born with heart defects that necessitated him receiving open heart surgery at 13 months old. Pam had already lost her own mother when her three children were born and looked to her older sisters Marilyn and Carole for guidance on nursing, which she passed on to me early in my pregnancy by giving me a copy of La Leche League's "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding." Both of these women have been my role models and cheerleaders throughout my career as a nursing mother, and I have appreciated their advice, sympathy and suggestions every step of the way. I also thank my entire extended family for always being respectful, curious and courteous about my breastfeeding relationship with Alton--thank you to my dad Steve and father-in-law Charlie, siblings and siblings-in-law Cari, Julio, KC, Zach and fellow nursing mom Karen, with whom I swapped stories, information, and even fashion tips about nursing.
I also would like to mention again the wonderful breastfeeding support group at Tuality Hospital's Health Education Center, which I enthused about here. The group leader Carrie was always understanding and helpful, I met many friends there as a new gal in town, and it was there that I first heard about the work of the amazing organization Nursing Mother's Counsel of Oregon and became a volunteer. It is so crucial for any mom of a new baby, especially one who is nursing for the first time, to have support from multiple spheres, and going weekly to this informal support group was essential to my success with nursing Alton. We made a special trip back to the group this past week to say hello to the leader Carrie and announce our graduation from nursing--it felt like the celebration that it is.
Support knows its definition in the character of my husband, Andy. In my fervent prenatal desire to nurse my baby once he was born, Andy was right there alongside me, championing my role as a nursing mother before I even had a child to nurse. He read pages of breastfeeding "how-tos," listened attentively to his cousin Ali when she and I discussed foremilk, hindmilk and let-down, and congratulated me when I bought my first nursing bras. Andy was flagging down nurses in the hospital for breastfeeding assistance when Alton was first born, proudly took pictures of baby's first nursing session, and called the lactation consultant at Alta Bates to make a consultation appointment for me when we were a week home from the hospital, my mom was gone, and I was exhausted, sore, engorged, and leaking milk all over the place. He always let me understand that breastfeeding was our choice, not "my" choice, and expressed his admiration and appreciation for what I was doing to give Alton a happy and healthy start in life. I felt so happy to know that to Andy, breastfeeding was a beautiful, natural miracle, regardless of whether I was serenely nursing Alton in the crook of my arm, or drowsily latching him on in the middle of the night in our bed, the tiny warm baby body somehow causing Andy to claim only an inches-wide sliver of the mattress. It makes me unspeakably proud when a friend of ours asks a question about nursing and Andy is able to answer it as well as I could have, even if I'm sitting right there. I am ecstatic to think about the role model that he is providing for Alton, who in turn will hopefully champion his own wife's right to nurse one day.
So to eeeeeeeveryone who contributed in any small or large way to our 20 sweet, wonderful, sometimes frustrated, sometimes elated months of breastfeeding--Alton and I thank you!
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