The End of Nursing

We tried Brogan on a slow wean from nursing to the bottle. He would occasionally take two, maybe four, ounces, but, for the most part, he would refuse. Since we knew he was able, though unwilling, we decided the time had arrived for nursing to end.

On Friday I had a kidney stone procedure that will hopefully rid me of kidney stones... at least for now. (Yes, I have held on to those kidney stones since my pregnancy with Brogan.) We chose Friday morning as Brogan's final opportunity to breastfeed. The last time was certainly bittersweet for me. I didn't get the opportunity to nurse Ayden, so I was eager for the chance to do so with Brogan. Though I was happy to have had the intimacy and health benefits with our youngest son, eight months was plenty for both of us; Brogan was beginning to get easily distracted, and I was feeling resentful of the every two hours of nursing.

So... for the next three days, Bryan offered Brogan a bottle at normal feeding times. In the end, Brogan succumbed, and with the exception of some angry moments the first night, Bryan thought the experience wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been.

Though I have certainly thought about it, I haven't nursed Brogan since he made a successful transition to the bottle. Instead, I have weaned my pumping (I make a lot of fatty milk!) and worked toward formula-only bottles with Brogan (he gets a mix of breastmilk and formula right now). We are also giving Brogan solids twice a day. It has been difficult to determine what he is willing to eat, but he most certainly likes anything banana and Gerber macaroni and cheese. Those squeeze packets have come in handy; he almost prefers those over being fed with a spoon. (He hates Gerber pears, peaches, or apples, but if you give him an equivalent Earth's Best squeezer, he eats the whole thing!) He literally gags on any green foods. What can I say? He's my son... so much so that he is also one of the messiest eaters I've known!

Brogan, you like this cold strawberry?!?! BLECH!