Weaning Rebekah

Okay, for those of you who think that talk about breastfeeding is TMI, stop reading right now. Haha! (Don't worry, I won't get too graphic or anything!)

But, for those who want to know, today was a successful day. Just to give you a bit of background, I have been trying to wean Rebekah for about a month or so now. I haven't been too hard core about it, just trying to get her to adjust. So for a while we only skipped one or two meals and then I'd nurse her to sleep and whenever she just got so cranky we couldn't stand it. She's been doing so well with trying new foods and eating from our plate (the girl eats like she's starved!), so it's easy during the day because she's distracted by so many new and yummy foods. But when it comes to nap and bedtime, it's been harder. So I've given into that lately and we've skipped all normal meals and I've nursed right before she sleeps and when she wakes up during the night (no, she still doesn't sleep thru the night!).

Well last night, I nursed Rebekah as usual and put her to bed. She slept through the night (okay so she does it sometimes) and then when she woke up this morning, I gave her breakfast and didn't nurse her. After running errands all morning, she was exhausted, so I fed her lunch and a snack, and put her to bed for naptime... without nursing! Yay! We also made it until bedtime. This time, I could tell she wanted to, but I thought, 'Hey I'm on a roll, why give in now?' So I changed her diaper and put her to bed. Well she was not happy about it. I talked to her and sang to her, and about 30 minutes or more of crying later, she fell asleep. I was so excited that I did it! Well, about 2 minutes later, we heard her crying again. This time I let her cry without me in there for a few minutes. Then I went back and started over again, singing to her and praying over her, and just patting her back. I even picked her up once to prove that I loved her and would comfort her, just not how she wanted! This went on for some time, and then I finally left the room, frustrated and wanting to give in to my poor baby. But I could tell she was tired. So, I talked to Jason for a little while (thank the Lord he was actually off work today!) and then I came in to the office to check my email. It took another good while, but she finally fell asleep, exhausted from crying. Overall though, it was a successful day and we're going on over 24 hrs of no nursing!

From what I hear, this is just a normal transition and it's normal for babies to cry a lot while learning how to self soothe without breastfeeding. I mean, it's all she's ever known for the whole year she's been alive, so why should she understand that I won't give in? Still, it's frustrating, and I can't wait for it to be over. Not to mention, I hate hearing her cry until she sobs. And she won't take a pacifier, blankie, etc to help soothe herself! So, hopefully this won't last too long, and she will be a quick learner. If anyone has advice from experience, I would love to know what helped you get through it! And to anyone reading this, please just pray that this would be an easy transition!! =)

Oh and sorry but no pictures for this post! Lol!