Archive for April, 2006

Weaning?

My precious baby is now a toddler and some seem very surprised that she is still nursing (~5 times/day). I should probably clarify that most people are most shocked that I am still nursing her rather than that she is still nursing. The majority of negative comments or looks that I’ve received have been at least partially because I am also pregnant. Apparently, it is unacceptable (by some folks, not all) to even consider nursing while pregnant or especially tandem nursing.

Well, Eila is a big fan of “teter” (the french term that we use) and is showing no signs or disinterest or even of the possibility of distracting her from her desired form of nourishment. Now, I must admit that I am also in no hurry to end this part of our relationship. It is a great excuse to sit down together and rest for 5-10 minutes all at once (a rarity for toddlers). It is also a great excuse to eat tons of food (healthy, mind you, but still – I like to eat.) I also like to know that I am providing the very best for her with immunities and antibodies as well as the calories and vitamins and minerals that she needs. God made this food just for her and I want to make sure she gets it.

So, all of this to say that my milk supply is diminishing and the end is coming. I don’t know if it will continue until baby2 arrives and beyond or if Eila will want to stop sooner. I do know that it won’t last forever and that when weaning is over, I will probably be a little relieved (to be able to be away from her for days on end, if needed) and sad (that she could go days on end without needing me).

As for how the weaning process will happen, I have read a lot and gotten lots of advice on the best and worst ways for this. I imagine that it will be a gradual reduction of the number of feeding per day down to just one or two and then she’ll stop asking and I’ll stop offering and then one day I’ll realize that she hasn’t nursed for a couple of days…

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Online Shopping

I love the computer for its convenience and ease of finding information, but I have very mixed feelings about shopping online.

It is so stressful to me. I like to be able to see all the angles and hold and test things that I might buy. For example, I wanted to get a book for a friend who is newly pregnant; however, I had to read a ton of different people’s opinions about the books rather than just looking through the book and coming up with my own opinion. (I had a coupon for amazon.com that I wanted to use.) Also, I’ve been looking for a new stroller and again have read hundreds of other people’s opinions on various strollers and they have been helpful, but what I really want is to push the stroller around and try it out. You might wonder why I don’t just go do that… Well, I would, except that most stores don’t carry more than one type of the stroller that I’m searching for and in general it is not put together. So, shopping in the traditional sense isn’t even really an option in this case. Plus, several of the strollers are available only online. How crazy is that!?

Shopping online is also totally comfortable. I am able to do the research to find a good deal, which I enjoy and sit at home while Eila is sleeping peacefully. I don’t have to worry about how long I am taking and that she might get fussy or need something, because if anything comes up, I can just continue shopping later, picking up exactly where I left off.

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