My love affair with breast feeding has come to a sad end. When I was pregnant with Mason I said I would try breast feeding but not beat myself up if it didn’t work out or wasn’t for me. When my angel was born and my breasts filled up with milk, we got to work and I was nursing almost every hour at times. I loved it and so did he. Trust me, in the beginning there were those times when it did hurt very badly until I got used to it, and then it was very easy for us.
I said I would try to nurse him for six months and see how I felt. At six months I said I would nurse for a year and see how I felt. At a year, I introduced Mason to cow’s milk and goat’s milk and alternated the two. (All organic of course). I listened to lots of people say “when are you going to stop nursing already?!” At 13 months, I had weaned from all of our day feedings, but we continued to nurse all night long.
At 14 months I finally tried to stop and end the night feedings. I put cold cabbage leaves in my bra which so many people told me to try. My breasts were hard, lumpy and painful. I wasn’t happy and he wasn’t happy and I just couldn’t help but feel this was not natural. I said to myself, if Mason wants to nurse I will let him. That night he pulled at my shirt while we were asleep and I nursed him. We both felt so much better. He did that three more nights only one time a night and then he stopped. He was done nursing and that meant so was I. My breasts didn’t hurt this time at all.
I seriously could cry just thinking about it being over. I love what a beautiful experience I had with my son and just wanted to share it.
My “babies” are 15 and 11 now, but nursing them was the best thing for all of us! They weaned late too and I don’t regret one second of it. Good for you, not only that you nursed, but that you are a public figure and nursed. We need more celebrity moms like you.
hey Kourt, thanks for being a good role model. am enjoying breastfeeding as well but was betting about when to stop. Am glad to have come across your opinion about it. Much love from Uganda (Africa).
Congratulations on your second pregnancy! I hope you have a healthy and happy next several months, as well as a peaceful delivery. I’m nursing my second daughter and she is still going strong at 10 1/2 months. While I don’t normally read celebrity blogs, not to mention comment on them, I wanted to take a moment to commend you for doing what is best for you and your baby. I think it’s rare and wonderful to read about a well-known figure making the decision to nurse and sticking with it for longer than most non-famous women are able to.
I just have one question…my baby is a complete booby addict, but I’m ready to begin the process of weaning her from feedings other than sleep-time sessions for napping and nights. I’m totally lost on how to do this, though, because with my first I just ran out of enough milk (due to my return to work and less-than-ideal response to the dreaded pump) when she was about 7 months old. How did you go about dropping feedings without it being awfully unpleasant for Mason?
YOUR A WONDERFUL PERSON FOR USING YOUR CELEBRITY STATUS TO ADVOCATE BREASTFEEDING. I STILL NURSE MY SON AND HE IS 20 MONTHS, I TOO HAD SOME ISSUES IN THE BEGINNING BUT LIKE YOU I KEPT ON BECAUSE I ONLY WANTED THE BEST FOR MY SON. I AM PROUD TO SAY THAT MY SON IS HEALTHY, AND SMART AND THAT I AS A WOMAN AND MOTHER AND PROUD OF YOU AND HAVE THE MOST RESPECT FOR YOU BETWEEN YOUR SISTERS.
Way to go! What a wonderful gift you gave your son! You should be proud of yourself. Way to listen to your motherly instincts.