The End of an Era

It was the end of a short era. On May 3, Oaklee was 22 months and 4 days old and I breastfed her for our very last time. She would go on to deplete what was once an overwhelming freezer stash via bottle/cup, but May 3 was the last time the two of us would sit down together and snuggle up for a feed.

5.3.19

“I can’t quite explain how grateful I am for the experience (of breastfeeding Oaklee) or how proud I am of our success. Doctors said we’d never do it. They said she wouldn’t thrive if breastfed. Well they can eat their words. She’s 22 months old and thriving.

It was the end of a short era. On May 3, Oaklee was 22 months and 4 days old and I breastfed her for our very last time. She would go on to deplete what was once an overwhelming freezer stash via bottle/cup, but May 3 was the last time the two of us would sit down together and snuggle up for a feed.

While I wanted some time to have my body to myself between kids, being pregnant but not breastfeeding was going to have to suffice. Had I not been pregnant, I honestly don’t know that I would have weaned quite yet. I was open to continuing for a couple more months, but now a couple more months would have put us that much closer to starting the process all over again.

As for the last 22 months? I can’t say for sure that I clung to breastfeeding because I was bitter over being told it would never happen. It’s possible I kept going because I truly am just that passionate about breastfeeding babies. Or maybe we made it to 22 months simply because it’s what worked for us. It’s how the cards played out. But that 22 month journey was anything but easy. From exclusively pumping, to over-producing, to sitting in the rocking chair and crying together when we just couldn’t get it to work, to seeing improvement, to making a commitment, to figuring it out, to becoming comfortable, to becoming pros… Those 22 months were quite something – a time I will forever cherish. 

But in just four months, that process would start over. And I didn’t know what it would look like that next time, but I was grateful for the break until then. I was grateful to be tether-free – to be able to leave the house without a baby or pump. Until September…

In the stats: 
Gestational Age: 16 weeks, 4 days
Doctor’s Appointments: 3
Ultrasounds: 1