Cold Turkey (First 2 Days) and Sleepytime Spray

I will never regret my decision to pump for Edgar. Though it was tough to keep going and I seriously doubted that I'd make it to my goal of six months, I finally made it far enough to feel ready to launch the beginning of the end. At 5 months post-partum, I dropped down to four pumps a day. This soon fell to three, followed shortly by two. I just couldn't justify continuing; it felt like a weight constantly dragging me down. Pumping hadn't felt like much of a burden until I started dropping pumps. Without pumping as often, I had more time to spend with Edgar. I didn't have to rush rocking him to sleep so that I could pump. I had tasted life without pumping, and I wanted more.

This last week, I made the decision to stop pumping. I purchased a pack of Sudafed, a cabbage, and peppermint tea... and then stopped pumping. I packed up my electric double pump and put it away.

Goodbye for now, my good friend.

That's right, I'm doing weaning cold turkey

Weaning cold turkey carries the risk of mastitis and other unfriendly things, so I knew I had to go about this carefully. Or rather, as carefully as cold turkey can be. I read up as much as I could about weaning this way, and set to work.

Day 1
Physically
One word: OUCH. I took Sudafed shortly before bedtime the night before, and only pumped with my manual pump to relieve pressure. I ended up with a total of 5oz between the girls, and that was only relieving minimal pressure. I still felt super full and in a lot of pain for most of the day. Holding Edgar was pretty painful. I was sweating a lot; I'm not sure if that is from the hormone changes.

Mentally/Emotionally
Though I felt confident in my decision, this day was the most emotionally difficult. I fed Edgar his last bottle of freshly pumped milk that I had pumped the day before, and I teared up a little. It felt so hard to believe that I had made it so far and had stored up so much frozen breastmilk for Edgar. Throughout the day, Edgar was super cuddly and it almost seemed like he knew what was going on. I don't know if he really did, but it made my day easier. I feel so blessed to be raising such an empathetic little being, and honoured to have put forth the work to pump for him for so long.

Day 2
Physically
This day was easier than the first physically. I had much more energy than when I was pumping, and didn't feel like I had to pump as often for the pressure. When I did pump, it only took about 3oz to relieve the pressure, followed by about 2oz. I weighed myself and had already lost 4lbs since starting weaning! Maybe water weight? I'm not sure, but I had been sweating and peeing a lot more than usual. My appetite also dropped dramatically.

Mentally/Emotionally
This day was emotionally easier than the first as well. I was able to be more productive thanks to the increase in energy, and didn't feel nearly as weepy as the first day. Edgar was still more cuddly than usual, and I felt more confident in my choice to stop pumping. I feel so much more at ease and relaxed at home caring for Edgar without the constant weight on my shoulders to pump. It almost feels like I've come out of a fog and have clarity for the first time in months!

We'll see how everything goes from here on out. So far, I really feel like I made the right decision for Edgar and myself by weaning at this point. Here's hoping that feeling sticks!

Sleepy Time Calming Mist
Edgar has been having a hard time settling down for bedtime recently. While grocery shopping in Superstore, K and I passed through the natural foods aisle and came upon this wonderful spray:

Ingredients

Instructions

I started applying it to Edgar's legs before massaging with lotion during his pre-bedtime diaper change. So far, it seems to help him calm down and get settled for bedtime. I don't know if it's only the massaging that is helping, but I really like the scent. If anything, it's calming for me!