As of last night, our breastfeeding days are officially over. I'm sad. It means my baby is growing up. It was the last vestige of something I can't quite fully put into words. The tough pregnancy? Her miraculous birth? The awe of my newborn baby? Her complete dependence on me? Maybe it is a little bit of all of these things.She is two years old. Yes, I was one of THOSE moms. Breastfeeding has tons of benefits for mother and child. I believe that it is an amazing gift that mother can give to child. I lost support from many people when she turned one. I started to hear the questions like "When are you going to quit nursing her?" or "Don't you think she's a little old for that?" or even "She doesn't need that anymore. Give her REGULAR milk". While I usually ignored them, that last comment made me mad. I guess cow's milk is the normal milk and my breastmilk was supposed to be the scary, crazy bad stuff. Whatever.
We weaned for two reasons. Both are personal. One of those reasons involved my health. Unfortunately, it became necessary to finish up nursing. I'm coming to terms with it. I am confident that I have given her the best start possible. I'm glad that I was able to give her two years of it.
Here comes the diet tie-in:
This morning, I weighed myself. The scale and I meet on Thursday morning. We meet in the bathroom. I bring myself in all my naked glory. Scale brings her harsh reality spelled out in little electronic numbers. I'm only down 0.2 pounds this week.
I expected the teeny tiny weight loss this time since we had been weaning this past week. Weight Watchers allotted five extra points to me each and every day while nursing. That was a great buffer. My safety net of POINTS to cushion me from dieting disaster.
Now that it is real, that I adjusted my daily POINTS total to reflect my shiny new non-nursing mother status, I'm nervous. What if I can't make my diet work with less points (even though each time you hit a new weight bracket, you loss another daily POINT)?
We eat out often in my household. I am not much of a cook. I've tried and tried, but it just isn't me. I envy women who can look at the contents of an almost empty fridge and make a delicious feast. Those women who can whip up meals with little effort are seriously amazing gals. I'm just not one of them.
I guess I'm scared that going out to eat might not work with my new, lower daily POINTS amount. I'm fearful the medicine that the doctor prescribed will cause me to gain weight. Unfortunately, that can be a side effect of way too many meds. I don't want all of this work and weight loss to be for naught.
I'm just in that scary readjustment phase. I can do this. Yes, I can. I am woman. Here me...
~~~~~
Side Dish: The beautiful picture is titled "Mother and Child" by Harold Gilman. 1918.
2 comments:
I LOVE the first paragraph you wrote - how breastfeeding is the last stage of the whole baby experience. It definitely put me in your head with the whole finality of it. I love that you see it as a milestone, something to be proud of!
But ooooh that cow's milk comment! Redonkulus. Studies have reported chemicals, antibiotics, hormones, dirt and mucus in cow's milk. How is that safer than milk from your own body?
Sorry, but I had to say that.
To respond to the diet tie-in, I will try to not get preachy, as I've been known to do when I talk about eating healthy.
Honestly - I think it's do-able. You can meet everyone's needs without cooking too much. Eating more raw foods will make life easier for you. The salads at your usual restaurants are pretty scant of quality veggies. Why not bring a small tupperware of your own? Cart along some edamame or chickpeas to toss on top. Add a handful of nuts, seeds, some avocado - and "just a salad" is really filling!
As for the hubby - there must be some easy-assembly meat and potatoes recipes out there. Do you guys have a crock pot? That could make your cooking days a lot easier. If you don't have one, we should try to score you one at a thrift store or wal-mart or something.
At the end of the day, you guys don't all have to eat the same thing. Plus - If you are eating well, you will have more energy to make different meals.
I guarantee that you are not the only person in this scenario. Do some research and see if there are any tricks you can dig up. Everything I learned about food I learned from blogs. There are some smart resourceful women out there!
Beyond all the food talk - you are strong and determined and REALLY creative. You've done so well so far. I have no doubt that those extra five POINTS will be no big deal once you maneuver around the obstacles. You can do it!
farty girl told me you posted. great job on nursing for years (so did i !) and the weight thing will all work out. trust me. have faith in your body :)
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