Callister's Weaning Story

WARNING: This post deals with nursing and so obviously contains talk about female anatomy, so if that makes you embarrassed, don't read! :) Just know that Callister is now weaned and everyone's happy and healthy!

This post is mostly just for me, but feel free to read it if interested! Callister got a fever about three weeks ago that didn't go away for 3 days, so I took him in to the clinic to check him out. He had loose stools and wasn't eating much either, so I figured I'd better make sure he wasn't dehydrated too. His doctor took one look at his mouth and said, "Did you notice these sores in his mouth?" I hadn't, since they were new that morning, but there were a bunch of red cold-sore like sores and his gums were bright red. The doctor informed me that he had hand, foot, mouth disease! I definitely wasn't expecting that! Since it's a virus, they can't give you anything for it, so I just took him home and tried to keep him comfortable and hydrated while we waited out the sores to heal in about a week. It was so painful for him, but he ate a little each meal and nursed a lot.

The day after I took Callister to the doctor, I noticed that it was becoming extremely painful to nurse him. I had to dig my fingernails into my palms just to distract myself from how much it hurt to nurse! The day after that, I realized I had those same sores on his mouth now on my nipples, so that's why it was hurting so much! I had still been nursing, so the sores had opened and were oozing, which made it even worse. Ouch! It was terrible! After much deliberation, I decided the best thing for both of our happiness (okay, mostly mine) would be to just wean him cold turkey.

I had been trying to wean him slowly for a few weeks, since he had turned 18 months. I figured once he was old enough to be in Nursery then he was old enough to be weaned. (And also, Connell weaned himself right at 18 months, and that worked out great with him.) I kept waiting for Callister to do the same thing, but he was still quite attached to it, so it was difficult. He was still waking up at least once a night wanting to nurse. I felt he was definitely too old for that, and I missed my sleep! So going cold turkey is what we did. On Friday two weeks ago (the 17th), I fed him at 9am and then didn't let him nurse the rest of the day. He would ask to nurse and pull at my shirt, but I would tell him, "Ouch!" and then he would whine a little bit but then get his sippy or bottle that I put some milk in and be satisfied. It'll be 2 weeks tomorrow since he last nursed! It's actually been a lot easier than I expected, thank goodness! Prayer definitely helps! He still pulls at my shirt and puts his hand down it, but then he'll say "Ouch" and go find his bottle or sippy. He's a smart kid! I had to hand-express some milk a few times to relieve my engorged breasts, but I think 3 times total, so that wasn't bad. Now they've gone back to normal, and Callister has been sleeping all night long since I stopped nursing him! I'm one happy mama!

I know this probably isn't a big deal to most people, especially if they haven't nursed their babies, but I'm super proud of myself that I did it and stuck with it as long as I did. I think it has definitely benefited my babies in so many ways. Weaning is mostly difficult emotionally, at least for me, because that is breaking the one last tie that only I have with my baby. He's a big boy now and he doesn't need me in as many ways anymore. I'm very glad that he's more independent, but it's also very difficult for me. I had a couple good cries in the last couple weeks! I know he of course still depends on me for most things, but my body is no longer tied with his, like in pregnancy and nursing. "Sigh." Being a mother is very difficult, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world! I love my boys! I just hope I get the chance to have one or two more before I get too old!