Weaning- part three (morning feeds)

I had hoped that Pi would continue the 'morning' and 'before bed' feeds for a while. I thought another month of so of both, and then just the 'before bed' feeds for a few more months. However, about a week after he had accepted (read, stopped crying for milk and asked for 'moo moo juice') that the 'after nap' feeds were finished, he woke up on one Sunday morning and asked for 'moo moo juice'. I checked and double checked that that was what he wanted, and when he said yes, I took him downstairs- half expecting him to start screaming when I took him away from the feeding chair in his room. But nope- he was happy having moo moo juice. 

The problem for me came in the evening, because by the afternoon my boobs were engorged and I was in a lot of pain. I couldn't wait for the night feed. Thankfully, he wanted my milk at night and I was very relieved to give it to him.

But giving him moo moo juice in the morning gave me a decision to make. Do we wean him off the morning feeds earlier than planned? 

After the pain I was in, I decided that it is best to call it there, rather than go through that again. So the next morning, while he wanted milk, we took him downstairs for a cuddle and moo moo juice. He was very unhappy about it and for the next few days it messed up his acceptance of no day time feeds either; after his nap he would scream for milk again- though for far less time than before. The demand for milk stopped after a few days though, and he was happy with the new regime- moo moo juice in the morning and day, and milk at night. 

It did leave me with another problem though- the pain. The morning after his first moo moo juice feed in the morning I had a mild case of mastitis. I had a fever of over 40c, and felt absolutely horrible with red streaks in one of my breasts. Last time I had mastitis, the solution was lots of rest and lots and lots of feeding to get rid of the blocked duct. This time I didn't have the option for the feeding bit, but I could stop the engorgement. Off to the shop we went to buy some cabbage leaves, and I had plenty of sage in the cupboard. I made sage tea, and took an oral dose of about 1 tsp of dried sage leaves mixed with peanut butter. I stuffed cabbage leaves down my bra, which was so lovely and soothing. It must have been a very mild case (unlike last time- which was 24 hours) because I was fine by the afternoon.

And, the cabbage and sage really worked. Actually, it worked too well. Between the sage and the cabbage and the lack of feedings, my milk is so little now. When I feed Pi at night, he could be done in a few gulps (I leave him on for a long time though for comfort). At least the engorgement isn't a problem anymore.

However, there was another problem- hormones.

Cutting out two feeds in a space of a few weeks made my body go crazy. I felt nauseated constantly- to the point that I was convinced that I was pregnant for a while. I also had insane hot flushes- mainly at night where I would wake up sweating and boiling hot, and I would strip off everything even though it was 2 degrees out. I also got really sad- not all the time, but at night I would think of how Pi is growing so fast and it would depress the hell out of me. I also couldn't sleep- whether it was lying awake thinking about Pi, or just insomnia, I wasn't sure. I was also exhausted, but that isn't anything new. Thankfully, this stage only lasted about a week or two, and things are back to normal now.

It isn't something I thought of about weaning- all of the side effects. I looked it up, and it is basically a chemical reaction that happens when your brain tries to produce milk, and searches for the hormones to make the milk and doesn't find them, or find many. All of the above are side effects of weaning, but the only one I expected was the engorgement.

I plan of feeding Pi at night for a while yet. I really want to get back on my medication (that isn't safe for breastfeeding), but I love my quiet cuddles with my boy. He is two next month, so I will probably continue until he is two and a few months. Whether it is me that stops, or him that decides he wants to, I will be more prepared for the side effects and armed with lots of sage and cabbage leaves.