Wednesday, June 5, 2013

An Unexpected Weaning

I originally planned to breastfeed for a year if all went well.  Then I learned about child led weaning and decided to breastfeed until they graduated high school.  No, not really.  But close.  It felt like it some days, anyway.  Actually, my eldest weaned a few months after turning four, which meant that she nursed through one pregnancy and until the third trimester of the next.  I was tandem breastfeeding for over seven years, and wound up triandeming for more than two and a half years. 

And now everyone is weaned.

Happy memories
I knew that the middle two were almost done for a few months before they stopped.  They had both gone further and further between nursings.  But I didn't expect the baby to wean before she turned three.  I think I had gotten used to the pattern from pregnancy of nearly-weaning a toddler and then giving birth and having an abundant milk supply again.  The streams of milk and constant reminder of a baby sibling usually meant that the older child would resume breastfeeding again as much or more as the baby. It just seemed normal when my two year old began to slow down, but without a newborn, my supply didn't bounce back, and no one else was nursing in front of her to make her want to nurse more, too.

A few weeks ago, she got sick.  Normally if she picks up a bug, she would just nurse nonstop for 24 hours and then be fine.  This time, she couldn't figure out how to latch.  She tried a few times and then gave up. 

After more than nine years of continuous lactation, I am still adjusting a bit to not being a nursing mom anymore.  I am pretty happy about wearing regular shirts instead of nursing tops.  It was gradual enough that I avoided some of the worst of the hormone fluctuations, but I have still been experiencing much more emotional intensity than usual.  I am relieved that flu season is over, but nervous about traveling this summer without being able to nurse the baby on the plane or if she gets sick.  (Maybe much more nervous than I need to be--that whole emotional intensity thing, you know).  I have never had a two or three year old without the power to breastfeed them through illness or any other time when they needed it, and it feels a little scary, like when you are nodding off to sleep and catch yourself waking up with a jerk even though you didn't really fall.

But the key is that when they needed it.  She doesn't need it now.  She never asks for it.  She falls asleep just fine each night.  This last time when she was sick, she wanted to be in my arms the whole time but she didn't ask for leche and she is well now.  She has taken up the new habit of wanting to rub my belly all of a sudden.  I am trying to embrace it with a zen, buddha acceptance, but seriously--you never twiddled when you were actually breastfeeding and you want to start now?!

So I go back to the reasons I chose child-led weaning in the first place.  The trust in the design of our Creator, in my body, in my child.  I look at this last little baby girl of mine, growing up faster than I expected, but perfectly.  And I am thankful.   Though my breasts are no longer full, my heart still is.

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Mindful Parenting eBundle Sale


Welcome to the Mindful Parenting eBundle Sale!
This bundle of resources for conscious parents is 22 quality e-products from esteemed parenting authors, a $274 USD value for $24.95 USD, available for 12 days only. Get your bundle today! Sales through these links go to support the work I do on my blog and page, and I would be thrilled to actually earn a little money from it. Thank you so very much! :)

Click here to visit Mindful Nurturing.

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In the early days of parenting, I felt pretty isolated. It seemed as though nobody that I knew felt the same call in their spirit to parent by treating their children the same way they would want to be treated. That changed once I found Dr. Sears and Attachment Parenting International, connected to other moms online and found my community.  And now I have an exciting opportunity to introduce you to some of my friends who amaze me with the work they are doing to help other families succeed in peaceful parenting.

Back when I only had 12 followers, Laura Schuerwegen of Authentic Parenting invited me to do some guest posts. That encouraged me to start a Facebook page, where I soon began to follow Positive Parents: Toddlers and Beyond, Hobomama, Kelly Bartlett, The Way of the Peaceful Parent, HybridRastaMama, The Organic Sister and most of the others included in this bundle. As I got to know these remarkable women, I became privileged to call many of them true friends. Becky Eanes, Amy Phoenix and Lucy Pearce have all written guest posts for my blog that I have been proud to share, and I've shared links to every single one of the authors included in this bundle because what they have to say is worth your time.

Some of the wisest investments I have ever made have been in parenting resources, and I believe that the materials included here are easily worth the full individual price. But not everyone has the cash for that, no matter how valuable the resources really are. So you have the opportunity to purchase the ebundle with a retail value of $274 for only $24.95! That means you are paying only $1.13 for each eproduct!

As an affiliate, I earn a commission for each ebundle that gets sold, but I would recommend these anyway (and have shared reviews of some of them already!) simply because I believe in what these wise women are doing to make our world a better one.  I hope that you purchase this fantastic bundle of parenting resources!

Here are the details on what you get: 
http://mindfulnurturing.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/mindfulparenting-covers.jpg
Click here to visit Mindful Parenting


Welcome to the Mindful Parenting eBundle Sale, organized by Jennifer from Hybrid Rasta Mama, Lauren from Hobo Mama, and Laura from Authentic Parenting!
The Mindful Parenting eBundle is 22 titles by esteemed parenting authors. This is a handpicked selection of e-books, workshops, e-magazines, and audio, with themes such as creativity and play, peaceful guidance, mindfulness for mothers, children and food, self-care and relaxation, and more.
That's a total value of $274 USD for the humble price of $24.95 USD!
Are you as excited as I am?
Let me share the list of contributors:
  1. Parenting for Social Change by Teresa Graham Brett
  2. A Unique 7-Step Parenting Tool: Sleep talking by Marcy Axness
  3. Relaxation Meditation, audio by Amy Phoenix of Presence Parenting
  4. Newbie's Guide to Positive Parenting by Rebecca Eanes of Positive Parents
  5. Issue three of the Play Grow Learn magazine by Christie Burnett of Childhood 101
  6. Getting Back on Track! Why We Explode and What We Can Do About it, audio by Genevieve Simperingham of Peaceful Parent Institute
  7. Stress Relief for parents, audio by Genevieve Simperingham of Peaceful Parent Institute
  8. Creative Play Workshop, email course by Gina Kimmel of Connecting Family and Seoul and Katherine Lockett of Creative Playhouse
  9. Mindset for Moms by Jamie Martin
  10. Moods of Motherhood by Lucy Pearce of Dreaming Aloud
  11. 42 Rules for Divorcing with Kids by Melinda Roberts
  12. Mommy Overwhelm by Laura Schuerwegen of Authentic Parenting
  13. Nurturing Creativity, Guide for Busy Parents by Renee Tougas of Tougas Café
  14. The Playful Family by Shawn Ledington Fink
  15. Poetry of a Hobo Mama by Lauren Wayne of Hobo Mama
  16. Encouraging Words for Kids by Kelly Bartlett of Parenting From Scratch
  17. Raising a Creative Kid by Jillian Riley of A Mom With a Lesson Plan
  18. Children and Food by Tara Wagner of The Organic Sister
  19. Coming of Age, audio by DeAnna L'Am
  20. The Parenting Primer, A Guide to Positive Parenting in the First Six Years by Michelle Carchrae of The Parent Vortex
  21. API Live! Teleseminar Series: “8 Principles of Attachment Parenting” by Attachment Parenting International
Plus a lovely freebie by Jennifer Saleem of Hybrid Rasta Mama: The Mindful Mothering Challenge.
This bundle is available only from MAY 28 to JUNE 10.
After that, these products will never be sold together again at this price!
Find out everything about the sale at Mindful Nurturing.

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The Mindful Parenting eBundle is 22 amazing parenting resources for only $24.95 USD.
Contributors include Teresa Graham Brett, Tara Wagner, Genevieve Simperingham, Marcy Axness, Amy Phoenix, Attachment Parenting International, and many more. Get your bundle now!
This is your chance to learn more about playful parenting, peaceful guidance, mindful mothering, children and food, and many other hot parenting topics.
This bundle is a one-time opportunity, available only from May 28 to June 10. Purchase it now, because this deal won't come around again!