The Great Boob Battle: Why We’re Going Cold Turkey

home insemination Kit

Time magazine once caused a stir with a cover featuring a mother breastfeeding what appeared to be a 5-year-old boy, under the provocative headline, “Are You Mom Enough?” I remember staring at it in disbelief, thinking, Who would nurse their kid for that long?

Breastfeeding was a challenge with my first child. Despite all my efforts, it just didn’t pan out, leaving me feeling guilty. I swore that with my next child, I would make it work, no matter what. Clearly, the universe was listening because nearly three years after my second child learned how to latch, I find myself in a desperate struggle to wean.

And I mean desperate.

The first weeks of nursing felt like pure bliss. After overcoming the initial discomfort, I found breastfeeding to be a beautiful experience that fulfilled all my dreamy expectations of motherhood. I nursed with pride, refused to cover up in public, and became a fan of Mother’s Milk tea, kale, and yoga, all to keep my milk production flowing smoothly.

As my little one gained weight and thrived, my pediatrician suggested introducing a bottle. “No way,” I replied. “What if there’s nipple confusion?” The fear of another failure haunted me. But after some reassuring words from the pediatrician, I bought bottles and a new set of lines for my breast pump, which had been gathering dust for four years.

For the next few months, I tried everything to get my child to take a bottle. I made a game out of using a pacifier. I tried adorable little blankets with satin edges and even my finger for a taste test. Warm milk in a cup? Nope. Talking up the benefits of being a big kid? Not a chance. My child was determined—only the boob would do.

He would happily munch on oatmeal, mashed bananas, and avocados, but when it came to nursing, he wasn’t budging. When he turned 18 months, I figured that was a good age to start weaning. I would give it my all, and we would navigate this together. But the more I tried to wean, the more he clung to nursing.

I was in a pickle.

One particularly tough night after he turned 2 and was teething like a champ, my husband remarked, “You do realize you’re just a walking binky, right?” That’s when it hit me—the resistance to wean made complete sense. My child was emotionally attached, not just in need of nutrition. It would be like someone asking me to give up carbs forever. I felt like a terrible person, yet I was ready to stop nursing.

Eventually, there came a point when nursing made my skin crawl. I knew we needed to talk about it. So, I turned to my mom friends for advice on how to break the bond between my child and my breast. By that time, my boobs had become glorified pacifiers, and I was exhausted from nursing. The older he got, the more self-conscious I felt about nursing him, especially in public or around judgmental relatives.

I recognized that when he asked to nurse after every meal, before every nap, and whenever I said “no,” we had a serious issue.

Now at 2 ½ years old, the battle for the boob has reached a boiling point, and I have resorted to questionable tactics to avoid nursing. After consulting my friend, a lactation consultant, I attempted to gradually eliminate daytime nursing; it didn’t work. I tried to phase out night nursing; that was a spectacular failure. Now, I’m at a point I never thought I’d be—going cold turkey.

I have a date circled on my calendar, the day I’ll break my poor child’s heart. I’m preparing to stuff cabbage leaves into my bra, rub lemon juice on my nipples, and wear outfits that are hard to access while I brace myself for the inevitable wails. They say this will last about a week.

I loved nursing and the bond it created, but I’ve come to realize that I’m strong enough to recognize when to move on. I was mom enough to nurse this long, but now I’m mom enough to say I’m done.

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Summary

The author shares her journey of breastfeeding her second child, detailing the challenges and emotional attachment involved. After struggling to wean her child, she embraces a cold turkey approach, recognizing the need to move on while acknowledging the bond created through nursing.