Lukie's funny video
I have been thinking about weaning Lukie from breastfeeding. I read my book and asked some people. I asked Lukie's pediatrician and she said it is very difficult but it should be done before he gets older. She didn't give me any advice like how to do it. Last night was the third night in a row that Lukie woke up in the middle of the night. Maybe because his fifth tooth is coming. He went to bed pretty early, about 7:30 p.m. He was very tired. I almost couldn't finish putting on his pajamas after bathing him. Because Grandpa is on vacation, he had been playing with Lukie all day yesterday. Lukie woke up at one o'clock in the morning and wanted me to breastfeed him. I did but he couldn't go back to sleep and continued to latch on.
I know that he just wanted to hold onto the the nipple to comfort himself but for me it burns. Then I realized, maybe it is time to make him learn to go back to sleep by himself without me having to feed him. I denied him my breast. Oh, my goodness...that's when it started. He started crying but I tried to explain to him that I didn't have enough milk for him. He stopped and looked at me like, "Okay Mommy." After just a few minutes he started pulling my shirt again and cried. I knew that it was going to be a long night. He didn't want to go outside the bedroom. He was very tired and wanted to latch on. It sounds like notthing but you had to hear him crying, moaning and then stopping every 5 minutes from 1:30 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. It was very painful for me. Charlie tried to help me at first but I said no because I wanted Lukie to know and understand that he couldn't latch on to go back to sleep. By this time it was almost five o'clock in the morning. Charlie took him and carried him out of the bedroom and gave him something to eat: Cheerios with cow's milk.
They came back to the bedroom 30 minutes later. Lukie seemed to be happier. He called me "MAMA" to get my attention. He walked and carried my shirt around the bed and said, "MAMA, MAMA". I knew that he wanted me to talk to him but I just pretended to be asleep. I was sad and hid my heart broken under the pillow. I knew that if I held him, he would pull my shirt and remember that he needed to latch on and he might feel miserable again. I heard Charlie talk to him and turn on the turtle night light. It shows a lot of stars on the ceiling. Lukie laid on his father's arm and Charlie started to count the stars to make him sleepy. I didn't hear him whining or moaning at all. I thought maybe he was mad at me. Charlie counted and counted to about one hundred thirty and they fell asleep.
I don't know who fell asleep first, Lukie or my husband. Lukie woke up at eight o'clock and started crying. This time I gave him my breast and he was just so hungry or something. When he finished he let go and went back to sleep for about one more hour. He woke up at nine o'clock with big, puffy eyes but didn't seem to remember what happened. I don't want him to think that I don't love him. But sooner or later I have to wean him from my breastfeedding anyway.
Update 08/08/2008: First night we were apart It was Friday night. Charlie and I planned to start weaning Lukie. Lukie went to bed pretty late, around 10:30 p.m. I gave him breastmilk and he went to sleep. I got up and went to sleep in the computer room, leaving Charlie with Lukie. Only 30 minutes after that I heard Lukie cry but I didn't go look. I had asked Charlie to stay calm if Lukie got up, and try to keep him in the bedroom as long as possible in case he decided to get up and walk around. I didn't hear anyone come out of the bedroom. He continue to cry for about 30 minutes and then stopped. I walked out of the computer room and stood near the bedroom door. I heard him sobbing quietly. Charlie said he went back to sleep by himself after that. I couldn't sleep until almost four o'clock in the morning.
I confess, I missed him so much. After welcoming him into my bed since he was 2 weeks old I felt extremely sad that he wasn't next to me this night. Charlie told me that Lukie woke up again around almost four o'clock and cried but went back to sleep again. They came to wake me up around 7:30 a.m. Lukie looked at me and gave me such a big smile. It made me feel so good that he wasn't mad at me. I gave him a big kiss and very tight hug. I think he missed me too because he gave me a cuddly hug (his head on my shoulder) for pretty long. Well, after he fully awakened, he tried to pull my pajamas again to ask for breastmilk.
I decided not to give him the morning feeding, just to make sure he understood. I told him, "Mommy has to sleep here because my breasts hurt." Amazingly, he seemed to understand and he stopped pulling on my pajamas. The result of this first day of weaning impressed me. At lunch time I gave him breastmilk and he didn't fall asleep in my arms like always. He got up and walked around the bed a little. I left him with Charlie and went to the bank. When I came home, I didn't hear his voice coming from the bed room. Charlie came out and said Lukie fell asleep by himself again.
ยังจำได้อยู่เลยวันที่เจ็บท้องคลอดลุ๊คกี้ ยังจำได้แม่นยำทุกวินาที เลี้ยงลูกแป็บเดียว หนึ่งปีผ่านไปแล้วเร็วมาก หนึ่งปีเต็ม ๆ ที่ให้ลุ๊คกี้ดูดนมแม่ และยังคงดูดอยู่เพราะว่าหย่ากันยังไม่ได้ พยายามลดลงแบบหักดิบเมื่อวาน คืนไม่ให้มื้อกลางวัน โห นมปูแข็งปั๊กเลยค่ะ จาก 11 โมงครึ่ง ถึง สองทุ่ม คือ ให้ก่อนนอนกลางวัน แล้วก็ให้อีกทีก็คือ ก่อนนอนเลย ลุ๊คกี้ก็คิดถึงนมแม่เหมือนกันนะคะ คือ พยายามเล่น ๆ ทำเป็นลืม แล้วก็วิ่งมากอด แล้วมองหน้าอกแม่ แล้วก็ทำเป็นมองกระดุม เช็คโน้น เช็คนี้แล้วก็พยายามดึงคอเสื้อเลยค่ะ แต่ก็ไม่ได้กินนมตอนกลางวัน คุณย่าเขาก็บอกว่า เรามีน ม้ามี้ เอาแหมจะให้ทำยังงัยละค่ะ ลุ๊คกี้ไม่ดูดนมขวด ก็ต้องให้นมแม่ แล้วนี่ถึงเวลาให้นมวัวได้ ก็อยากจะให้ลองดูบ้างอ่ะคะ