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Well, we have officially stopped nursing.  We’re done.  Finished. It’s a wrap.  When the Tater Tot started to get teeth she decided that it was fun to clamp down HARD while nursing.  OUCH! We were only nursing twice a day at that point anyway and it was time.

We had a long struggle to keep nursing and I’m really glad that I was able to nurse her even a little bit for as long as I did.  We weren’t able to nurse exclusively after 4 months because she was having trouble gaining weight and we needed to see if it was a Tater problem or a Mommy problem.  It was a Mommy problem.  And I’m glad.  If it was a Tater problem, the possibilities were MUCH scarier!  It turns out Mommy’s Milk Machine just doesn’t work right.  I tried herbal supplements which did work, just not enough to exclusively nurse.  I pumped after each feeding, ate almonds and stuff with oats in it.  I de-stressed as much as I could and nursed her almost constantly for a while.  Didn’t work.  So we started supplementing with formula and, voila!  The Tater Tot started to gain weight.  And The Mommy relaxed.  That’s what allowed us to continue to nurse until 8 1/2 months.  Mommy relaxed, Tater relaxed and we nursed 3 times a day for a long time until the milk started to decrease.

There are pros and cons to weaning her at this point.  It’s kind of nice to feel like my body is my own again.  But I do miss the rest and comfort that we both got from nursing even just a couple of times a day.  It was always an option to just have a seat and get a little snack while Mommy rested, too.  But I feel good about the amount of time that I WAS able to nurse her and confident that she (and The Mommy) will be just fine.