At 14 months, Mateo still feeds from my breasts. Although he also takes in formula milk whenever I’m not home, I can say that for the past 14 months, he gets his milk from me 70% of the time. Until a few weeks ago, a 900-gram can of formula milk would last for more than a month. Recently though, we find ourselves buying a new can every three weeks. It seems that Mateo is slowly shifting his milk preference. I think we’re on our way to a really slow weaning process.
To be honest, I never thought we’d last this long. I still remember my frustrations at pumping during the first few months, the blessing of losing my pump’s valve, finally finding joy in breastfeeding, and my attempts to wean him at seven months which ended up in relactation. I’ve reached a point when I just let him feed whenever he wants to. I’ve decided to just sit and wait for him to wean himself. I figured that he will, eventually. There were days when he would refuse to feed from me and I would get all sentimental about it. Now I know that weaning doesn’t just spell freedom for me, it also means losing just a little bit of my baby. Sure, I could still feed him from the bottle while cuddling or holding him but there’s nothing more intimate and close than having him at my breast. It was something that nobody else could offer. It’s a form of nourishment and comfort that only I could offer. But my baby is slowly becoming more independent.
I think Mateo senses this sadness that I would sometimes feel whenever I think about not being able to breastfeed him anymore. I’d like to think that he also chose this slow weaning process to make it easy on both of us. I’ve heard of some babies who are weaned overnight but I couldn’t imagine such a thing for us. Nowadays, there are times when he would ask for the bottle and there are times when he would ask for my breast. The times when he would prefer the bottle though, is slowly increasing. His milk budget is also getting a bigger chunk of our monthly income.
Considering his milk preference these past few days, my fearless forecast is that he would be completely weaned in a month’s time, maybe earlier. Saddens me a little but I also look forward to it. Whatever happens, I know he’s still going to be a mama’s boy.
When I gave birth to Mateo last January 2007, I made a choice to stay home for good. So from January to May of last year, I was a full time SAHM with no helper/yaya. It was difficult but it was fun too! As the start of another school approached, Ramil and I decided for me to go back to teaching but on a part time basis only. We hired a helper/yaya (yipee!) and I would leave Mateo with her four times a week for three hours. The whole set-up worked great for us, especially for me. I get to spend majority of my time with our son and still, I get to do what I love doing – teaching. Even though the pay isn’t that big since I’m only a part time teacher, I’m still glad I get to contribute something to our income. Unfortunately, part time teachers are on a no work, no pay basis. I only get paid for days that I go to school to teach. So ever since the trim test a few weeks ago, I became officially unemployed. LOL. The only good news is that I was asked to handle a summer class this April. Yey! When May comes rolling in though, I’m once again income-less. I’m just hoping the school will need another part time teacher this coming school year