My Life as an African Gypsy

Well, Anaya was ready and the process was easy.

In December/January I noticed I was not producing very much and realizing Anaya was not drinking very much, especially mid-morning. (she was still nursing every 3-4hrs throughout the day) In January, just before returning to Mozambique I switched her to 3 feedings a day, and she seemed not to even notice.

Shortly after being back, I started her on a water/juice mix to keep her hydrated in this absurd heat, and we dropped the afternoon feeding. I started her on daily yogurt to boost the dairy intake, but still wanted to hold off a bit on the cow's milk. She did this all just fine, again, hardly seeming to notice.

About a week and a half ago I dropped her night feeding and decided to give it a shot with the cow's milk. She happily gulped it down from the sippy cup and even wanted more! Her tummy has adjusted well and digests everything fine. Relief!

Just this week I have dropped the morning feeding, which I was thinking would be the hard one as she always fed immediately upon waking up. I went into the room, changed her diaper, and handed her the sippy cup. No problem. She drank it with ease.

I had two days a of a bit of discomfort, as I was still producing some milk and not expressing any; however, I have pushed through and I think I'm about done! I am super happy and a bit surprised I've dried up at all. I was afraid that, being pregnant, my hormones would just signal the need to keep producing. But alas! I get almost 4 months of a break! Hooray!

I have noticed she needs some extra lap sitting and snuggling, so I'm trying to be intentional about taking time for that. I love my precious girl.