September: A Month of Milestones
In September, we experienced two significant events that deserve attention: I finished breastfeeding Sasha, and Sasha started preschool! To ensure that the transition went smoothly, I was advised to wean her strictly during the full moon. The full moon occurred from August 31 to September 5, and with preschool starting on September 1, I decided to mark this important milestone for September 4, a Friday. This way, Sasha could get used to her new status as a big girl over the weekend, and I honestly had no idea how she would react.
By that point, I was only nursing her at night and occasionally in the morning if the mood struck, and I was doing it with immense pleasure. All summer long, I had been taking homeopathic remedies to reduce lactation, but they didn’t help much. It’s quite a challenge to be the only one in the family breastfeeding for so long and not know how to stop!
On Friday morning, when I nursed Sasha for the last time, I was overwhelmed with tears—this was such an important moment! Moms, if only you knew how significant this is!!! The feelings are indescribable! You feel like one entity; it’s not just about feeding, it feels like you’re sharing thoughts! This connection is unlike anything else! If it weren’t for preschool, I might have continued breastfeeding.
There was a period between 1.5 and 2 years old when I dreamed of stopping (during Sasha’s most challenging developmental crisis), but afterward, it became a source of immense joy, and I was glad I didn’t quit (even though I called a breastfeeding consultant who advised me to continue).
About two weeks before September 1, while Sasha was counting down the days until she started preschool, I told her that all kids, when they become grown-ups, find a sign from their Angel under their pillow. This sign indicates that the child has grown up and is now ready to be accepted into preschool, but… at the same time, the mother’s milk will disappear because big kids no longer drink milk from their mothers but from a cup.
So, on the evening of September 4, Sasha found the sign under her pillow (a glowing hand) and was so thrilled that she wasn’t at all bothered by the fact that she wouldn’t be nursing anymore. It was crucial to present this transition in a beautiful way! Sasha never asked for breast milk again, so delighted was she to be a big girl, just like Alexey, whom she adores and who also goes to preschool (in the same class as Alexey!).
My situation was a bit more challenging… I couldn’t gradually pump to reduce my milk supply because, to feel better, I needed to pump completely, which only led to more milk production, creating a vicious cycle. Following the advice of a massage therapist, I pumped and tightly bound my breasts on Saturday, but that didn’t help either. I spent the weekend in agony, barely able to breathe and hardly drinking anything, and… once again, I was flooded with milk! The doctor advised me to take medication to stop lactation. The pills worked immediately (why didn’t I do this sooner???). But then I realized why… One of the side effects of the medication was severe vomiting. While many managed to take them for three days, I ended up taking them for 11 days!!! And that’s how I finally stopped breastfeeding.
As for preschool, Sasha’s adaptation was classic: she experienced euphoria (I couldn’t lure her away with anything!); followed by a period of terrible tantrums when she was literally pried off me (when she realized she would be staying there all day, every day)—this phase lasted about 1.5 to 2 weeks. During this time, Ivan and I tried to remain as calm and persistent as possible, always giving Sasha the choice (to go or not to go to preschool), while gently explaining that she would have much more fun with the other kids than being home alone since we still had to go to work. Finally, there came a period when Sasha got used to going to preschool and did so with joy, always knowing where she was headed.