When my son was born, I didn't have breastfeeding goals beyond doing it and getting past the first few weeks. When he was four months old and I returned to work, pumping wasn't easy and my supply tanked–it was emotional, and I wasn't sure we would make it to six months. Soon after, I started supplementing with a small amount of formula. Otherwise, we had an overall pleasant and relatively easy nursing experience. But, I have to say my quality of life has definitely improved since we weaned, shortly after his first birthday.
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For the most part, I didn't HATE nursing, but I didn't love it either. I was a little sad when we weaned our last session, and I've felt melancholy about it a few times since, but as each week passes and I realize how much more freedom I have, those feelings continue to dissipate. I can think of at least a handful of things right this minute that I'm grateful I no longer have to deal with. Some may say they are inconsequential or even selfish, but sometimes it's the little things that make the difference:
The mad dinner rush. For months dinner was the most stressful period of our day, to some degree it still is, but pressure has been released since we weaned. I used to have to stop my dinner prep to nurse and later return to cooking. Because I never really knew how long my son was going to nurse, it was a crapshoot trying to figure out when I would be able to resume and whether the quality of our food was going to suffer. Our evenings are so much smoother these days.
Giving up my favorite sleeping position. I know people sleep on their tummies while nursing, but I was too paranoid about getting a plugged duct or mastitis, so until the past month I had not slept on my stomach since before my son was born. Oh, how I missed it! It is gloriously comfortable sleep.
Those FUGLY bras. Sure some companies make an effort to make cute nursing bras, but they still don't compare to regular bras. What a treat it was to get fitted for and actually purchase a whole new bra wardrobe full of pretty colors, shapes and patterns!
Incessant hunger. I had to eat like a beast while I was nursing. I needed the calories to keep my supply up, and if I didn't get enough I always knew. I would get weak and tired. Thankfully, my insane appetitie didn't hinder the post-baby weight loss, but it was annoying to have to remember to eat so frequently, especially when we were out.
Planning outings around feedings. Early on, I just had to find an appropriate place to nurse while we were out, but towards the end I had to make sure that my son was fed before we left the house and home before he needed to eat again. (As I mentioned, pumping didn't work out for me, so bottles weren't really an option.) By the end, he wouldn't even nurse in a quiet room in someone else's home.
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