So this whole weaning thing has been wayyyyyyyyy dramatic today. I knew this was going to be the case, which was why I have avoided it for so long. I feel as if I am seriously detoxing The Munch. Like she has been addicted to my tit juice and now she is in a state of total withdrawal.
When kids breastfeed oxytocin is released, which is considered the bonding hormone, or the “love” chemicals of our brain. So literally your baby gets high as fuck on love. No wonder The Munch is so attached to the process! It is like nursing reboots her operating system and she is shot up with the love drug.
So taking that away from her is somewhat traumatizing. Not only for the ritual that she has become accustomed to, but also because The Munch’s body chemistry is used to that love boost. So to take that away from her is this serious crash to her eco system. Beyond the fact that it makes her feel comforted, The Munch is having to adjust to a life of total sobriety.
Munch spent most of the morning asking for to do “nana” and I kept trying to distract her with cake, lollipops, and letting her watch Mickey Mouse Club House. I was letting her indulge in every decadence I usually keep her away from, but by the time it was 2pm she had 60 grams of sugar surging through her veins and her eyes were bleeding from staring at the computer screen for 2 hours.
It was exactly naptime, which is the key time she would usually breastfeed to fall asleep, and that is where everything fell apart.
Today was the second full day without “nana” and I endured one of the hardest parenting moments of my life. Unlike if a guy were crying in my face because he wanted to suck on my boobs, I actually cared about Munch was going through. Obviously breastfeeding a toddler is not just about nutrition or their immune systems, but there is a huge emotional component as well. She wept as if she were in a genuine state of mourning. The expression on her face was so tormented I couldn’t help but cry too. There was something so pure and primal about her distress. The Munch was in a genuine state of suffering, and I felt like nothing could console her. She was grieving that she had to leave behind this very important part of her existence. I tried to rationalize with Munch, but I was useless through my tears as I watched this creature I love sob with such passion. So I held her and let her weep thinking that if she were every going to move forward, it would only be through confronting her pain completely.
Munch: “Please Mamma, please!!! I want to do nana! PLEASE!”
Toni: “Munch, Mamma’s nanas don’t work anymore. They only work for 3 years, and now that you are 3, they don’t work!”
Munch: “But please Mamma! Just one side!! Please!!!!!!!!!”
Toni: “Munch, I can’t. The nana gnomes came on your birthday and took my nanas away, and now they don’t work anymore. The nana gnomes brought them to the new babies being born so they can have nana.”
Munch: “But Mamma please!! I really want to do nana!! Please Mamma PLEASE!”
Toni: “But listen Munch, the nana gnomes have planed a really big surprise for you. To celebrate the end of nana. Tomorrow there are going to be fireworks in the sky just for you! The are like giant fairies that explode in the sky!! And it is all for you! Because they are so happy that you don’t do nana anymore!”
Munch: “But Mamma I really really really want to do nana! Please! And I want you to wear a dress.”
Toni: “You want me to wear a dress?”
Munch: “A pink dress and tights. And I really want to do nana!!” PLEASE MAMMA PLEASE!!
This went on for a while. Finally, after I thought my heart was going to crumble, The Munch decided she would eat some cake instead. So I let her have her 3rd piece of the day, and then strapped her to my back to take a walk so she could sleep. As she slept my friend Gita and I saw a bald eagle.
Gita: “Maybe it is a sign that you are doing the right thing with Munch.”
Toni: “Maybe it is a sign that America is becoming extinct since tomorrow is the 4th!”
The afternoon with Munch was peaceful. I am hoping that our moment was her final lamentation of what was, and she has moved on. That she had fully face her sorrow in order to truly let go. Of course Munch will probably be in her 20s and still think that fireworks are for the celebration of her no longer doing nana, but I am thinking that is okay.
I wish I could have gotten my hands on some Kiddy Klonopin for The Munch, or maybe I should have gotten her into smoking to make this transition easier.