GabySeptember: A Month of Milestones
In September we hit two big milestones: I finished breastfeeding Sasha, and she started preschool. I had been told to wean her during the full moon to make the transition smoother. The full moon lasted from August 31 to September 5, and since preschool began on September 1, I chose September 4 — a Friday — for the change. That way Sasha could adjust to being a “big girl” over the weekend, and honestly, I had no idea how she would react.
By then I was only nursing at night and sometimes in the morning if the mood struck, and I loved it. All summer I tried homeopathic remedies to reduce lactation, but they didn’t do much. It’s been challenging to be the only one in the family breastfeeding for so long and not know how to stop.
I nursed Sasha for the last time on Friday morning and burst into tears — it was such an important moment. Moms, you know how significant this is. The feelings are hard to describe. You feel like one being; it’s not just feeding — it’s like sharing thoughts. The connection is unlike anything else. If it weren’t for preschool, I might have kept going.
When Sasha was between 1.5 and 2 years old, I wanted to stop during a very difficult developmental phase. After that, though, breastfeeding became a source of great joy, and I was glad I hadn’t quit — especially since a breastfeeding consultant had advised me to continue.
About two weeks before preschool, while Sasha was counting down the days, I told her that when kids grow up they sometimes find a sign from their angel under their pillow. That sign shows they’re ready for preschool — and that mother’s milk will go away because big kids drink from a cup now.
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 bothered at all about not nursing anymore. It was important to present the change in a beautiful way. Sasha never asked for breast milk again; she was so proud to be a big girl, just like Alexey, whom she adores and who is in the same preschool class.
My experience was a bit harder. I couldn’t taper off by pumping because pumping made me feel better briefly but actually stimulated more milk, creating a vicious cycle. On a massage therapist’s advice I pumped and then bound my breasts tightly on Saturday, but that didn’t help. I spent the weekend in agony, barely able to breathe and hardly drinking anything, and still I was flooded with milk. The doctor recommended medication to stop lactation. The pills worked immediately, and I wondered why I hadn’t done it sooner. Then I learned why: one side effect was severe vomiting. While many people managed taking them for three days, I ended up on them for 11 days, and that’s how I finally stopped breastfeeding.
Sasha’s adjustment to preschool was classic: first euphoria — she couldn’t be torn away — followed by a period of terrible tantrums when she realized she would be there all day. That phase lasted about one and a half to two weeks. During that time, Ivan and I tried to stay calm and consistent, always giving Sasha a choice while gently explaining that she’d have much more fun with the other kids and that we still had to go to work. Eventually she settled in and began going with joy, always knowing where she was headed.
