The other morning, Cora woke up starving (after STTN). She ate a HUGE, double helping Happy Meal, then promptly passed out, slung over my lap.
She is currently nursing 5 times/day: 6:30, 9:00, 12:00, 3:30, and 8:00. She hasn't nursed during the night in about a month (except for one night where she refused to go back to sleep, so I tried nursing her, after which she STILL stayed awake for another hour and a half... usually though, even if she wakes in the night, I just snuggle her back to sleep rather than feed her), and she dropped her 6:00 nursing session during the first week of swim lessons (which went from 5:45-6:30). I had tried nursing her before lessons, and she wouldn't eat (I learned during the second week that part of the reason for that was that her daycare teachers were in transition and she was getting her afternoon bottle an hour later than "scheduled"). So I tried nursing her right after lessons, but all she wanted was dinner. Oh well. I must admit that it's kinda nice not to be on such a schedule with her right after work, as we're trying to get dinner made and bags repacked and chores started.
The only downside is that her sudden dropping of 2 nursing sessions has negatively affected my supply. I know so, because I am now only pumping 7-10 oz per day, as opposed to the 13-15 oz I was getting a month ago. I guess there was a hidden blessing to Cora's night feedings throughout her first year - she really kept my milk supply strong! What this means is that Cora is now getting only two 5 oz bottles of breastmilk at daycare (at 12:00 and 3:30), and we're sending an 8 oz sippy of coconut milk for her to drink with her breakfast and lunch (and she's been doing great lately, finishing the whole cup). My freezer stash is down to less than 50 oz, so it won't last too much longer. The "plan" as of now is to continue pumping 3 times/day until sometime after we return from Cali, at which point I might drop down to twice a day (or I might not... I haven't fully decided yet). And then it will be just once/day. And eventually I'll pack up my trusty pump, and we'll just nurse in the mornings and evenings when we're together, until either Cora or I decide we've had enough. I have no idea how long we'll continue our nursing relationship, but I can say that I'm in no hurry for it to end. It has been truly amazing to nurse this little girl of mine, who eats with gusto and graces me with milky smiles. It is precious, precious time that I know I will miss like crazy when it ends.
In the meantime, I'm already learning the ins-and-outs of toddler nursing... Super fast and efficient meals, nursing while kneeling in my lap or climbing on my belly, multi-tasking with leg calisthenics, talking with her mouth full, and clapping for herself when she's all done. It's quite the adventure!
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