6 Months of Exclusively Breastfeeding!

My baby girl is six months old today. This marks six months of exclusively breastfeeding. Worldwide less than 40% of babies are exclusively breastfed for six months and in the US that number is less than 15%. I remember when Lilly was only three weeks old and I was struggling with an oversupply. She would scream at me when I tried to feed her, because she was drowning in milk due to a very forceful letdown. I turned to the internet for help and I was assured that if I just stuck with it by 12 or 13 weeks my supply would even out and things would be okay. Over and over again women wrote that I would be glad I did. But 12 weeks was over 9 weeks away and I just didn't know if we could make it. We did. Those faceless women on the internet were right- I'm so glad that I stuck with it. I am so proud. Proud of me. Proud of Lilly.

When we struggled with almost every feeding, I wondered if I was torturing my baby by not just giving her a bottle. However, now Lilly loves nursing. Sometimes, she nurses almost all night long. I feel like breastfeeding is magical, like I can solve all of Lilly's problems with a little bit of nursing.

Although I am so proud that we made it to six months of exclusively breastfeeding and so excited that today is my baby girl's half birthday, I am also feeling a little bit sad. My goal is to let Lilly self-wean, whenever that might be, but today marks the end of exclusively breastfeeding. Although I would gladly delay solids a little bit longer, my husband really wants to let Lilly try solid foods. I agreed that tonight she can try avocado at dinner. I'm excited to see if she loves avocado as much as her mommy and curious to see if she will figure out what to do with it once it is in her mouth. She puts everything in her mouth, so I'm sure she will put the mushy avocado piece in her mouth. After that, I'm not sure what will happen!