I felt pressured by family to wean because of the value placed on early independence. Extended breastfeeding was associated in their minds with an overly dependent relationship between mother and child. I needed my feelings validated. I needed to know that I wasn't the first mother desperate to wean and that I wasn't a bad mother. I decided to open the weaning topic at the next meeting by acknowledging the ambivalence mothers feel.
Many mothers are desperate to wean at different stages of breastfeeding.
Sometimes mothers are ready to wean before their babies are ready. We want what is best for baby, yet our needs and pressure from others are sometimes in conflict with our babies' needs. Acknowledging how you feel about weaning is the first step in figuring out what to do. I wanted to communicate the baby's needs and to state clearly the advantages of natural weaning. Once again the answers had to do with the relationship.