Now, this might not look like anything exciting. It’s just a regular baby’s bottle, right? Wrong. This is the remainder of the very first bottle that Lil Sis has deigned to drink – at the ripe old age of 9 months. 

There were days when I wondered if I’d be breastfeeding forever, as she point blank refused liquid from any other source. I tried bottles, sippy mugs, doidy cups – I even tried spooning the darn milk straight into her mouth.

Fellow Mums shook their heads and tutted. ‘You left it too late,’ they’d tell me ominously. ‘You’ll never get her off the breast now.’

Leaving her for any length of time was worrisome and awkward. I even felt forced to cancel a wedding I’d REALLY been looking forward to, because I was worried she’d perish from dehydration overnight.

Then, with CyberMummy and an overnight stay in London looming, I attacked the weaning with renewed fervour.

Day after day I handed her the bottle. Day after day she gave it a chew, spat it out, and screamed until her face went puce. I’d be wracked with guilt, relent, and give her what she really wanted. And then the battle would begin anew.

But two days ago I gave her the bottle. This time she took it, studied it for a moment, then – miracle of miracles – she began to drink. Halle-bloody-lujah!!

I’m still feeding her last thing at night, and first thing in the morning, and she’s still a bit hit and miss with the bottle feeds during the day, but at least I can head to CM this weekend confident she won’t go on a formula strike, and refuse to drink a drop.

So while it might just look like just another baby bottle to you, to me it looks like sweet, sweet freedom!!!!!