When to wean?

JLKillion

DD is 15 months old and still nurses...a lot. Like, 8-9times a day. Even though I encourage her to eat solids and drink milk, she still acts as though nursing is her priority for calories. She's also not sleeping very well. I adore breastfeeding, but am wondering if weaning will help these issues. Also, to be completely honest, I think I'm ready to get my body back. I'm having a hard time getting back into my former fitness and diet routines while breastfeeding. Am I selfish? I know that this time is special and I'll never have this amazing experience with her again, which makes me cry. I would like to try transitioning to only nursing at bedtime and wake-up, then move on from there. How did you make the decision? Did you regret stopping when you did? How do you manage it while staying home? And, how do I approach her nutrition without nursing?

ec3under4

I always tell friends who ask me about weaning that it's a two way road...if either one of you is done then it's time to be done. In order to continue, I think it needs to be mutually beneficial and it sounds like you are done. I think there is nothing wrong with that at all. You have made it 15 months and that is an amazing accomplishment. With my older two, the same thing happened around that time too. All of a sudden, I was just done. I missed nursing but never regretted when I weaned. And, no, you are not being selfish in any way. You have given your daughter an amazing thing and you should be patting yourself on the back!!

At this point, your LO should be getting all of her nutritional content from eating a well balanced diet. BF tends to take on a more comfort role after they are eating a true solid diet. She obviously enjoys it and is in the habit of nursing. For me, it was just breaking the pattern. It was a rough few days/ weeks but eventually we just started doing other things instead of nursing. I always start weaning a feed on the weekends when dh is home and I could just leave so that I wasn't even around. I found that the easiest. I would do that on Saturday and Sunday and then come monday, I would use distraction tactics and just say that there wasn't any milk from mommy.  I always weaned one feeding a week. Of course, I am sure you could wean more at a time but this worked for me and it helped me not to get engorged. The first and last feedings were always the last to go for us. 

Sorry that was long but good luck and congrats on making it so long!!! 

Mainer-in-Texas

First, congrats on nursing for 15 months! That is great. And you are not selfish AT ALL for wanting to wean. All of the BFing experts say the time to wean is when either the mother or the child is ready.

I had a similar problem with DD - she was still nursing about 7-8 times a day at 11 months and hardly eating any solids. My pediatrician told me she should have been down to four times at day. So, the first thing I did was establish a schedule (like, first thing in the morning, before her first nap, after lunch, after her second nap, after dinner, and before bed). And then I cut one session out at a time, whichever one made sense. I think I waited a few days each time I cut out a session. It definitely helped her eat more solids, even though I know the research says it doesn't make a difference. I didn't totally wean her, though - she is still nursing twice a day and more when she isn't feeling well. I cut out the bedtime nursing session just so I could drink :P

I SAH and I was surprised that she didn't even seem to miss the nursing sessions. She always nurses in my bed, so I would just keep her out of that room and give her a snack around "nursing time." And then eventually I got her on a typical eating schedule of three meals and two snacks. It was a bit of a process. As far as nutrition goes, I try to make sure she gets enough dairy, which means yogurt, cheese, and milk flavored with Carnation Instant Breakfast, because she won't drink plain milk.

userdeleted

I think that if you're ready to be done, you should be done. I weaned at about 13 months and while it was emotional (thought not overly so for me), I did not regret it at all. I wanted a break for awhile before getting pregnant again. I'm very glad that I had that, and I did find it easier to get into a healthier diet/fitness routine.

I think that cutting back to a morning/bedtime feeding sounds like a great way to start the transition. We cut out feedings by replacing them with snacks and a sippy of water.

GL! 

rssnlvr

I weaned at 14 months, but I'd been pregnant for 2-3ish months already and my supply was dropping. If I hadn't been pregnant, we would have kept going. BUT--she was only nursing 4 x a day from about 7 months on...and the last two months I was only nursing her morning and night. I would go bonkers if my kid was still nursing 8-9 times a day at 15 months. That's a newborn schedule. I can totally understand why you're ready for a break!

JLKillion

Thanks for the encouragement and input! I started this morning by cutting out the mid-morning feed. She pretty much feeds on demand, so I know it will take a few days just to get into the routine of not feeding mid-morning, but it's a start!