Is this weaning?

RedZee

I lurk pretty often and I've posted a few times. I posted something about this on the BFing board but I think this board might be a slightly better place to ask about this.

My 13 m/o got teeth a couple of weeks ago (5 in a couple of days). She has been a great nurser for a long time. We have been at 3 nursing sessions a day for a few weeks (morning, nap and bedtime). For the past week when I try to nurse her, she latches for about 30 seconds. Then she unlatches, yells, relatches and bites, and then unlatches and cries. Tonight DH came in with a bottle of water and she got all excited, grabbed it, guzzled it down while making the same face she nurses with, and moved towards her crib where she promptly fell asleep cuddling with the bottle.

I spoke to an LC today who said that DD is either excited about her teeth or self-weaning. I had hoped to nurse until she self-weaned or until around 20 months. I did not expect her to wean this early and I'm feeling really terrible. It sounds dumb, but I feel rejected. I don't know if I should try for another week or so or if I should just accept that she's done.

Any advice? Does anyone have their own child-weaning stories? Or could you share how you felt about it?

3003girl

I would keep offering as much as possible - perhaps at different times. LO changed from nursing before mealtimes to after once she got into food, and was finicky around teething time too, although right before the teeth popes out she would nurse 24/7. She also went through phases when she wanted juice or water more often. For us her nursing goes in spurts but she always has one or two good sessions a day. 

Angela814

I'm surprised a LC would say it could be self weaning. All the studies say that true self weaning usually happens between 2-4 years.

I'd guess it's her teeth and her trying to figure out her latch with them. I'd keep offering and treat this more as a nursing strike.

FWIW, DD2 won't nurse during the day anymore. She's 19 months old. She'll nurse for about 30 seconds at bedtime, until my milk lets down, and then stop. She does still nurse 2-3x at night. She won't accept any alternative then, not water, not her paci, which indicates to me that she's not ready to wean, even if her daytime actions suggest she is.

I had planned to let DD1 self wean but ended up weaning her when her latch got too bad. (She would dig her top teeth into my breast, leaving teeth marks every time.) I started weaning her at 34 months (3x a day), and she was weaned completely at 38 months. So even with me initiating weaning, it took 4 months. I stopped offering but still followed her lead somewhat. True child led weaning is a very slow process.