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Success after IF
MBandBud
member
Weaning emotions, show me some <3
MBandBud
member
I've decided to let DD self wean. She honestly only nurses wakeup/bedtime anyhow b/c she is in daycare. I just dropped 1 of my 3 daytime pumping sessions as she is on wcm at daycare. I just did my final pump of the day and was surprised at how little I got b/c I thought since I dropped a session it would be more. It is really hitting me that the weaning process is progressing. I really enjoy nursing her wakeup/bedtime. What will happen on weekends if she wants to nurse while I'm around? Will she just not get much? Has anyone successfully nursed wakeup/bedtime for a while?
This is all very emotional for me, this will be our only child and this is really hitting me hard, no doubt partially hormones but mainly b/c I am a sap. Thanks for any support.
ETA: And if one more non-breastfeeding person tried to tell me when I should wean my child I am going to lose it. I hope this doesn't offend anyone but I had to share that vent. I've had so many people comment on my bf after she turned a year. She's 13 months for pete sake, not 5.
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Re: Weaning emotions, show me some &lt;3
I started weaning A last month and now we're down to just wakeup and bedtime nursing sessions. I've been making a 4oz bottle to supplement the bedtime session, but she she only drinks it (and even then, only an ounce or two) occasionally. Usually it's enough to just nurse, but then again, she typically eats solids an hour before bedtime.
I'm thinking the nursing sessions are now more of a comfort thing rather than a full-on eating session.
I've been meaning to drop the bedtime session, but it's so hard. I love the snuggle time.
good luck!
Oh sweety, I'm so sorry you are feeling this way! I went through post weaning depression when I quit the pump..just the pump...was still nursing but just quiting the pump made me an emotional wreck..so I totally feel you and send you tons of love!
The bright side, you can still continue nursing your LO whenever you want or whenever she wants
. DD still nurses in the am, when I get home from work and at night for bedtime. Yes, most of it is for comfort but there is still nutritional value and the emotional benefits are so worth it!
"Toddlers breastfeed for comfort, in addition to nutrition. Breastfeeding can work wonders when baby is hurt, sad, upset (nursing is a great tantrum-tamer), or sick. Toddlers may also use breastfeeding as a quick way of "checking in" and reconnecting with mom throughout the day."-Kellymom.com
I can't tell you the times I have been able to nurse DD through an illness where she refused to eat anything or drink but thankfully she was able to nurse. There were times when I was certain I didn't have milk, because from the beginning I only made enough milk while I was home and then when I went back to work I had to supplement but was so surprised the one time I had to pump because I was away and got a significant amount of milk..even though my boobs no longer feel full...
So..okay..now I am rambling..this is obviously a very emotional topic for me..but I just wanted you to know that you can still enjoy the benefits of nursing well beyond this time...if that is what you choose to do...
Sending you tons of love and a huge Congrats!!!
Weaning is hard work! No one really tells you that at the start. But don't worry about what other people say -- just do what feels right for you and your LO.
I did the same as you -- weaned from pumping at work 12-13 months, but still nursed at wakeup/bedtime. I dropped the wakeup session at 15 months, but still nursed before bed until 20 months. My body just seemed to adjust. By the end, I don't think she was getting much milk at all, but it was more about comfort than food at that point.
Good luck!
DD will be 13 months tomorrow and we are down to nursing morning and night. I stopped pumping right after she turned one and it wasn't too long after that when she dropped all of her daytime nursing sessions. She got a bottle of BM at child care until my frozen stash ran out, then we were done with bottles and that was that. It's been kind of an easy transition so far, actually.
That is...until I realized that if we are really TTC #2 at this point, then I need to completely wean and I am SO not ready for that. I will mostly likely be starting Clomid in about six weeks, so I really need to start planning to be done by then and I'm a wreck thinking about it!!
My only advice is to just do what feels right for you and your LO. You have so much to look forward to, so even though this is hard, you'll get through it and on to bigger and better things!
(((hugs)))
TTC since 11/05...ectopic pg 4/08...early m/c 6/09...BFP 10/5/09!
Nora B...June 15, 2010...8lbs, 8oz...Med-free birth!
TTC #2 since 7/11...cycle #3 of Clomid + IUI = BFP
Malcolm...September 21, 2012...8lbs, 6oz...Another med-free birth!
My son went over a week without nursing right when he turned 2 (DH took him to Germany). I assumed it was all over then. I hand expressed once or maybe twice during that whole time. But when he saw me again, he went right back to nursing again and continued for another 8 months or so. I never really knew how much I got (if I squeezed, it was really only a few drops). I assumed he got at least a few more drops out than I could. It was really just a bonding, comforting thing for him than a nutrition thing. So please, at this point, do not even think about supply. Allow the nursing relationship to continue as long as both you and your little one would like. Your body does adjust to whatever you tell it to adjust to. Good luck and I wish you many more happy nursing months!
I know exactly what you're going through. For us, ds was ready to move on before I was!! He was only 13 mos but only wanted to nurse for going to sleep but then he just wanted to cuddled w/ no more nursing. It was very hard for me.
I suggest video taping him nursing from your angle. I did it w/ ds and I watched it the other night and it was so sweet to see him nursing again. You have to do it while he's sleeping though. I suggest this to all my nursing friends b/c it's a vision you never want to lose.
This. (((hugs)))
You have better data points than this, but for what it's worth, I pumped morning and night only for the last month before I totally weaned Will (not by choice - I went on a week long business trip to China and couldn't keep my supply up with the stress and change in schedule) and that worked really well!
First of all even if she were 5 no one has the right to tell you what you can and can't do with your body.
Weaning is very emotional (understatment of the YEAR) so don't be suprised if you are everywhere emotionally for a while. DS is down to 2x a day, nap and before bed, and has been for a while (4+ months) before that we spent 4+ months at 3x a day. I will admit it isn't a ton of milk at this point and if he tries to nurse when he doesn't normally (like yeterday when he split his lip) then it is even less but that doesn't seem to bother him. Good luck with weaning, I will say that for the most part I don't tell people I still BF. Strangers and most family think I have weaned as do some friends. I don't mind that assumption. It is no ones bussness how long I BF my son for. ((((HUGS)))))