weaning help (in under a week)

Re: weaning help (in under a week)

• =Lee=B member

  July 2014

  AmyG* said:

  I would talk to him about trying to go a bit slower on weaning and adjusting visitation to accommodate her needs a bit better. One week to wean is gonna be very hard on her ESP if there is also going to be travel change of home and dad moving out. Loser to a month to wean with all these changes will be easier in her. Since your hormones will change as you wean it will also make it less harsh in you if there is. It a cold turkey drop/change of hormones at the start of this separation. Before weaning make sure she has a lovey and introduce a bedtime routine that he can do with her or you can do with her either one. Make sure he is involved in it and takes ownership of a lot of the day to day a baby care so he does thing similarly to you to make it easier on her. Sometimes a longer nighttime routine works out well to break the nurse to sleep habit. So bath pjs small snack brush teeth books song rock may help. Be sure to put a snack and drink in for every dropped nursing. Best suggestion to wean faster is for a good sold week don't sit down and definitely don't sit in favorite nursing chair

  Thanks so much. 
  Luckily she has a great, great love of her blanket (we have 3 identical and she proudly tries to carry them all).  I might go get more just in case.  She also takes a soother.  We've never really let her walk around with it and save it for sleep and long car rides etc.  I let her have it most the day today as I figure I'd rather a 16+ month old with a soother in her mouth all day than a stressed out little one trying to figure out what the hell happened to her life.

  I will have my husband cover middle of night wake ups.  I'll keep nursing the nap and bedtime this week and then maybe cut one of those out late next week.  If needed I can stay here (move into basement) and nurse her once a day for awhile longer. 

  While I do 'nurse her to sleep' she only nurses for 3-5min and is awake (though dopey) after.  She goes into crib awake and puts herself to sleep...often sitting up and playing with her bears or blanket for a bit first.  She also wakes up at random intervals, sits for 5-10min then plops down and sleeps a few more hours.  So, she has the skills needed to put herself to sleep I've just never felt the need to push it.  She was starting to sleep 7-8 hrs before waking to nurse then going back down.  She'll sleep a good 12-13hrs if she nurses once so I always figured I may as well nurse as it's filling her belly and she's sleeping long and well.  I think she'll be okay without the middle of the night nursing but suspect she'll wake earlier, being hungry.

  She really only nurses related to sleep.  I've offered during the day before when being lazy about a snack and she just curls up in my lap to nurse then pokes the nipple, laughs and runs off with zero interest.  So...luckily for her and I she isn't hugely dependent on it.  Of course life has been calm, routine and familiar and I've been running home daycare with her here with me so was never really separated from her.

  Luckily her dad is amazing with her and will gently ease her into new life without me.  It will suck for all, especially her since we really haven't been apart more than a few hours here and there.  I'm sure it will kill me more than her.  I am the one to move...the house is my husbands.  But he's offered that I can live here as long as needed to ease the transition for our daughter.  My first reaction was ya right like I want to be here after you tell me you want me gone.  but I now realize I may have to swallow those feelings and do it, for our daughter.

   

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• =Lee=B member

  July 2014

  theresat858 said:

  I would only wean her if that is actually want you want to do... being away from baby every other week doesn't necessarily mean that you have to wean completely; just that baby can't nurse when you aren't together.  At 14 months, my LO had no problems with me being gone for 5 days, getting no breastmilk during that time, and went right back to nursing when I came home.  It does mean that you'll have to pump a few times (I'd go with 2) a day if you want LO to still be able to nurse when you are together. I do agree that weaning might be easier, but I wouldn't necessarily force it rapidly.
  
  I think weaning her from the MOTN feedings is a good first step.  If you can have your husband attend night wakings, that would maybe be ideal.  I might try the method of pushing the feedings later at night if she wakes every night (ie if she usually nurses at 1am, don't let her nurse until 2, then 3, etc). If her waking is more sporadic - so she is nursing out of habit/comfort rather than hunger - have your husband get her back to sleep with other methods. You could try it, too, but it might be harder for you bc she will smell the milk.  I haven't actually checked out the Jay Gordon method for night weaning, but I've heard good things about it.
  
  Are you still nursing her to sleep?  Whether or not you fully wean, I would def. try to break the nurse to sleep association if you are still nursing her to sleep for nap and bed...move the nursing session earlier in your routine and replace bedtime nursing with bedtime rocking or cuddles.
  
  As for milk alternatives...I would just focus on getting her protein and fat requirements from food, and fluid intake for water. Most milk alternatives aren't that healthy/helpful.
  

  Thanks...I touched on some of this above.  Luckily she is a great eater and LOVES meat and beans so we likely don't have to worry too much about the fats/proteins.  But, knowing how important it is for brain development I was really hoping to nurse until 2yrs just in case. 
  

   

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