Extended Nursing Support Thread part 4

[C&B&E]

How are things Amanda?

Until E was about 14 months old she was quite happy having 3 or 4 feeds per day, but the last few weeks she is just signing for milk all. the. time.  It's driving me batty  , and I don't really know how I should handle it  .  Up until now I have been trying to just distract her - offering food or drink, or attempting to 'change the subject  ' - but then I feel bad!  I'm presuming this is a new phase - how have you ladies dealt with it? 

[anna*]

Can you acknowledge the sign without necessarily giving her milk? Like say "Yes! You can sign milk! But it's not milk time right now honey here let me get you a snack and we will have milk after nap time, can you sign 'snack'"

[amayzie]

Yeah- i ould sort of acknowledge the request and say 'ah yes- milk, it's not milk time.. milk is at bed time' (or whenever) Hamish will at times point to my cleavage and say 'milk!' (or use his word 'go' for it)- sort of because he thinks of it and sees my boobs... it's almost more a point of conversation rather than a genuine request really. So i often say 'yes, that's where the milk comes from- but it's not milk time now! It's not bed time! (in a sort of amused 'what a silly joke' tone) ' . He;s never been a demander or really asked for it, and so we've not really given it to him willy-nilly through the day (that sounds insulting- i dont mean it to) so it's not as much of an issue to put him off...

[Papaya]

So i often say 'yes, that's where the milk comes from- but it's not milk time now!

I say something along these lines too. F used to sign milk when she saw me in the shower, or when folding washing and she found one of my bras etc. More as an observation than a request. I would just acknowledge and move on, with distraction if necessary. (But if I thought she was really requesting because she was feeling unwell, upset etc, then I would feed.)

[clazzat]

None of mine has ever really asked for it as such. Although we have fed at fairly set times from the beginning, so I guess they never really got the idea that asking would do any good!

I thought that x was dropping his evening feed - the last bit we go into his room, he puts his thumb in his mouth, I take his thumb out to put my boob in (), he feeds in a fairly perfunctory manner, I take him off, he screams, I put him in his bed and that's that. So I decided to try putting him down without feeding him this evening - apparently he's not done with that feed after all!

[C&B&E]

Thanks all.  This is pretty much what I've been doing - so will just carry on!  I haven't been feeding her more regularly as I know it will lead to snacking, but sometimes she will follow me around signing it and clearly wants to be fed  (but then is not bothered about eating so I know she's not very hungry  ).   She is dropping centiles for weight, and is MSPI, which makes the whole thing feel a bit less clear cut for me iyswim.   

[Fiver]

Claire, thanks for asking after us   She didn't like the idea of having anything from lefty tonight but had a reasonably good go at the right.  She's had two teeth start cutting through in the last week, so imagine much of it has been that.

[Khalam's Mama]

Amanda, Maybe try a rugby hold for lefty if it is the teething.

[amayzie]

Claire- Could you try perhaps saying 'no milk- but lets have a cuddle' or read a book or something? She may not be after the milk as such but the closeness and cuddle time it means? Tricky- but you could try some of the old tricks like wearing clothes that are tricky to nurse in, or hard for her to pull at... ?

[anna*]

(((hugs))) Claire yeh I can see it would make it harder to say no if she's not gaining weight well :/

[Fiver]

Lynds - our chair won't really accommodate that, unfortunately   She had a completely meltdown tonight as DS's cap had been left in her room and she wanted to wear it to bed   Took me about 10 minutes to calm her down at which point she completely refused lefty, but took the right again.  Sigh.  I guess if she's happy with that...

[clazzat]

I have a friend who only fed from one side for about 6 months - it can be done!

[Fiver]

She's never got on well with the left one anyway.  That one got the most trauma before her PTT was divided.

[Khalam's Mama]

What about nursing laying down on your side?

[Fiver]

I feed her in her room in the near dark before putting her into bed.  I've always been rubbish at trying to move a sleeping/near asleep small person and just feel the trip across the hall wouldn't be great for her.  If she's happy to feed from the right and leave the left, I'm happy to go along with her.  It could just be that we're coming to the end.