Extended Nursing Support Thread Part 5

[*Ali*]

Please continue chatting and supporting each other in nursing babies 12mo+

Continued from Extended Nursing Support Thread part 4

[anna*]

I'm holding on to your experience Ali, but still haven't got up the nerve to wean that NF yet. She's teething pretty hard ATM so the NF can be anything from 2am onwards... hope I'm not digging a hole for myself, but she is SO hard to settle at NWs. Keep hoping and hopeing she'll start sleeping through by herself, but I'm probably just kidding myself.

[amayzie]

I would SUGGEST that in our experience anna that she won't stop waking while there's a feed on offer. That was our story anyway...BUT keep the feed if it's easier for you to deal with that than wean it!! We weaned it as it was turning into several long NW.. not worth it!

BTW_ i LOVE the teddy snood thingy... did you knit it?

[anna*]

Teething hard, extremely heavy cold, wonder week - she is nursing basically like a newborn. What's worse is, in between times she is pulling at my clothes ALL THE TIME and then hitting me and tantruming if I don't get my boobs out. She doesn't want to nurse - she just wants to know that she's allowed to BF, but literally she will latch on for 15 seconds, then sit up, and then start crying and hitting me if I cover up again.

[*Ali*]

Ah poor sausage. Maybe she does want to feed but it is too uncomfortable with her teeth and blocked nose so she unlatches after a short time?

If Colby asks to BF and I don't want to I say it's not BT and distract with another drink or food or toy.

[anna*]

Yeh, you're probably right. I am thankful to still be BFing though, she is not eating anything (although drinking tons) so it does at least feel good to know that she's getting some good nutrition. Also I've noticed that if we can unblock her nose long enough to start properly nursing, it does help relieve the congestion!

I'm just feeling impatient at being pulled and pushed at and basically beaten up all day long. Really hope she's finally on the mend.

[*Ali*]

Have you tried the saline spray? What about a nice steamy bath? Or going out in the cold?

[C&B&E]

Anna, I'm with you.  E is *constantly* asking for milk (in my face signing and shouting at me  ) - but then latches on for 15 second with a painful toothy grip and then just wants to keep switching sides  .  It's seriously making me want to wean  .  We are still up doing one night feed again and I really don't think we can wean it properly while she is wanting to nurse so much throughout the day - it's like it's become some comfort thing (physically and emotionally) - but I'm really tired of it now  .   And my nipples hurt A LOT. 

[anna*]

Yeh, it's a huge comfort thing for Audrey too. And after she does properly nurse she is so much happier - it is like her mummy cup is filled with milk, yk? If she's a bit sad and clingy, she's happy and confident and independent again after BF. We've still got at least 1 NF going here too (when she's well, more like 2 at present), I'm still chicken to wean it as I dn't think we've ever had a NW where she's settled in less than an hour - unless she's BFed, in which case she'll settle straight away.

Ah! There she is waking up now. No real surprise though, she didn't eat a single taste of her tea

[amayzie]

sounds AWFUL anna! hope she's better soon!!

Hamish tried to blow bubbles while he was feeding tonight! Funnily enough it didn't work  

[Solene]

We just quit night nursing. My toddler will be 2 years old in just a couple of weeks. And it was my decision. Suddenly one night when he nursed I just got a very strong "NO MORE! I'M DONE!" feeling. And that was that. I talked to him about it, and he didn't react too much. But when night came and he woke up at 4 am. and wanted to nurse he was so not happy when I didn't nurse him. He screamed and cried and was really mad until 7 am! I was there with him the whole time, of course. Then he nursed at 7, and slept until 9.30.
The next night already went a lot better, he mostly just said "mama" "maaaama" several times and when he didn't get to nurse he went back to sleep.
He nursed around 8 am and then slept until 10.30 that morning. So night weaning is obviously exhausting, hah.
And now this morning was the third night and it went fine, he mostly slept, he asked for me once. And went back to sleep again and slept until 8.30 before he woke up and got to nurse. (We got up then though.)

I'm very glad it went that well.
It just seemed like he understood that I was serious about this. He had his little protest, but I would too, he's almost 2 and has never before been denied nursing exactly when he wants.
But I also feel a little sad that it was my decision and he didn't get to wean on his own. But I just felt like I couldn't do it any more, not even one more night.
He still gets to nurse all he wants during the day. But it hasn't changed. It's morning, and afternoon, and bed time. Sometimes an extra time. And if he wakes up before I go to bed, he gets to nurse. It's only the bed time (or the later one if it happens) or early morning when he's sleepy that last 10-20 minutes. The day time ones just last 4-5 minutes.
I'm so glad he is continuing those though, I don't feel ready at all to stop nursing. So I'm glad he still wants to!

[Fiver]

That's great, Solene.

I've got a feeling DD might be stopping now.  She's refused a feed the last two nights, although she's obviously not feeling too good and could well have teeth coming.  We've got such a lot going on right now that she doesn't even want me to put her to bed, let alone feed her   Oh well, some of that is for another thread somewhere else

[*Ali*]

Hugs Solene and Amanda.
Solene I suspect he may never have night weaned until he weaned himself completely so don't feel too bad.

We are still going with morning and BT feeds and midday feeds most days when home.

[anna*]

Solene that sounds like it was relatively easy, well done to you both!

(((hugs))) Amanda

Still going here too. I have been thinking about when to get rid of the MOTN feed but actually it means she will just be down to one feed (bedtime) on childminder days and I'm not ready for that. If she wakes at 7 there's probalby not going to be time to BF in the morning, it is such a scramble as it is to get everyone up/dressed/fed in time for the school run. So we'll keep going with the 4-5am feed for a few more months.

[Erin M]

(((hugs))) Amanda and Solene. 

Anna, when I was working when Allie was small we always did the feed around 5 AM -- most of the time she woke for it, sometimes I just picked her up asleep and let her nurse like that.  Like you, it was the only way that feed was going to happen, so I was ok with it.