Extended Nursing Support Thread Part 5

[anna*]

I guess I'm a teeeeeny bit worried about HOW exactly I'm going to stop. But it's not an immediate worry. I'd be happy if she was starting to cut down by herself - I don't offer (except at bedtime) but she's very clear what she wants and most of the time I don't bother trying to settle her without BF at NWs (usually only 1 although she's teething molars AND canines at the mo).

[Fiver]

LOL at udder   Can imagine it might not sound quite right in front of the wrong people, though!
If you get to the stage that you do want to cut down, she might be more easily distracted by then

[amayzie]

we're on 2 feeds d similarly- theres no real sign of that changing! seems odd at 2 to go 'that's all!!'

[Solene]

We still feed on demand except nights. I quit nights around his 2nd b'day and it was only one night he was really upset.
He was actually feeding every 2 hours from he was born until 15 months! (Well, he slept a little longer at night.)
Now he's 26 months and we're usually down to mornings and bedtime. Sometimes an afternoon, but it's been a week now without.

[anna*]

This little girl is driving me crazy. She's learned to say 'other-one' and now she's wanting to constantly switch sides nursing. She'll go for 30-60 seconds on one side, then sit up saying 'other-one', then nurse on the other side, and switch back and forth several times before she finally gets a let down (would happen more quickly if she would just stay with it). It's really making nursing not a happy experience, and she gets super upset if I try to get her to stick to one side for a few minutes.

Between that and yelling "OFF!!" at me and tugging at my clothes if any part of my clothing has the audacity to touch any part of her face, it's really getting quite confrontational.

[C&B&E]

Oh Anna, I've got the same with Little Miss Ten-Feeds-Per-Day Evelyn  .  I really don't know how I'm ever going to wean her as she will *not* be distracted by anything else, and goes wild if I don't feed her

[*Ali*]

We had the constant switching and it was so annoying. I just allowed it but when I got fed up I just told him next time he comes off it is BT (always at BT feed) and this is the last bit.

[anna*]

How you all doing ladies (and babies)? I'm wondering whether to drop the am feed, although I'm not sure that she'd let me. Now that she's sleeping through she has a great big BF first thing in the morning and then of course doesn't want any breakfast at all, but is starving an hour or two later.

[amayzie]

All going Well- Daddy was offered some milk before hamish the other morning.. he declined...

As for the morning feed- can you just delay breakfast? Probably hard with you and the boy wanting to eat i guess... It works in our favour as it gets him to my mum's in the morning without starving...

[becj86]

L was ok with dropping the morning feed so long as we did breakfast immediately upon waking and it had to be substantial - porridge or something.

DH thought he'd just ignore my presence in the house and try to wean L off the BT feed himself That backfired massively! He started EWing again and asking for milk then - that's when DH's at his weakest and will send me in to feed L so he can keep sleeping... so now L is asking several times a day again when he had been perfectly happy with a very short and sometimes non-existent (he'd skip it of his own accord occasionally) BT feed and I have to go through the whole supply reduction sore boob thing again. Yep, after 2 years I still get engorged if L misses a feed.

[*Ali*]

Oh dear Bec that sounds annoying. What is DH's problem with the feeding?

We are still feeding morning Wu, after lunch and at BT. We skip the lunchtime feed if we are out though. He never asks when out, presumably because it has been so long since I fed away from home, at least 8 months. I'm just plodding along now really.

[becj86]

What is DH's problem with the feeding?

I don't know, TBH. He is much stronger in his opposition to it after he's seen his parents, so I suspect its something his father says. The other night I asked if it was harming Logan and he said "Physically, no. Psychologically, I don't know" so maybe he thinks DS'll be somehow scarred

I think its something he didn't see as normal when he was growing up (his mum BF'd him the longest of all her kids and that was only til 6 months and mix fed most of that time from what she's told me). His father seems to think it highly unnatural He was really pushing formula in L's first/second week and had plenty to say to DH (and nothing to me - just looks) when I was BFing him at 8 months.

[amayzie]

The other night I asked if it was harming Logan and he said "Physically, no. Psychologically, I don't know" so maybe he thinks DS'll be somehow scarred 

UGH!! No he DI-UNT!! (picture me as big black woman pouting my lips and doing the 3 clicks.... ) (kind of works more in real life...) I must say though- although the reasoning behind his argument is MASSIVELY flawed- i would think that at 2+ it might just be easier all round for you to work towards dropping feeds rather than fight to keep them IYKWIM? Under 2 or DEFINITELY under 1 i'd be WELL all about keeping it- but... if it's going to be some massive issue...

this is where TV has not supported extended breastfeeding.. people see you feeding a 2.5 year old and it's an immediate jump to either the woman still feeding her 8 year old, or the guy out of little Britain!! There is a happy medium!!

Also- i've been thinking about the fact that he's almost 2 in 3 weeks... and i was planning on feeding him till 'at least 2'... but it seems odd to just say 'happy birthday- no more booby'... but there doesn't seem to be any real sign of him dropping it on his own! I don't actually mind continuing... EXCEPT- we MAY start trying for another baby (haven't talked to DH yet... ) how does the 2 feeds a day affect fertility? My period came back almost right away after hamish... but fertility is in no way my strong point so i want everything to be in my favour!!

[becj86]

i would think that at 2+ it might just be easier all round for you to work towards dropping feeds rather than fight to keep them IYKWIM?

Silly thing is that I already was gently extending the time between feed and bed with songs, stories and he was already cutting down the amount of time feeds were taking and even quite happy without a feed while I was in the house. Its not a massive fight, TG, but its just irritating when he acts upon his doubts instead of talking to me about it and us deciding together - makes our parenting seem a bit disjointed.

I could be wrong - I don't think BFing affects fertility if you have your period back  

See what happens after the developmental leap around 2YO, Katy - that's when L started dropping his feeds more. Not sure if that was also related to feeling more comfortable in our new house/his new daycare, etc. Oh, and maybe when you get pregnant, Hamish will dislike the change in your milk and wean himself

[Fiver]

Lots of information about fertility and BF here - http://kellymom.com/bf/normal/ttc-while-bf/
The one thing that came to my mind before reading a bit of that was that some women have AF without ovulating, so...