re: Breastfeeding (the toddler years)

Quoting Ivana, expecting #3!:" thanks! How old is your daughter? my son will be 2yrs 7months when my third baby is born, so he may ... [snip!] ... is born, so he may be close to weaning by then anyway. As long as my doc says it's ok, i will let him lead the weaning process."

Congrats momma! My 1st was just about 3 when my 2nd was born & I nursed all through that pregnancy. He mostly weaned immediately when the baby was born but continued to nurse periodically for another 6 months...but seldom. So if feels to me like be weaned the day I had his brother.

If for some reason your Dr says you need to wean, be wary of that & look into it before deciding to do so. MANY Dr's don't understand long term nursing & are way too quick to tell mommas to wean with no science to back that recommendation. I had a history of pregnancy loss & even my Ob had to agree there is NOT known threat to nursing during pregnancy....even if you have a history of preterm labor BUT they do universally recommend that women with preterm labor wean regardless of the age of the nursling. I didn't have any preterm labor, but I did have #1 at 37 weeks - so it was a discussion. I nursed all through my pregnancy & had #2 at 37 weeks with no problems.

Now if you decide you want to or need to wean, that is one thing, I just hate having Dr's tell mommas they need to wean based more on cultural norms & their lack of valuing long term nursing rather than real evidence based medicine.

Quoting Ivana, expecting #3!:" thanks! How old is your daughter? my son will be 2yrs 7months when my third baby is born, so he may ... [snip!] ... is born, so he may be close to weaning by then anyway. As long as my doc says it's ok, i will let him lead the weaning process."

she will be 2 on january 4th so 2 years 4 months when her brother arrives. even if your doctor advises you to wean, i would do your own research. there is really almost no need to wean during pregnancy. lots of women do it succcessfully through pregnancy. good luck.

I had it in my mind to breastfeed until my children were 1, but my daughter loved it so much I had to wean her when she was 2 yrs and 3 months b/c I was pregnant and no longer wanted to nurse, she however would've gone on much longer. I just weaned my son at 2 yrs and 11 months, and he too would've gone on longer, but I didn't want to anymore. He still asks for it once in a while. I really wish I had a child who weaned him or herself, but am happy that I was able to bf for as long as I did b/c I think the benefits are very substantial.

Quoting Madame Joy:" I had it in my mind to breastfeed until my children were 1, but my daughter loved it so much I had to ... [snip!] ... weaned him or herself, but am happy that I was able to bf for as long as I did b/c I think the benefits are very substantial."

They likely didn't self wean due to age. The average age worldwide of self weaning is around 4 - 4.5 yrs old...so not being ready to wean before 3 is quite typical. I have one right now who is nursing at nearing 3 & I see no end in sight for us either. It all depends on the child. WTG on nursing so long though - it is not easy in modern cultures to resist all the social pressure to wean & keep going! It really is great for them to go as long as you can & you have given them an awesome start!

I wonder why so many moms have told me that their kids weaned themselves, usually between one and two years old. I have always been curious how that happens. Does the baby sense something negative from the mother and so weans him or herself. I have to admit that it became tiring to always feel like I was the strange one, too attached to my children, to bf as long as I did. Whenever my 3 yo is very upset or abruptly awoken from sleep and I want him to go back to sleep, I still let him nurse, even though there's not any milk left, and still I feel strange even writing this.

Quoting Madame Joy:" I wonder why so many moms have told me that their kids weaned themselves, usually between one and two ... [snip!] ... to go back to sleep, I still let him nurse, even though there's not any milk left, and still I feel strange even writing this."

My 4 year old continues to nurse  . And she nursed through my second pregnancy, even though there wasn't any milk.

I'm not sure, but in a lot of cases the child wouldn't have weaned if the mother hadn't encouraged it, sometimes it was just a nursing strike or an interest in other things that gave a great opportunity to wean. Or there were too many conditions on nursing or too much postponing.

I don't know, my children haven't weaned but I do find it odd when my friends tell me that their 11 month olds wean on their own (or their 5 month olds have weaned themselves). Unless they are looking for ways to continue the nursing relationship, I don't say anything.

Quoting Madame Joy:" I wonder why so many moms have told me that their kids weaned themselves, usually between one and two ... [snip!] ... to go back to sleep, I still let him nurse, even though there's not any milk left, and still I feel strange even writing this."

Don't even feel weird about it. My 4 year old still nurses >.< she nursed through my pregnancy even though I didn't have any milk. When they don't need it anymore, they wont ask for it.

Quoting Madame Joy:" I wonder why so many moms have told me that their kids weaned themselves, usually between one and two ... [snip!] ... to go back to sleep, I still let him nurse, even though there's not any milk left, and still I feel strange even writing this."

Lots of people do lots of things that bring on weaning without realizing it. Giving cow's milk regularly is a form of weaning, since you are giving a child milk that isn't from you. Putting a child off, delaying, etc, are all subtle forms of weaning. Many children won't wean from that alone, but many will.

I don't care when another momma decides to wean, but I do find it annoying when I hear a momma say her child self weaned at an early age (like especially before a year). It is just not truly accurate the majority of the time.

Quoting justanothamotha:" Lots of people do lots of things that bring on weaning without realizing it. Giving cow's milk regularly ... [snip!] ... her child self weaned at an early age (like especially before a year). It is just not truly accurate the majority of the time."

    that is so true

Does the nipple pain during pregnancy nursing ever subside? It feels like my son's mouth is made of sandpaper, and like he is biting me the entire time, it hurts! I am only 4weeks 5 days, so I have a long ways to go. I hope it does subside. I cringe every time he nurses and I feel like I wanna crawl outta my skin. I had heard about the nursing aversion that can come with pregnancy. I hope I can get through it for my son's sake. I don't want to take his nursing as I know it will help him adjust to the new baby.

<blockquote><b>Quoting Ivana, expecting #3!:</b>" Does the nipple pain during pregnancy nursing ever subside? It feels like my son's mouth is made of sandpaper, ... [snip!] ... I can get through it for my son's sake. I don't want to take his nursing as I know it will help him adjust to the new baby. "</blockquote>


I'm 21 weeks now and it's still just as painful as it was when I was as far as you. It hasn't subsided at all but my aversion to it has subsided. I am back to wanting dd to nurse but I have almost no milk left so she typically just matches for a few seconds and then moves on except when she was sick this past weekend she nursed all the way theough the night. It was wonderful. She will be 2 on the 4th and I'm just going to keep offering it and hoping she picks back up when my milk comes back. I don't want her to wean but it's not looking good. She will go days without nursing right now.  

Quoting Ivana, expecting #3!:" Does the nipple pain during pregnancy nursing ever subside? It feels like my son's mouth is made of sandpaper, ... [snip!] ... I can get through it for my son's sake. I don't want to take his nursing as I know it will help him adjust to the new baby. "

I nursed my 3 year old through my pregnancy and it was cringe worthy a bunch of the time >.<

I am in Littleton   hi

You have to be certain you don't have thrush as some mommas are prone during pregnancy. Otherwise, it all depends on various things & is different for different mommas. Mine was never painful except when I had thrush & Ds was asymptomatic the whole time, but when I would treat for thrush, the pain would go away, so I am certain MINE was thrush pain.

Yah I am starting to get nursing aversion. Last night he nursed for his usual hour to fall asleep, but I couldn't handle it! It was so frustrating. I just wanted him off of me! I had heard about pregnancy causing nursing aversion, but I had no idea how ugly it could feel. It took him 3hrs to fall asleep with daddy rocking him because I just could not let him nurse, I was seriously afraid I was going to get physical with him, that's how "heebie jeebie" the nursing felt, I had the urge to smack his mouth just to get him to unlatch and then push him away. I hope I can learn to deal with this for his sake. During the night it was happening again when he came in to our bed as usual and wanted to nurse frequently. I was getting agitated, frustrated, and even angry. I gritted my teeth and bore it, but it was hard! I hope it doesn't last too long. I can deal with the nipple pain, but the nursing aversion is another beast entirely.

Quoting Madame Joy:" I wonder why so many moms have told me that their kids weaned themselves, usually between one and two ... [snip!] ... to go back to sleep, I still let him nurse, even though there's not any milk left, and still I feel strange even writing this."

I know exactly how you feel, I have been trying to night wean my son for nearly 10 months now and everywhere I look online it seems that eeryone else's child weaned themselves, or they only fought the weaning process for a few nights and then they got it and were done, but my son just keeps on! in deperation I even put vinegar on my nipples last night and he didn't even flinch, just kept right on nursing! I have tried Dr. Jay gordon's method, Pantley Pull off, distraction, haing daddy put him to bed, offering a sipply cup, band aids on my nipples, etc, for MONTH AND MONTHS now and it just sin't making a change in his nursing habits, it's making me crazy! I would give my left foot for him to just night wean himself and slee through!!