Hellobee

I am struggling with a lot of these same issues with my 17 month old! I am happy that I am at least done with the pump but still doing a morning and night nursing. Its been a nice balance of the two. I thought she would miss nursing during the day but at school she doesn’t mind her sippy of milk at all!

I want to get pregnant and I can’t do that while nursing. And I want the next pregnancy around my work schedule (and yes I can do this with IVF), so it’s either now or another whole year from now.

He does NOT want to wean at all. He would nurse all day if I let him. But I love that he loves it and that it makes him so happy. And it gives him lots of good calories that I am not sure how to make up when I cut him off.

The reason I keep breastfeeding, even though I hate pumping, is because it is like a magic cure for all. If he’s fussy, I breastfeed him and he calms down, he does not respond that way to a bottle.

I could have written this exact post. I think our girls are even the same age. I think one of my biggest things is that I know she is my last and its a little sad. But man, I am ready to be done. I have been TTC/pregnant/nursing for 6 years. I would like to have a glass of wine with out worrying.

I weaned Nicholas at 8 months bc of allergies. I probably could have stuck it out but I just wanted to eat all dairy and soy things. It was SO nice to eat whatever I wanted to on Christmas eve which is when I stopped.

With Skyler, 9 months and going strong. He has peanut allergy which is a lot easier to manage for me than dairy and soy b/c I can totally not eat anything peanut and that’s okay with me. Although, he’s only down to 3-4 times a day b/c of his sleep schedule and eating solids. He still loves to nurse, though, just like Olive so I think I might have a hard time weaning him off completely when I do b/c he likes to claw at my shirt when it’s time to eat. I finally night weaned him two weeks ago and, OMG, I am loving sleeping until 7:30 AM. I used to wake up around 3:30-4 AM to nurse him and then wake up again around 8 AM. Now I can sleep through. I’m still tired all day long but that goes with having two kids. The plan is to start weaning him when we get back from our big trip in March but we’ll see. I love nursing and I’m going to miss it but, like you, I want my body back. I want my husband to help with feeding him a bottle. I’m not even sure if he’ll take one. He hasn’t had one in months.

I went back to work at 7 weeks PP and pumped until almost 10 months, nursed at home and on weekends. Being away from DS for 9-10 hours a day and pumping all I could made me feel like an inadequate mother and employee. But I loved the time we did have breastfeeding. I feel that being away from me and DS falling in love (LOVE) with food is what put an end to breastfeeding. Around 9 months our nights of nursing turned into nights of sleep, and while I was happy to sleep through the night, I could see what was happening. He started to go right to sleep on his own, then waking just once, then sleeping through the night. I was still pumping at work but my supply was dwindling and I hated doing it. By 11 months he was no longer interested and I wasn’t pumping. It just naturally happened. A lot of my friends that had to slowly wean tell me I’m lucky, but I do miss breastfeeding. If I could have continued, I would have.

I hear you and agree with your thoughts on weaning! My 2 year old still nurses 2-3 times a day. I went back to work full-time at 6 months and pumped at work until she was 18 months old while still nursing at home and on the weekends. Being away from her so much, I really got attached to the re-connection that nursing brings us each day.

Some days, I am really ready to be done with nursing. Especially when she’s sick and extra clingy and wanting to nurse 5+ times a day. But then she gets better, and it’s back to maybe twice a day and everything is OK for me again.

I hope (perhaps foolishly) that our nursing sessions will continue to disappear slowly but naturally until we’re done.

I agree, it’s a tough call! My 21 month old JUST last week decided he was done. I’m so thrilled with our nursing experience, so happy he was the one who decided not to ask for it anymore, and also happy I didn’t have to actively wean him. I can’t even say I miss it really…21 months was the perfect amount of time for us

PB is a couple of weeks younger than Olive, and he’s nursing twice a day (well, except for the past week when he was sick and I was off work – it’s been closer to 4x a day), and I’m having a similar dilemma. I stopped pumping at 12 months because pumping is so tiresome. But these last two sessions per day… I don’t know. I’m hoping to follow his lead on it. If he turns 2 and we’re still nursing, then I’ll try to actively wean, but the benefits still seem to outweigh the inconveniences at this point.

I weaned #1 just after 3 (after pregnancy and tandem nursing) and #2 at 19 months (I got pregnant and was just done). I stopped pumping at one year for both. With both, I found nursing a toddler to be much more of a love in than a food fest.

It really does get much easier to wean once they get moving and so busy. I also found it pretty easy to semi wean and only nurse at certain times (naps, morning, not bedtime) and in our special places (my bed, computer chair). We also started nursing for shorter and shorter times (like as long as it took me to sing a song) if I was not in the mood.

Every single one of your points struck a cord with my BF feelings! DD is 11 months old and, on weekends, I still nurse her 5 times a day (morning, 3 daytime, and bedtime). I posted in the boards that I’m looking forward to quitting pumping but I really don’t feel ready to quit nursing yet. DD still loves nursing and its my go to for when she can’t sleep, is fussy or not feeling well. It IS like a magical cure all! I’m really afraid to let go.

For momma’s who daytime weaned their LO’s, did you slowly mix in cows milk with BM? Did you switch daytime milk to sippy cups? DD gets 3 bottles while I’m at work – do you wean BM and the bottle at the same time?

Yup, I could’ve written this one myself! DS2 is 14 months old and nurses 3 times a day. I’m so happy that I’ve been able to make it this far, and I love the connection that its given me with both of my boys. But I hate wearing nursing tanks and nursing friendly clothing, and I’m ready to have my body back.

I think the biggest dilemma I face is that I’m not sure I will ever get this opportunity again, and I, selfishly, am not ready to let go of it. Because of my previous pregnancy complications, and my continuing kidney issues, I’m not sure I will ever be pregnant or nursing again. So, this week, I’m thinking I will just let DS2 decide when he’s ready to give it up. Ask me next week and I may change my mind!

I can feel this internal battle coming up for me soon. She will be a year old in 2 months and I’m not sure what will happen to our BF relationship at that point. One day at a time I guess.

Oh, I totally could have written this. My LO was just like Olive. She loved to nurse and would never take a bottle…Sadly, I ended up weaning cold turkey at 20 months when I had to go on doxycycline for 5 days and the dr advised against nursing. At 21 mos now, she will occasionally ask to nurse (once a week?) and I will usually let her (mostly it’s first thing in the morning). She still gets some comfort from it, even though the milk is gone, so it doesn’t bother me. I’m just a little sad that she didn’t get to wean on her own terms.

I’m so scared to wean too. She is 8.5 months and nurses 6x a day! I think i’m scared to drop feeds because i don’t know if it will affect her naps.

i think Baby O is already starting to wean herself. nothing concrete, but she’s not spending a lot of time at the breast anymore and is really really distracted. it almost seems like she’s more interested in a bottle than breastfeeding. of course i will follow her lead, but i really wasn’t prepared for feeling sad that she will eventually not want to breastfeed!

I was thinking about this today! Lo is 11 months next week and still nurses 6 or 7 times a day! Seems like a lot when I read about others down to two by one year…

I laughed as I read this. I feel the same way. I thought i’d stop at 6mons…then 12 mons, but LO is now 13 mons and no end in sight for both of us. He nurses about 4-5 times and pump 1x at work.

I feel that mama’s milk is much more superior than cow’s milk, baby also gets rashes when I have dairy, that is my main reason for continuing. In addition, we are trying the Paleo Diet, which excludes dairy, well exceptions with whole milk fresh from a cow, which I don’t have access to. I think I am doing the best for my baby by continuing. I always felt like people complemented me for BF when LO was less than 6 mons. But now that he is getting older, people seem to frown upon it and ask when we are going to stop.It’s interesting how people’s perceptions of BF changes the older the baby.

Are there any Paleo moms out there having the dilemma of continuing to BF? If you weaned, what other type of milk are you giving baby?

I have been thinking of all these same things. My LO is 8 months old and I am wondering if I will stop at 12 months or not for all the same reasons

Also wanted to add that I never thought I’d become so attached to BFing. I’m not celebrating stopping at one year like I thought I would. I’m actually sad that one yet crept up on us so soon. Anyone feel this way?

@littleveesmommy: Belatedly, I wanted to respond to your questions about day-weaning as we just went through this with our 13 month old. I switched her to sippy cups of BM at daycare a few weeks before her birthday and she did fine. She is not a super picky drinker though, so she didn’t care that the milk was now cold. This was partly because she was switching to the toddler room after her birthday and they discourage bottles.

Because we were traveling at christmas, I kept her on pumped milk until then, nursed her full time while we traveled, and then began transitioning her gradually to a mix of BM/whole milk in her sippy. We did 2 oz for a few days, then 4 oz, and are now on 2 oz (in an 8 oz cup). It has been going pretty well.

I continue to nurse her morning and night and night waking but it has been so nice not to pump! I am hoping my supply holds up so that she can self-wean the remaining feedings and so far so good. Hope this helps!

I am still nursing my 13 mo old! She loves it as much as Oilve!! But I have weaned her down to only a morning session and bedtime session. And as of right now have no plans on weaning her anytime so I think I will wean her when she is ready. She is walking but never comes up to me or pulls up my shirt. I definitly do not want to do it too much longer but you never know!

My LO is a couple weeks younger than Olive, and she’s still nursing 5 times a day, too, but one of those is at night. I’m ready to wean and not ready at all for the exact same reasons. It’s my new year’s resolution to night wean by the end of January so that she’ll (hopefully) start sleeping through the night. Several of my friends who breastfed until 2 years or older said that their LOs naturally dropped down to 1 or 2 nursing session at 18 months – I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it’s that easy for me.

Are you just freezing all the milk you pump if she doesn’t take a bottle?

@Andrea: she will drink freshly pumped milk but not frozen milk lately.

@MamaCate: Thanks – this is helpful! The whole weaning business just seems so daunting but I’m glad to hear everything is going well for you.

Sorry in advance – I still have a lot of questions! =\ So basically right before her birthday, you stopped giving her bottles and switched to sippy cups of BM but still gave her the cups at the same times she would have taken a bottle? DD currently gets a 4 oz bottle on weekdays (we nurse full time on weekends) every 3-3.5 hours on top of breakfast (fruit and cheese / yogurt), lunch (rice porridge with chicken and pumpkin, fruit / veggies), snack (puffs and cheese), and dinner (same as lunch). Did you up your LO’s meal intakes so that she naturally drank less milk? I have a fear that she will not get enough nutrients once I day wean her and BM isn’t providing most of her vital vitamins/minerals.

How long did it take for the transition of BM to whole milk, and how much whole milk do you offer her now? Am I supposed to still offer her whole milk every 3 hours or only when she asks for it?

DD wakes up probably a few times a week to nurse at night, but she is starting to sleep through the night more and more so hopefully she will night wean herself. I don’t think I want to push night weaning until we finish day weaning – as much as I’d love more sleep, I still want to nurse her for those few times she does wake (it’s probably more I’m not ready than she……). But I am VERY much looking forward to packing away the pump until the next one. It’s a love hate relationship with it LOL.

With my son, I weaned at 11 mo, mostly due to lack of supply, his lack of interest and his love for whole milk. With my daughter, I have 3 more months to go. Like most of you, I get sad thinking about how I will never go through this experience again, but then she bites me and the countdown clock starts ticking again.

@littleveesmommy: I am happy to help! Sorry I didn’t get to this sooner:

On the bottles/cups: We switched the BM to cups but kept everything else the same–same amount of milk, same time of day at daycare, and continued to nurse full time on weekends. We did about 2 weeks before her birthday mostly because I needed to buy more sippy cups and didn’t get around to it before then.

On the food: I did not change the amounts she ate and she seemed to do fine. You may want to ask daycare to keep an eye on if she seems hungry when she is done with what you send and then follow her lead. Since you are transitioning to whole milk, not water, I think her nutrition would be fine but you could check with her ped?

The transition: It has taken us about two weeks total, mostly driven by my freezer stash–I just started freezing the last few pumping session amounts in 2 oz sizes so that it was easier to manage. My default was an 8 oz cup of milk that she could drink during the day, so I started with 6 oz BM/2 oz WM and did that for 2-3 days. Then we did 4/4 for about a week, and now we are down to 2 oz BM/6 oz WM. Wednesday will be our last day of the combo and then she will have WM all day.
In her toddler room, they ask us to send one sippy cup that they fill with milk and offer at snack and meals until it is gone, then switch to water.

We have followed that routine at home and I have been surprised that she has only asked to nurse once during the day, but was quickly distracted. She continues to enjoy nursing morning and night. I took the pump to work the first two days after I officially stopped just in case I got uncomfortable but I was fine and my supply seems to be holding up so far!

As far as night weaning, I haven’t pushed it and she still gets up often but not every night anymore. We have not sleep trained and so we are following her lead on this too.

I hope that helps–let me know what other questions you have!