LadyLiberty
11-22-2007, 08:20 PM
Feel free to add your own tips, situations, and thoughts.
Something I have noticed a lot lately, here and other places, is that a lot of moms decide to wean around 16-20 months for reasons that could be resolved. First, I want to say that I think moms who nurse a child for 16-20 months have every right to be proud of the wonderful start they have given their child. Weaning is a personal choice and I am not being judgmental about the choices women make, truly.
The reason I post this is because I went through a time with my twins at about that age that nearly drove me to weaning them. They would simply not night wean and they would nurse a LOT during the day when I was not at work. I was still pumping at work to keep my supply adequate for when I was home, even though they had begun refusing pumped milk in bottles. I was up and down at night and was becoming a cranky zombie during the day. Co-sleeping did not help, no matter what arrangement we tried. It was truly awful and I was in tears over it at least twice a week.
I'm sure this information will scare a few newbies, but my point is that this type of behavior from a toddler of this age is common. A quick poll of several EN moms I know uncovered similar situations in their homes. Awake all night. Baby demanding the breast. Feeling like you can't get away, even for a few hours. No sleep. Touched out. The thing is that everyone who made it to the other side began to enjoy nursing again.
Here again, I don't want to mislead anyone. It never went back to the quiet enjoyment that I got from newborn nursing, but it was enjoyable again and I was no longer bleary-eyed. They night-weaned on their own and I remember those first few nights of sleep. It felt so luxurious.
A year later, we are still nursing and I look back at the myriad of difficulties I have had nursing the twins. Unplanned, unnecessary c-section with four-hour separation and administration of formula against my wishes. Bad latch resulting in cracked and bleeding nipples. Colostrum times 6 days, until the glorious arrival of milk early on day 7. Thrush times 6 weeks. Supply problems requiring herbal and eventually prescription intervention. Mastitis. Unexplained sores, painful beyond all belief for something so tiny. Plugged ducts. Biting. Blood blister. Lazy latch. Fly-by nursing. Plugged Montgomery's gland that is painful during nursing, so much so that I want to push the baby off my lap. And, the period of time between 16-20 months when I was exhausted and desperate for BF to be over.
By far, the worst of it was the 16-20 month period. I am far on the other side of it and so glad that I persevered. I can absolutely understand why many would not do it. It was very, very stressful. Part of the stress for me though was not realizing that it happens a lot and it would end sooner than later. My hope is that some mother who would like to continue, but is at her wit's end might see this and feel some glimmer of hope that it can continue AND end well.
If you have some similar observations, please add them here. Thanks!
Something I have noticed a lot lately, here and other places, is that a lot of moms decide to wean around 16-20 months for reasons that could be resolved. First, I want to say that I think moms who nurse a child for 16-20 months have every right to be proud of the wonderful start they have given their child. Weaning is a personal choice and I am not being judgmental about the choices women make, truly.
The reason I post this is because I went through a time with my twins at about that age that nearly drove me to weaning them. They would simply not night wean and they would nurse a LOT during the day when I was not at work. I was still pumping at work to keep my supply adequate for when I was home, even though they had begun refusing pumped milk in bottles. I was up and down at night and was becoming a cranky zombie during the day. Co-sleeping did not help, no matter what arrangement we tried. It was truly awful and I was in tears over it at least twice a week.
I'm sure this information will scare a few newbies, but my point is that this type of behavior from a toddler of this age is common. A quick poll of several EN moms I know uncovered similar situations in their homes. Awake all night. Baby demanding the breast. Feeling like you can't get away, even for a few hours. No sleep. Touched out. The thing is that everyone who made it to the other side began to enjoy nursing again.
Here again, I don't want to mislead anyone. It never went back to the quiet enjoyment that I got from newborn nursing, but it was enjoyable again and I was no longer bleary-eyed. They night-weaned on their own and I remember those first few nights of sleep. It felt so luxurious.
A year later, we are still nursing and I look back at the myriad of difficulties I have had nursing the twins. Unplanned, unnecessary c-section with four-hour separation and administration of formula against my wishes. Bad latch resulting in cracked and bleeding nipples. Colostrum times 6 days, until the glorious arrival of milk early on day 7. Thrush times 6 weeks. Supply problems requiring herbal and eventually prescription intervention. Mastitis. Unexplained sores, painful beyond all belief for something so tiny. Plugged ducts. Biting. Blood blister. Lazy latch. Fly-by nursing. Plugged Montgomery's gland that is painful during nursing, so much so that I want to push the baby off my lap. And, the period of time between 16-20 months when I was exhausted and desperate for BF to be over.
By far, the worst of it was the 16-20 month period. I am far on the other side of it and so glad that I persevered. I can absolutely understand why many would not do it. It was very, very stressful. Part of the stress for me though was not realizing that it happens a lot and it would end sooner than later. My hope is that some mother who would like to continue, but is at her wit's end might see this and feel some glimmer of hope that it can continue AND end well.
If you have some similar observations, please add them here. Thanks!