Registered User
How are you going Sue?
I have found the agitation horrible when i have always enjoyed feeding. Some days, i do a countdown '10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 ta da! Mummy needs a rest now' and then do something else for a bit and then i will sit down to feed again if she still wants it in a few minutes when i am ready again. (Got that tip from BB!)
My LO has been sick and wanting to feed more, which is fine but i can't increase my supply easily like i used to be able to. i just do what i can.
Much the same at night, thanks for asking. It's only at night time (overnight) when I feel this way.
DD is very slowly giving me longer stretches at night now with sleep - at least one 4 hour stretch so I guess I am just really really tired and run down just now. Feeling the strain more than ever. When she wakes for a feed I am physically anxious and cringing at times. So weird because I LOVE feeding her in the daylight hours.
*sigh*
This too shall pass!(It bloody better!)
BellyBelly Life Subscriber
Can your other half spell you during the night at all?
Registered User
Timely time for this to be bumped, sorry to hear you're still experiencing this! I really hope it passes soon.
I'm currently feeling this again, sigh. I'm just tired, I know I'm just tired but I am about ready to pack it in (would that be so bad, I mean she is 2 and a half and I'm 23ish weeks pregnant...) She doesn't feed during the day so it is purely overnight when I get impatient and over it, what I usually have to do is say "Mummy needs a little space now, can I rub your back instead?" which mostly works but she is old enough to reason with quite well. I know it isn't breastfeeding really, more just needing more rest with the other demands on my body and being hard enough to find a comfortable position to sleep in without having to accomidate a 2yr old who wants to suckle all night plus my nipples being a bit sensitive making it harder to fall back asleep while she is feeding but unfortunately, I really think I might gently encourage weaning by offering alternative settling techniques overnight. Sometimes I just want to scream "I've been so understanding and patient for the last few years, I've breastfed you for however long you wanted, whenever you want it. You've slept through so few times I can keep track of them on my hands and every single time you've woken I've been there, right next to you or at least the same room, even when it was only moments ago you let go of the nipple... ISN'T THAT ENOUGH? Can't you appreciate how good you've had things and give me a little bit of patience and understanding now?" which is a pretty unreasonable expectation of a 2.5yr old haha but it is hard in the middle of the night when I just want some space to sleep in peace.
I have no advice really, I need to go read back my old posts in here haha but I understand and you are doing a really, really great job. I'm sure your little one (and mine) truly do appreciate the effort we go to even if they can't express it how we might like (few extra hours please hehe).
Registered User
Thinking of you too jellyfish
Registered User
Does she feed at every wake up? My LO used to feed at every wake up, and then i began rubbing her back first. Initially, she wasn't keen and would just want boob, but over time she began to relax just with the backrub and would go back to sleep. I never refused to give her a feed, and (fortunately for me) over time she got used to going back to sleep with cuddles instead of a feed. She still wakes most nights and comes into our bed (she is in a side car cot atm) but usually doesn't feed overnight. She has been sick this week and has had feeds overnight, but i feel ok about them cos i know she needs/wants them rather than both of us feeding overnight out of habit. I also wear clothes overnight that mean bub can't just help herself and i have to rearrange to feed. Also, we have a non-drip drink bottle of water easily accessible so she has something to drink if she is thirsty.
Much the same at night, thanks for asking. It's only at night time (overnight) when I feel this way.
DD is very slowly giving me longer stretches at night now with sleep - at least one 4 hour stretch so I guess I am just really really tired and run down just now. Feeling the strain more than ever. When she wakes for a feed I am physically anxious and cringing at times. So weird because I LOVE feeding her in the daylight hours.
*sigh*
This too shall pass!
Will she go to your partner overnight? Can you swap sides of the bed and see if she will settle for him first?
I know it's hard to make the night changes, especially when you are so tired, cos they don't always go easy. Keep remembering.. this too shall pass
Thanks again for the support, lovely people.
She won't be settled by daddy overnight. Only boob. I have tried rubbing her back instead of boob and that has worked a grand total of ONE time - and even that time she woke half an hour later for boob. I do try to lie still and see if she'll settle herself back off and again, she's done this a handful of times. I made my peace with her being a wakeful baby a long time ago. She's even barely sleeping in the day time. She'll have a day time nap maybe 4 days a week. She's too busy taking in the world.
I dunno. I guess, this too shall pass. It has to.
I was more concerned about the agitation I was feeling rather than her frequent waking. Although, I know that the two are linked and I'm tired.
DD seems to be writing her own version of the rules.
xx
Registered User
A woman in my ABA group had agitation with her first child when she was pregnant with her 2nd. She weaned the toddler cos it got too much. When her 2nd child got to a similar age, she had extreme agitation again, even though she wasn't pregnant, and again stopped feeding cos it was too much for her. She is not sure now whether the first time was due to pregnancy hormones or something else. Or whether the 2ns time was related to the first.
My LO (when she is not sick) doesn't always sleep in the day either, maybe couple times a week, and only for a n hour. It's better than a few months ago when there were no day sleeps at all. These April babies!
Indeed!
BellyBelly Life Subscriber
do you think that's what it is? April?
Registered User
For the aversion feelings, I found it helped to work on the latch. Dd would slip off and was a bit lazy and it meant I could feel her tongue rubbing my nipple *shudder*, so I kept getting her to reattach when that happened. Counting backwards from ten is a great idea at this age too (as HotI suggested).
You could also try distracting her with a zippy cup (or bananas!) like we did.
Thinking of you
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks