I haven't posted in here in a while but I thought this would be a good place to come for some weaning advice and support.
DD is nearly two and a half and still feeds frequently through the day, when I'm not at work, and between one (on an awesome night) but up to four or five on a not so awesome night. She feeds to sleep day and night when I am home.
I have loved BFing I fed my now five year old son until he was nearly three only stopping because I fell pregnant with DD and had HG so could hardly make enough milk, for a start, was made feel even sicker when touched and I didn't want to risk the medications I had to take to not be completely dehydrated and starved getting through to him. So apart from the few months break while pregnant and very sick it has been pretty much constant BFing for nearly six years? Anyway I'm feeling pretty exhausted and really touched out. I'm pretty sure it's time to stop now mostly for my own sanity, but I also feel horribly sad and guilty all at once
DD LOVES her milk. She will randomly come to me and say "I love milk it's lovely it's my favourite." Even when she doesn't ask for some.
If I ask her to wait a few minutes before having milk more often than not she absolutely cracks it! Full on melt down yelling crying etc Sometimes you can distract her, which is what I did with DS3 and managed to get him down to a morning feed and a night feed, but she just isn't as easy to distract when she wants milk she wants it and it's melt down city or aggressive groping and pulling of clothes trying to get it herself.
So I would love to hear any advice from anyone to try and make it as easy on both of us as possible. I already feel awful and selfish about stopping when she doesn't seem ready, but I can feel my sanity slipping. I would be really happy with two or three feeds a day but I'm getting the feeling it's all or nothing for DD.
I have fed my 1st 3 kids for an extended period of time. DS is still BF. I had to go cold turkey will all 3. I tried cutting feeds etc but it never worked. As soon as I was sitting down or holding them they would be fondling looking for it constantly. It really was abit of an obsession for them. Emotionally it was hard especially when part of me didn't want to wean them.
I picked a time with work where I'd be away from them during the day and DH had to step up considerably for a few days during the process. All 3 got over it after a few days.
Goodluck with weaning. Its not much fun when they don't want to get off and your ready.
Oh my gosh, you are describing my DD to a tee.
As a matter of fact I was just googling weaning lol.
My DD is a bit older than yours, and I will say at around 2.5 she went through a really clingy phase and was feeding so much it was driving me demented. She has settled a bit now, but if we a home, or she is sick she will want to BF a lot. She feeds to sleep still too and usually once overnight.
Soooo, I have no answers, just sympathy.
Some suggestions I saw tonight included limiting time of feeds (like count to 10) and I have tried this and it does work a lot of the time. Otherwise distract and negotiate, which had varying degrees of success. My DD is very strong willed so if she really wants it, she can really crack up if I try to avoid feeding!
I'm torn between keeping going, but thinking she might go for years more, or tying a gentle wean which will take ages anyway.
Thanks guys. So I am trying a gradual wean for now with lots of distraction. The weather is warming up so outside time is really helpful for distracting. Inside is harder, like you said Saffy as soon as you sit it's a free for all.
I tried talking to her about it but that was a bad move it made her want to feed more and she got quite upset and extra clingy for about a week. So I think slow and subtle is the go. I still feel sad, but I think it's time.
Some women have had success with putting a bandage over their nipples and saying it's sore/booboo. It worked for me in that my son wouldn't ask for it but he would cry and cry at sleep time because it was how he'd fall asleep. It took me 2 weeks of not giving in to his cries (despite them breaking my heart into a million pieces) for him to be completely weaned. Before weaning i had him down to feeding for naps and at night only (but he'd wake 4-5 times a night).
Weaning was really hard but because I'm pregnant i needed to do it. After i weaned him he finally started sleeping through the night.
Anyway, other mums have also had success with rubbing something really yuck on their nipples like aloe vera etc.
Weaning help please :(
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