a) he loves to nurse more than anything in the world (you've no doubt noticed his large physique, right?)
b) i RELY on nursing for my sanity in the early morning hours. he wakes up around 5:30 and will sometimes sleep until 7:30 or 8am if i nurse him back to sleep
c) how in the heck am i supposed to get him down for his afternoon naps without my magic bullet? (you guessed it: breastfeeding)
d) how do you think i have gone this long eating junk and losing so much weight (500 -700 cals. per day are taken care of all thanks to breastfeeding)
e) it calms him and makes him feel happy and secure- in fact he often beams up at me with an adoring little chuckle... it's precious.
f) his first molar just came cutting through and he painfully chews on his chubby finger and begs to nurse to ease his suffering. if you've been there you know just how sad it can be to see your baby like that.
admittedly, b and d are purely selfish, but a, c, e and f are real concerns for me.
how do i do it people? if he had his way, he would nurse every hour or two and that's it. he would maybe eat some fruit and treats too, but mostly he would just nurse and be totally happy. i feel bad cutting him off, but i don't want to be nursing a one year old who looks like a three year old for very much longer. please help.
thanks.
here he is with his very first haircut. handsome. oh yeah! and how did thomas do such a precise job on such a wild toddler? I NURSED HIM THE WHOLE TIME SO HE WOULD BE CALM! haha - oh man.
19 comments:
If I only knew, then I would let you know...my baby is starting to grow a tooth and I'm not looking forward to nursing with teeth in there.
and i totally know where that gym is!But you say it's only open 8-2? Shucks. I don't get off work till after 3 or 4. Darn...
hey its me, can you gosh darn believe it? so you WANT to wean? make sure you want to do it, because if your heart's not in it (even a heart breaking into pieces), your reSOLVE is more likely to disSOLVE if you know what i mean. i've heard the best way, and i'm sure you've read this or something, is to eliminate one feeding at a time. so instead of making a clean break, go down to four feedings, then three then maybe just two, one at naptime and at night-- you get the gist.
when i was rejecting myra while she SCREAMED to nurse, i finally gave her chocolate, you know, to further her emotional dependence on food for comfort. she was 14 months, and it helped. sidenote: i had really strong motivation because i really wanted to get pregnant with number two, and my period just wouldn't come back while i was nursing.
Now that he is one he can have milk. I wonder if a bottle of milk would have the same affect.
My experience may or may not be helpful for you, but this is what worked for us and Simon.
First, we fed him more real food. I was really slow about increasing portion size and introducing new foods, but Micah's mom showed me it could be done when we were visiting her at Christmas time. Simon went from nursing every 4 hours and only occasionally making it through the night without nursing to nursing only 4 times a day, at meal times and right before bed.
Second, when he hit 9 months, his need to suck diminished a bit and we cut out another feeding.
The mid-day feeding disappeared when we were with my brother in Ohio. I think the change in scenery and schedule made him forget about it.
I've been thinking of cutting out the morning feeding, but it looks like he still needs it, and I am not really in a rush to wean him completely. I admit that part of it is because I convince myself that I can eat brownies and ice cream every night because I'm still nursing, but really I just don't feel the urgency in it.
So, if I were to offer advice, it would be to try giving him more food when he wants to nurse and go on walks or do something to distract him before he starts really wanting it. I have also heard that between 9 and 18 months is when babies' sucking reflex diminishes, so maybe Ambrose hasn't hit that point yet.
Best wishes on this endeavor.
I so feel your pain with all the conflicting emotions. I don't think I'll be much help because Eryn went cold turkey on me at 15 months. That was rough. I was put on a cream for an infection. Even though it is safe for breastfeeding apparently it tastes nasty (or at least Eryn thought so). I guess my point is that it is really rough emotionally on mommy and baby to go cold turkey. Sorry if I grossed anyone out, just sharing my limited experience.
Definately wean him one feeding at a time. That will make it easier for both of you. Dane had kind of weaned himself down to morning and night by 1 year, so I don't know what to tell you. I just tried to get him used to the taste of real milk, and then one day I brought him into Cale when he woke up and gave him warm milk in a Nuby sippy (with the soft nipple) and I left the room. After a couple weeks, I could still lay down with him and give him the sippy. Then after about a month (I couldn't quite give it up all the way), I did the same thing at nighttime.
Dane didn't like the taste of milk, so that was my first issue. This sounds bad, but I put a little bit of chocolate syrup in the milk to make it sweeter. And then every couple days I'd put a little less in until he'd drink it without the chocolate.
Dane did it just fine, but he was kind of getting tired of nursing. He would get distracted, and sometimes wouldn't fall asleep at night even when I'd nurse. If he doesn't already have a snuggly that he goes to bed with, you could try to get him one. They say if you give them like a shirt of yours or something, that soothes them because they like your smell...anyways hope some of my ramblings help. Good luck!`
warning: this is a haircut comment.
i love his haircut.
You are amazing for being so sensitive to his needs. I'm not that kind. But here's some advice, only cause you asked. You MUST be totally committed cause he will fight at first and that sucks especially when you both know what he wants to fix it and you both know you can give it. If you give in though, trying it again will be so much worse. Also, one feeding at a time is the best not only for him but also for you. It would hurt so bad if you stopped feeding him all together. Anyway, that's my two cents. Good luck with that! Any by the way, that is an amazing haircut on a toddler.
What a cute haircut boy!! Weaning is hard, but so worth it once you do it! With Zac we switched him to sippy cups of milk and he was addicted to those until he was 3. He WOULD NOT go to bed without one forever. (I know, I know, you are not supposed to do that). For the record though, his teeth are fine and he doesn't need milk before bed anymore.
i also love the little haircut! although i have no children, i had to wean jesse off of video games before we got married. i found that mountain dew and scrabble seemed to be acceptable substitutes. perhaps these might work for you?
Easy Solution: get pregnant with baby #2... that's what finally ended my 14 month nursing bond with Eliza. :)
I wanted to wean at a year, but that was when we moved to Germany, so I kept it up because it was our one constant during that time of transition. A month after finding out I was pregnant, we stopped, and I'll be honest, it was super hard emotionally for us both, but she forgot about it much sooner than I thought.
Good luck
Here is my solution (from the lady sans kids) don't do it. That's right, just don't do it. There is nothing cuter than a 5 year old grabbing his mother's boosom in church, helping himself to a wee snack. No really, I wish I could give you some help here, Diana's suggestion about chocolate sounds good though, I can think of several things I would give up if someone would just pop a chocolate in my mouth to take my mind off what I wanted. Good luck!
no advice ... but way cute picture, and love the haircute.
still, no advice.
hahahaha... breastfeeding is useful for so many things. like haircuts and losing weight, why wean? I agree with Bille just let him nurse forever:). I LOVE Daina and Bille's Chocolate comments, so true I'd do anything for chocolate.
As you, and everyone else who knows anything about me, I am not an expert on weaning. But I do have a child who loves breast milk AND chocolate...shoot now how an I going to wean her?
Wow, I totally do not relate to this post :) I sure learned a lot, though, and got a kick out of the funny parts -- weight-loss benefits, the one-year-old who looks like a 3-yr-old (and nursing till he's 5 yrs. old!). And the chocolate suggestions. Learned: that your period goes AWAY when you breastfeed?!? And it makes you LOSE WEIGHT?! And that the psychological manipulation children are known for begins THIS EARLY?!?! That's a big one -- I would've thought the whole weaning thing was pretty much 1) stop breastfeeding 2) feed the kid Cheerios. Who knew it had this whole emotional factor? I feel like we're back in Victorian times and there are all these "Women's issues" that are secret until you enter that stage of life yourself. In that case, I guess I shouldn't be privy to this whole new chapter of Being A Woman. Good luck, my dear!
Grant was the boss of the weaning business. One day, at eight months, he looked up at me as if to say, "thanks, but no thanks." sorry I am of no help.
I offer a big fat thumbs up! You are awesome! Breastfeeding is hard to do and keep up with and you made it a year! I also thought I wanted to wean at a year, but Kate is so darn attached :) that I might let her go longer. I laughed at the 5 year old comment, my baby is 8 months and she already pulls at my shirt. I am jealous that you are losing weight with breastfeeding, sadly I think I am gaining!
As for advice, I would say the same thing, try to take away one feeding at a time. Your boobs will thank you. But offer a substitute. Take it slow, and remember he won't nurse forever, he'll stop in time for college!
Good luck
He is the CUTEST ever!!!!!!! I love his haircut face. ad; j;fsjefaoiwejofije;jwe;fj;f dj!!!!!!!! I can't contain myself!
LOVING the picture of slick rick. Ambrose, Toddlerhood suits you my friend.
As for the nursing, the highly elusive granola alter ego of mine says let him suck you dry.
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