Extended Nursing and Weaning

This is only my opinion, but I think children tell us what they need. If your son is still needing to nurse, why not let him? I know our society looks down on nursing toddlers (and even infants in some cases), but HE will let you let you know when it is time to stop. Hope this helps and again, it is only my opinion.

1 mom found this helpful

J.,

Mine were both 22 months when they gave it up. Search "La Leche League" for a group in your area. They will give you great support. Don't let others pressure you into doing something you don't want to do. Keep up the good work with the cup, too. Anything "not from Mama" should come from a cup.

My son had to take a bottle when my FIL died and I had to attend an out of town funeral (all day deal), but with that one exception, I never had to make a bottle. Neither of them tolerated a pacifyer, either, although my son used one to chew on when he was teething. They are now 25 and 28, and very happy, loving people.

Three THOUSAND cheers to you ! ! !

1 mom found this helpful

Are you sure about weaning? I only bring this up because you yourself sound uncertain. You can diet while nursing, although you have to be careful to be reasonable about it. I found that the Weight Watchers program works well with nursing. As for supplements, yes, a lot of them are probably off limits, but you might be surprised. You could check with a La Leche League leader to see if the ones that you want to take are safe or not. You can submit a question on the website, and someone will call you back.

http://www.lalecheleague.org/resources/assistance.html?m=0,0

You could probably find advice for weaning on the La Leche League website or, if you decide to wait a little longer, you could also find information about the benefits of extended nursing that might make your husband feel more comfortable with you not weaning.

I'm sorry that I don't have any advice about weaning, but my 2 year old is still going strong. He nurses even more than your son does! But I wanted to suggest a couple of books that I've heard are very good: The Nursing Mother's Guide to Weaning, by Kathleen Huggins, and How Weaning Happens, by Diane Bengson. And, if you decide to wait a little longer to nurse, you might be interested in Mothering Your Nursing Toddler, by Norma Jane Bumgarner.

1 mom found this helpful

You have already started the weaning process so you just need to continue, I would cut out the middle of the day feeding first. If he needs something to go to sleep, hold him close and give him a bottle or sippy. After about a week and letting your body get used to one less feeding, I would cut out the one first thing in the morning. when he wakes up, get him ready for breakfast, make breakfast fun and let him try all sorts of different fruits and even eggs, maybe give milk or juice. with the activity he may not even notice that you are not breastfeeding him. I would do this for about 2 weeks. then I would stop the night time feeding. this will probably be the hardest one to stop as he might use it to help fall asleep. I would still hold him and cuddle him and bond with him, but without the feeding. He will be fine. He might fuss and want to breastfeed, but once you make the decision to stop, you have to be consistent and not give in, he will adjust very easily if you are consistent.
As for the insurance, companies like AAA, state farm, allstate offer health insurance. And you would get a policy discount if you carried them for your auto and home policies too, so I would check that out. I don't know about the cost, but it might be worth looking into.

I have a set of twins, along with three other children. None of mine nursed that long but when you do feel ready to stop nursing, with our twins I pumped and put it in a cup and held them like I did when I nursed them. The first couple of times I just wore my bra, to have that skin to skin contact but not exposed where they wanted to nurse, didn't want to confuse them but took it gradually to help them adjust. After the first day I just held them, with my shirt on, while they drank. They adjusted well, with no struggles or crying, and this way they still got my milk. I hope this helps for when you do decide to move forward. Good Luck!

Hi J.,
I nursed both my boys for 18 months, and it was great! One thing I can tell you, once you go that long, they won't give it up on their own, but they will give it up pretty easily.

I recommend giving up one feeding at a time, like some of the other moms said. This way it is not too sudden for either of you. Giving up the bedtime feeding last is a good idea. The others will be really easy, especially the morning. Keep busy so your child will not think about nursing, because once you sit down, he will probably be looking for it! Keep giving him the cup, definitely make sure he drinks a sufficient amount of milk. When you are ready to give up the bedtime feeding, you may have to have your husband do bedtime for a couple of nights.
Give yourself and your son as much time as you need. If you do, I think you will find that weaning will happen without too much drama. Good luck!

Hi, you've got alot of good responses for the weaning so I have nothing to add here really except I nursed until my son was 2 years old and then decided enough was enough especially since his teeth were getting a little too much for me. He adjusted really well, just gave him a bottle at night of milk and he would be fine with that. He still every once in a while will ask for the "boobie" but I just say no big boys don't go on mommy's boobie, they drink out of the bottle/cup at night." It seems to work..LOL.

As for the health insurance issue. Are you now in Alabama? If so, Blue Cross and Blue Shield is having open enrollment until the end of this month where they are charging a much lower rate for health insurance then normal. Of course it has a higher deductible but other than that they ensured us it was the same as the regular insurance. The link to apply and read all about it is www.specialopenenrollment.com.

Hope it works out for you!