Whining Weaning
So my girl is about to turn a year old, and I'm still nursing her a few times a day. I was planning on weaning her around now, but I might not have to bother--I think she's weaning herself. She'll nurse happily a couple of times a day, but at other times she wants nothing to do with my boobs.
It's hard not to take this personally, because I went to some trouble to nurse A as long as I have. When she was six weeks old, I found blood in her diaper. It turned out she had an intolerance to dairy and soy protein, so I ate dairy- and soy-free for about seven months. When she was six months old, I discovered I was having major supply issues, so I ordered domperidone online from Thailand (because you can't get it from pharmacies in the U.S.) and have been taking it ever since to maintain my supply.
I know I'm being silly--it's just that she's growing up and there are more interesting things to do than nurse. But when I try to nurse her and she scowls at my breast or kicks me trying to get away, it kind of hurts my feelings.
It's hard not to take this personally, because I went to some trouble to nurse A as long as I have. When she was six weeks old, I found blood in her diaper. It turned out she had an intolerance to dairy and soy protein, so I ate dairy- and soy-free for about seven months. When she was six months old, I discovered I was having major supply issues, so I ordered domperidone online from Thailand (because you can't get it from pharmacies in the U.S.) and have been taking it ever since to maintain my supply.
I know I'm being silly--it's just that she's growing up and there are more interesting things to do than nurse. But when I try to nurse her and she scowls at my breast or kicks me trying to get away, it kind of hurts my feelings.
posted by Melissa @ 7:25 PM
8 Comments:
At 12:12 AM,
Tammy said…
Sam -- who used to be all about the boob -- has definitely changed his tune these days. He still demands to nurse before naps and bedtime, and if I'd let him he'd happily sleep with a boob in his mouth all night long, but if it's daytime and there's anything remotely interesting going on, no way. I think this is his way of preparing me for years of being utterly ignored when he's a teenager and is too cool to be seen with me in public.
I'm not sure how I'll feel when he's entirely done with nursing. He's already such a busy guy, nursing is still my most reliable means of getting some cuddle time. I'll probably have to pin him down to extract a hug. Sigh.
At 10:47 AM,
Anne-Marie said…
When Sam was born, I thought I'd have a hard time breastfeeding, I had some major issues about the whole thing and wasn't sure I'd feel 'comfortable' with a little one stuck to my boob - crazy eh? Now, almost 1 year later, I look back and am so proud of myself for still breastfeeding Sam; although it's only 2 or 3 times a day. My mom (who bottle fed both kids) asks me constantly 'so, when are you gonna stop?' and you know, I haven't really thought about it. I guess when it happens, it happens? I can see it being a tad sad though...
At 4:18 PM,
landismom said…
My daughter breastfed until about 18 months, but the last six months or so it went from twice a day down to once, until finally she just didn't want to anymore. With my son, I ended up having to wean him at six months because I had to take a medicine that he couldn't have. I tried pumping and dumping the milk to keep up the supply, but after getting the bottle for three weeks, he only ever went back to once a day on the boob, and he gave that up at about 8 months.
I think if you're doing it right, it's definitely harder on you than it is on them.
At 4:34 PM,
Melissa said…
oh! i'm actually having the opposite problem..i'm wishing that nile would nurse less..he's a year old now & hes barely interested in solids at all. he loves to nurse..he's really demanding & signs "nurse" about a bizillion times a day. i'm getting tired!! i have tried everything to get him interested in solids & he just doesn't want anything to do with them (apart from the odd cheddar bunny cracker here & there)..he spits food out or feeds it to the dogs & then demands to nurse. judging from what i observe in other kiddies his age this seems really unusual. i'm not sure if i should be concerned, or if i should just keep on nursin'...?
At 6:39 PM,
Melissa said…
Well, I might have been overreacting--today she nursed 4 times. It seems to be on the weekends when her dad is around that she really doesn't want to nurse. Why nurse when you can PLAY!
I just tried to give her cow's milk for the first time this week, but she doesn't seem to like it so far.
At 8:39 PM,
Cataclysm said…
Oh weaning!! I've been thinking about this way too much!
Thinking of my back-to-work weaning strategy, developing the plan, arming myself with a big tub of formula and 2 litres of homo milk, buying 10 new types of sippy cups (on top of the 8 other ones that I've lost the inserts to).
And yep, given that I've been home for a lot of my first week of work (thus able to feed at naps), Rian seems to be adapting to weaning rather well. Next week we start actually having him go an 8-hour day without the boob... at least my investment in the myriad of sippy cups might pay off a little...
I kinda felt when Rian was first born that if I got to 1 year still feeding, that would be cool. That was before I knew how handy the boobs really were for when he got cranky, when I forgot to pack enough food for him, sickness, etc. And nutritious! I actually bought vitamin drops for him for 'weaning days' because I want him to get enough As, Bs, C, D, etc.
And I think I'll miss the fact that breastfeeding is our quiet-time together but he's now getting calm and cuddly on the couch reading card-books.
Interesting post Melissa!!!
Kris
At 11:49 AM,
Joanne said…
My boy was never a great nurser during the day - I mean, he ate a lot and certainly got fed a lot (he was HUGE) but he mostly seemed angry that he had to be nursing and so he would nurse but roughly, and sometimes punch. At four months he stopped nursing during the day at all, even if I took him to his darkened room, no matter what I tried he wouldn't nurse and therefore, he wouldn't eat. So I pumped him bottles during the day and nursed him when he woke during the night, when he would be so sweet and perfect and cuddly. I could only pump til he was about seven months old though, I was unable to pump during the day as much as I needed to to keep up my supply, and I was losing my mind. So he gradually went to formula during the day and still nursed at night. Then at 8 months he stopped nursing in the night so he stopped nursing. It was really easy, then, but this post reminds me of how hard it was earlier when he wouldn't nurse at all and it first occurred to me that he would stop altogether. I cried and cried when I bought that first formula can. But now that he's 10 months old, and he's eating giant Goldfish and drinking from a sippy cup I can barely remember it. I'm sure there will be a million of these through his life, but this for me was the first time I felt he wouldn't need me for something and it stings, a little. Good luck, I'm sure it will all work itself out, with Baby A leading the way.
At 2:33 PM,
Anonymous said…
Sam--as I was reading the comments of others I could not help but relay my attempts on weaning my son who is now 20 months old. He desires to nurse whenever I am sitting in his favorite rocking chair or sitting period and during the am and pm. I am like you Sam with no definite weaning plan for him at this time I am waiting until he's ready. It appears that my son's nursing has been lengthy. My hopes are that soon he will become alittle more independent and not rely so much on nursing.
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