how do you know if they are really done?

[Mrs.aLifeofReilly]

DS is 21 months and I don't want him to be done yet, but he hasn't nursed in a week. I've offered, but he doesn't want to. My colostrom came in at 14 weeks, and that didn't seem to phase him (I'm almost 22 weeks now), he was still nursing 1-2 times a day (but if he was having a really busy/fun day he'd sometimes skip a day).

I was hoping to nurse at least 2 years, and then was open to tandem nursing if DS still wanted to nurse.

How do I know if this is just a stage he's going through, or if he's never going to nurse again? I didn't see this coming so soon, so it has really taken me by surprise.

[SereneBabe]

Sorry, but, I think only time will tell. :-)

[JessicaS]

Sometimes the taste of your milk changes during pregnancy and some kids don't like the new taste and wean during that.

It might be a nursing strike, a stage or he might try nursing again once the baby is born or he might be done. It is hard to say.

[Mrs.aLifeofReilly]

oh, this is so hard. He came down with a stomach bug over the weekend and I felt so bad. He wouldn't drink anything and started getting dehydrated and lethargic. I wished I could just stick him on my boob and let him nurse away and get nourished and hydrated, but he wanted nothing to do with it. I was able to pump some colostrum and tried to give it to him in a cup, but he wouldn't take that either. He's much better today but still not drinking enough, and so I asked him if he wanted mama milk and he told me no and just kept on playing.

I guess this means he really is done. I'd have expected him to nurse while sick if he wasn't. And I do feel like it is because my milk is all colostrum now, which makes me a bit sad. I hope he was done for himself too, and not just because of the change in milk.

DH thinks he'll want to nurse again when the baby comes and my milk is in. That's fine with me, but will he have forgotten how to nurse, or that he ever did?