When I leave for a week, will my 3 year old wean?

[Dreaming]

He currently nurses most nights at least once. Sometimes for hours. During the day he will nurse varied amounts. I'd say 2-10 times depending.
I usually nurse him to sleep but he can and does sleep without nursing.

The trip is already planned and the tickets purchased. I'm mixed on the weaning. On the one hand, I know it's important for him (he eats like crap right now). On the other hand, I've been nursing (tandem for 2 years) for almost 5 years straight. I'm exhausted and my body is presenting all kinds of physical ailments from lack of real sleep among other things.

I'll nurse him if he does ask (after I return) but I'm wondering if he will.

[meemee]

awww mama only your little one can answer that question.

if nursing matters to him that much he will gladly return to your breast whether you have milk or not. or he may be happy to quit.

maybe everything will work out for the best for everyone.

[foreverinbluejeans]

What will he do when he wants to nurse when you are gone? Will he take a pacifier or bottle?

If he is still nursing 10 times a day it seems reasonable to expect that he would want to nurse when you return.

While you are away you could pump to keep your supply.

[Dreaming]

Thanks for the replies (totally forgot to sub to the thread .

He's now only nursing twice a day recently and (thank goodness) not been asking at night. I am thankful for sleep.

foreverinbluejeans- He won't take a bottle or a pacifier and he will snuggle with DH to go to sleep, so he should do okay.
I probably won't pump (don't get engorged at this point even after days of no nursing).

I guess we'll just wait and see.
Honestly, as long as he's letting me sleep at night, I have zero qualms about him nursing for as long as he needs to.
DD is almost 5 and still asks to nurse every single day (I did MLW with her at almost 4 and still feel a little regret over it, but I'm not willing to go there again).

[proudmomof4]

I had to have vein surgery when my youngest child was almost 3y, and I was gone for about one week. My daughter (nearly 13y at the time) reminded him every day that he would be able to nurse again once I'd be back. And he did right after my return - when I went to bed the first night at home. It was quite dramatic because he was nursing and sobbing at the same time, and I told him that everything was fine and he could nurse again now. He kept nursing for another 13 months from then on.
There was no engorgement while I was at the hospital but I could definitely tell that the production went up again after a couple of days.

[TiredX2]

It's funny that he is now nursing through the night because I was going to say, "When you come back see if you can keep him not nursing through the night (since in 10 days I figured he would have adjusted to it) for your own health and well being. Then you'll probably feel less burned out too," but it sounds like that already happened : Isn't it amazing how just a couple nights of what would have once seemed like normal sleep can totally change your outlook when you've been without for years?

Good luck!

[Sarahfina]

I recently went away for a week and my three and a half year old happily returned to nursing when I got home. I didn't worry about pumping to keep my supply- I figured my breasts had forgotten how to NOT make milk! Sure enough, there was milk when I got home. She only nurses once or twice a day, and sometimes not at all if I work late and DH puts her to bed....good luck!!

[Dreaming]

Thanks so much everyone.
I will update when I return home from my trip and let you know if he keeps nursing.

[ashleyhaugh]

maybe not. i ended up in the hospital for a week about a month ago, and with all the drugs i was on, i couldnt nurse my 18month old. he did pretty well, all things considering, with my mom and sister. i'll never forget the look on his face when he woke up next to me ( i got discharged after he was in bed) and then the way he lit up when i asked him if he wanted to nurse, lol. he did cut down to 3 times a day though.

they brought me up a pump from the L&D floor, but i was so out of it, i was lucky if i managed to pump once a day