I'm not sure exactly where to post this, but my daughter just turned two and we believe in child-led weaning so I thought this might be the best place.
She still nurses over night, which I was okay with. For a long while she was nursing for the last time at night around 10:30 or 11, and then often not waking up again until 5:30 or 6. Once in a while she'd wake once in between but that didn't really bother me. She would also nurse a few times through the day. Fairly long nursing sessions, she still nurses at least as much as she eats solids, if not more, but not super frequently, if that makes sense.
I got pregnant (I'm 10 weeks pregnant now), but it didn't really change her nursing pattern at all at first. Then she got what I believe was Fifth Disease (as a side note, I'm immune, so no worries about me there). Her nursing increased a lot. It had increased for the few days before we noticed the rash from Fifth, and stayed high after the rash went away but she was super sleepy (so we suspected she probably had mild anemia from the Fifth), but it's been two weeks now and she's still nursing a lot. It feels like every hour or two every night (though I haven't been looking at a clock), and at least that often during the day.
It's really starting to bother me. Especially since I really don't want to wean her. But I'm pregnant and one of my most annoying symptoms is having trouble going back to sleep at night. We were planning on starting to have her sleep with DH (we have two queen mattresses butted together in the room), because he could put his hand on her to soothe her back to sleep in the middle of the night, and then I'd bring her back when she wanted to nurse. That way I'd have more room and sleep when I'm hugely pregnant. But there's no way that would work now. When she wakes up, she can't be soothed by anything but nursing.
I'm also starting to feel like I can't sit down or show interest in anything she's doing without her wanting to nurse, and then I find myself avoiding sitting down to cuddle with her which I don't want to do either. I have set some boundaries, like at night she used to like to sit and watch a movie or read a book while nursing, but she could nurse for the entire hour and a half movie and be no more sleepy than if she hadn't been nursing. So now I tell her we can go upstairs to bed and nurse, or we can watch a movie, but not both. She has no problem with that at all and will choose one or the other. But I don't feel it's fair to do that all the time. Also, during the day she's far more insistent. She often wants to nurse out in public (whereas previously she rarely asked while we were out), which I'm okay with some of the time but there are times when it's just not going to happen. I don't like refusing her (I want to follow the "don't offer, don't refuse"), but I have found myself refusing more lately. The part that bothers me the most is that she has a great latch, and nursing isn't uncomfortable or toe curling like I've heard many people describe while nursing toddlers or while pregnant, so I want to enjoy nursing her still, but when it's happening it seems like all the time it's really hard.
I'm not sure what I'm looking for from posting this to be honest. Commiseration? Tell me to suck it up and wait it out? Advice? Is it still from the Fifth Disease? Could it be because I'm pregnant? I am positive my milk supply hasn't dropped. I've always had problems with oversupply and OAL, and my milk came in really early last time. I can still hand express milk across the room after she's nursed. The other thing I wonder is if she's allergic to milk. My husband is and we were trying to avoid it for a while, but since I got pregnant I've been drinking/eating more dairy. We've been pretty bad about it lately. She doesn't really have any other allergy symptoms. Unfortunately if that's the problem, I'm not sure if I can cut back much. I need the calcium and I've been wanting milk more lately than while not pregnant. (Soy replacements aren't an option for us.)
Anyway, thanks to anyone who reads this long post. I feel a bit better just getting it out of my system.
She still nurses over night, which I was okay with. For a long while she was nursing for the last time at night around 10:30 or 11, and then often not waking up again until 5:30 or 6. Once in a while she'd wake once in between but that didn't really bother me. She would also nurse a few times through the day. Fairly long nursing sessions, she still nurses at least as much as she eats solids, if not more, but not super frequently, if that makes sense.
I got pregnant (I'm 10 weeks pregnant now), but it didn't really change her nursing pattern at all at first. Then she got what I believe was Fifth Disease (as a side note, I'm immune, so no worries about me there). Her nursing increased a lot. It had increased for the few days before we noticed the rash from Fifth, and stayed high after the rash went away but she was super sleepy (so we suspected she probably had mild anemia from the Fifth), but it's been two weeks now and she's still nursing a lot. It feels like every hour or two every night (though I haven't been looking at a clock), and at least that often during the day.
It's really starting to bother me. Especially since I really don't want to wean her. But I'm pregnant and one of my most annoying symptoms is having trouble going back to sleep at night. We were planning on starting to have her sleep with DH (we have two queen mattresses butted together in the room), because he could put his hand on her to soothe her back to sleep in the middle of the night, and then I'd bring her back when she wanted to nurse. That way I'd have more room and sleep when I'm hugely pregnant. But there's no way that would work now. When she wakes up, she can't be soothed by anything but nursing.
I'm also starting to feel like I can't sit down or show interest in anything she's doing without her wanting to nurse, and then I find myself avoiding sitting down to cuddle with her which I don't want to do either. I have set some boundaries, like at night she used to like to sit and watch a movie or read a book while nursing, but she could nurse for the entire hour and a half movie and be no more sleepy than if she hadn't been nursing. So now I tell her we can go upstairs to bed and nurse, or we can watch a movie, but not both. She has no problem with that at all and will choose one or the other. But I don't feel it's fair to do that all the time. Also, during the day she's far more insistent. She often wants to nurse out in public (whereas previously she rarely asked while we were out), which I'm okay with some of the time but there are times when it's just not going to happen. I don't like refusing her (I want to follow the "don't offer, don't refuse"), but I have found myself refusing more lately. The part that bothers me the most is that she has a great latch, and nursing isn't uncomfortable or toe curling like I've heard many people describe while nursing toddlers or while pregnant, so I want to enjoy nursing her still, but when it's happening it seems like all the time it's really hard.
I'm not sure what I'm looking for from posting this to be honest. Commiseration? Tell me to suck it up and wait it out? Advice? Is it still from the Fifth Disease? Could it be because I'm pregnant? I am positive my milk supply hasn't dropped. I've always had problems with oversupply and OAL, and my milk came in really early last time. I can still hand express milk across the room after she's nursed. The other thing I wonder is if she's allergic to milk. My husband is and we were trying to avoid it for a while, but since I got pregnant I've been drinking/eating more dairy. We've been pretty bad about it lately. She doesn't really have any other allergy symptoms. Unfortunately if that's the problem, I'm not sure if I can cut back much. I need the calcium and I've been wanting milk more lately than while not pregnant. (Soy replacements aren't an option for us.)
Anyway, thanks to anyone who reads this long post. I feel a bit better just getting it out of my system.
