Night-Weaning attempt/support

[Wendlynnn]

Hi Mamas. Well we're biting the bullet and really this time night-weaning our 21 mo. old dd. I've been too scared to try over the past year (after a traumatic for both of us nursing strike at 11 months). Now she's been diagnosed with reflux, so I know not having milk at night is best for her - not to mention the fact that my dh and I are falling over with exhaustion for the past 2 years (and we're ttc but no ppo yet).

We're trying Dr. Gordon's method. Last night (night #1) she was up crying off and on from 3:30-5am. She did go back to sleep eventually with me rocking her. She sleeps in her crib until we go to bed and then co-sleeps with us for the rest of the night, but last night she didn't want to be in bed with us when I denied her "milky." Does this mean that co-sleeping will end? That makes me sad. I love her next to me.

Also, I know I should cease nursing her to sleep at bedtime b/c of the reflux but have no clue how to change this as we've been in the nursing to sleep routine for her whole life. I want to be as gentle as possible but and feeling doubts and just general anxiety. Bleh.

Would love feedback and encouragement. Thanks wise mamas!

[PAgreenmama]

i don't know how much help i can be other than to say that i don't think co-sleeping will end with nightweaning. we have the same exact setup as you where dd sleeps in a crib until we go to bed. our crib is set up as a sidecar and occasionally dd will wake and cry and crawl over me into the crib again. she doesn't usually stay there. we nightweaned at 14 months because i wasn't getting enough sleep and we also used gordon's method. it worked really well for us... maybe 3 nights of trying to nurse and then that was it. she would still wake at that time for a while, however she just wanted to go back to sleep, not nurse.

if she does continue wanting to sleep in her crib all night, i would be happy to know that she reached that stage on her own and that you wont have to deal with the eventual weaning her from your bed. (although i too would be so sad to end cosleeping!!!)

i can't help much on the nursing to sleep. i still nurse dd before bed although she doesn't usually fall asleep at the breast anymore. i much prefer it when she does since it takes forever for her to relax enough to fall asleep without it! anyway, i would wait to tackle that problem until she is nightweaned.

good luck with everything!!

[Maluhia]

I don't think cosleeping will end, it's just her pushing back at the nightweaning. Once she settles in to the new routine at night the cuddles will become ever so important again.

((((hugs))))