how long did nightweaning take for you

[lisavark]

If you went cold turkey and picked certain hours between which you were no longer nursing, how many nights did it take before your baby could go back to sleep without crying? Tonight will be our fifth night of not nursing between 10 pm and 4 or 5 am. The 3rd night of nightweaning, she didn't cry AT ALL, and I thought we were in the clear, but last night was pretty rough (only maybe ten minutes of crying, but she was awake for at least an hour, maybe more, in the middle of the night).

She's almost two and I just REALLY need to nightwean her for my own sanity; I am so done!

[echoecho1528]

Sorry, no help here - we tried nightweaning at 18 months and it only got progressively worse (up for 4-5 hours straight) for 8 nights.
Hope you have a better experience!
BTW, I think your siggy is wrong. It says that your DD's bday is 2/24/09 and you say she is almost 2... so I'm thinking it was a typo!

[mouso]

My DD did that too. Was bad 1st night, ok for 2 nights, then worse again for a few nights.
It probably took about 2 weeks (not 2 weeks of screaming) before she wouldn't even just give a sleepy try to nursing. I would just snuggle her up and say "No, we don't nurse at night."

Good luck!

[wetcement101]

DD is 2 now (and has become a great sleeper, yea!) but I night weaned at 15 months because she started waking 5-7 times a night while sleeping with us around 12 mos, not that she was ever a great sleeper. It took about 3 weeks for her to sleep really well thought the night. I wish I had done it sooner, for everyone's sake.
We nursed before bed, I explained that we wouldn't nurse again until the sun was out. I wouldn't say that she missed nursing at night because she only nursed for a few minutes before starting to toss and turn again and stopped falling asleep at the breast. It did not impact daytime nursing, either.

[chocolatefish]

We are still feeling our way through nightweaning DS aged 25 months. we started with Jay Gordon's plan... but we went cold turkey, straight to no nursing, and are still playing with the timings (I make it sound so lighthearted!). DS goes to bed at 8pm, and the plan has been no more nursing until 'morning' which I would like to be 6am. The first night was hard, then next 2 or 3 easier, then since then he's been fine with no nursing from 8pm till about 430am. he's mostly sleeping a lot longer spells with brief wake ups and back to sleep with cuddles.

But at that 430 wake up he really wants to nurse, and if he doesn't get to he just doesn't go back to sleep. So it's getting to the stage of either nursing at 430am in the hope of another hour or so sleep... or not nursing and having him up for the day at 430.

That's what happened this am and I really don't think any of us can take it! So I think we're going back to nursing at 430ish. Which isn't ideal as he's such an acrobat and I just can't sleep through his nursing at all. I get so mad with him twirling around!

If anyone has any advice on early risers and cosleeping I would love to hear it! The only thing I can think to do is to shorten his daytime nap, usually 2 or more hours. But that's so hard too!

[heather1975]

My 29 month old was an all night nurser and I tried the Dr. Gordon method thinking there was nooooo way it would work. The first two nights she was up a few hours whining and fussing and playing. I kept telling her they were sleeping and she could have them when the sun comes out. After 3 nights total, she is now sleeping 12 hours. She does briefly wake up around midnight and fusses a bit but I sing to her and she holds the boob and falls asleep. At 6AM I let her nurse until she wakes around 9. Good luck!!! Oh, and we co-sleep and she still nurses on demand during the day.

[lisavark]

So last night DD fell asleep at the beginning of the night without nursing, which is practically unheard of for her. I was SO excited! DH and I got to spend time together in the evening, and I went to bed around midnight. I slept AWESOME and didn't remember waking up at all. Usually DD has been waking up multiple times a night, even if she does go back to sleep without nursing, and I've been nursing her at 4 or 5 am. Anyway, last night we didn't wake until 6:30!!! I couldn't believe it when I looked at the clock. We STTN!!!

Then I realized that when I'd gone to bed, she'd been on the left side of the bed and I'd been fully dressed. When I woke at 6:30, she was on the right side of the bed, and my boob was out. ?!?! I have no idea when or how that happened...but obviously we woke up at some point.

Ah, well. At least I FELT well rested.

[Baby_Cakes]

Originally Posted by lisavark

Then I realized that when I'd gone to bed, she'd been on the left side of the bed and I'd been fully dressed. When I woke at 6:30, she was on the right side of the bed, and my boob was out. ?!?! I have no idea when or how that happened...but obviously we woke up at some point.

Ah, well. At least I FELT well rested.

I have to LOL b/c that has happened to me so many times! I wake up and I'm like, wow! she didn't wake up at all! And then it dawns on me...wait...I was on the other side of the bed last night...hmm...

Anyway, to answer the original question, it took about 5 nights for DD to not want the boob at all when she woke up at night and completely accept rocking or being layed back down, and maybe another week or so for her to resettle herself.
We've since backtracked though and now DD still wakes up at least 2 times per night and can't resettle herself. She needs one of us to lay back down with her and help her fall asleep.

[LCBMAX]

Originally Posted by lisavark

Then I realized that when I'd gone to bed, she'd been on the left side of the bed and I'd been fully dressed. When I woke at 6:30, she was on the right side of the bed, and my boob was out. ?!?! I have no idea when or how that happened...but obviously we woke up at some point.

Ah, well. At least I FELT well rested.

I'm laughing so hard I'm crying, and I can't stop long enough to read this out loud to my husband. Oh wait, that's not laughter, it's exhausted hysteria.

I have no advice, but now I have a happy belly ache from the laugh you gave me.