Nursing Strike or Self Weaning?

[pranava]

DS is just shy of 12 months. I have started to wean him slowly. I have been cutting out one feeding every 2 weeks and we were down to 4 nursing sessions a day. Everything was going well until a few days ago when I cut out the 4th nursing and went to 3. Now everytime I start to nurse DS he pulls off after 20 seconds, looks at me and either laughs or whines.

Is he just done? I didn't want to cut things so quickly. I'm feeling sad at this abrupt ending to nursing - if that's what this is. Also, DS seems much more agitated when tired and I'm wondering if he's missing nursing somehow.

I have 5 months until I have to go back to work full time. I was hoping to keep the first thing in the morning and last thing before bed nursings along with a middle of the night if DS needed it until closer to when I have to work. Is that possible? Or is DS weaning himself completely?

[doubledutch]

at this age, babies are so distractible. it may be that he's "busy" and likes the efficiency of a bottle compared to nursing. if you want to hold onto the remaining nursing sessions, you could try nursing in a dark, quiet room with as few distractions as possible; nursing while babywearing; nursing in the bath. for the first thing in the morning, he may do better if you bring him to your bed to nurse while he's still pretty much sleeping. when you nurse him in the night, is he pretty wide awake? what if you tried nursing him right before you go to bed, when he's sleeping - would he take the breast then?