tell me it gets better!

[plantingtrees]

My son is 13 months, and we co-sleep part of the night--he starts off in his own bed (mattress on the floor) and then around 2 or 3 he calls out for me or sometimes he wanders into our room. Then, he nurses on and off every half hour or so until 7:00 when we get up for the day.

I'm sooooo tired! I enjoy him coming into our room and I love the cuddles, but I wish he would just nurse once, or even twice, but it's 5 or 6 times and I just get so frustrated. When he's not nursing, he's tossing, turning, grinding his feet into my back, and whining.

arggggghhhh I guess I just want to hear that some of you have been there, and that it gets betteR!

tell me your happy stories!

[ewe+lamb]

It does get better, he just needs the reassurance that you are still there, nursing is still a fairly large part of his life at 13 months. I have found that it works best when giving my kids - and I talk about my experience with my children and am in no way telling you what to do - my dd managed to sleep by herself all night just before she was three, my ds hasn't he'll be 5 at the end of July, they just need different times and I strongly believe that our experience just after his birth has made him more needy at night than our dd. But yes it does get better, you could set an alarm clock and say that he can nurse when the alarm goes off - better than when the sun comes up - especially in the summer - that's worked really well for us. Good luck and yes - eventually it does get better - just have to hang in there for the more difficult parts - you'll get through it.

[D_McG]

Starting around then I set some limits with my little girl. Mostly during the day but it carried over to night. If I start getting the heebie jeebies (which I do if I nurse that frequently. It's just impossible for me) then I calmly pull her off and cuddle her... sing a song. Offer a little water. I stay very calm and remind myself that I know what we need. In time she cut down her night nursing a lot. After the year mark I consider my nursing relationship with my children to be mother-led/controlled though. So it may be a different philosophy to you.