Tell me how to increase daytime nursing.

[Beauchamp]

...and decrease the nighttime, hopefully. Not interested in full night weaning, but a few less feeds would be nice. DD is 1yo. She wakes SCREAMING. Not whimpering or rooting. She is also getting first molars, so you know.

She is just so busybusybusy during the day. I've tried the dim, quiet room. She fusses and rolls away from me. But nursing her at night is right now the only thing that works to (quickly) get her back to sleep. I am getting to a point of desperation with sleep because DH "can't" do nighttime parenting (she absolutely HOWLS with him and it disturbs everyone), so I am at a loss for what to do.

help?

ETA she wakes every hour or so. Sometimes less, like 10-15 minutes.. Usually the longest stretch I get from her is 2 hours, on a good night. I am so :yawning

[Hannah'sMommy]

I tried the dim quiet room for our 10 month DD, and that never seemed to work. Just this past week I tried giving her a small toy for her to hold and play with when we nursed, and that seemed to work really well! I WOH full time, so during the week, so I have the most problems with evenings and weekends (mornings and middle of night she nurses just fine). She's busybusybusy during the day too.

If she's waking screaming, it probably isn't just a hungry/wanting to nurse thing. It may be that she's in pain if she's getting her molars like you mentioned. Or, possible ear infection (has she been sick recently)? We noticed that for our DD at least, that if she woke up that frequently and screaming, that it was from pain from an ear infection and/or teething. Have you tried teething tablets, tylenol, or motrin? Or, doctor to check her ears out if she's been sick recently? I know a lot of people don't like to give medicine to their babe, but Motrin has been a lifesaver with our DD when she's teething. We only give it to her when it's really necessary because we don't want to rely on it, but it's worth it sometimes!

[Beauchamp]

Originally Posted by Hannah'sMommy

Have you tried teething tablets, tylenol, or motrin?

Yes, yes, and yes. All of the above. They don't seem to help much with waking. Possibly with pain. Most nights I am so zonked that I don't notice patterns.

She is getting molars, though. I don't know. During the day she can go quite a while without wanting or needing to nurse, so I feel like she *should* be able to go that long at night, say 4-5 hours. I'd prefer to nurse more during the day, and slightly less at night.

I'm not ready to night wean, but I confess I do dream about it a little bit.

[GoGoGirl]

DD (15 mo) is pretty busy to nurse during the day, too, but there are some guaranteed ways to get some breastmilk in her...

Wearing her in the wrap (only outside though, she won't tolerate it in the house).

Laying next to her during naps and nursing the whole time.

Giving her an awesome toy to play with while we nurse. If she's playing with her toy phone, she'll nurse for like an hour straight while she fiddles around with that thing.