Tandeming & Pregnant... need to wean 28 month old

[Gnatty]

(If you are friends w/me on FB, twitter, or read my blog, just FYI my pregnancy isn't public knowledge yet so don't say anything. Thanks! )

My 28 month old and 16 month old are currently both nursing, but I just discovered we are newly pregnant (I think around 4 weeks along) and so I need to wean my 28 month old.

Today he was perfectly willing to only nurse two times from when he woke in the morning until he went to sleep at night, so hopefully this will be an easy, gentle process for both of us. I think night weaning will be harder since we'll both be half asleep and on autopilot!

Any tips or BTDT, mamas?

[foreverinbluejeans]

Why do you have to wean the 28 mo? The demands on your body of nursing the 28 mo and the 16 mo aren't significantly more than the demands of nursing just the 16 mo.

The World Health Org recommends waiting 3 years after birth before ttc. It takes that long to recover from childbirth to have a good womb environment for the next baby. Since you have had 3 pregnancies so close you may have a hard time recovering and it will be extra important to wait between pregnancies.

[D_McG]

Originally Posted by foreverinbluejeans

The World Health Org recommends waiting 3 years after birth before ttc. It takes that long to recover from childbirth to have a good womb environment for the next baby. Since you have had 3 pregnancies so close you may have a hard time recovering and it will be extra important to wait between pregnancies.

She can't wait between pregnancies. She is already pregnant. Nursing two may not be more physically taxing (although that doesn't make sense to me either) but it is certainly more emotionally involved. At least for me it is and from the tone of the OP I think she feels the same way.

OP - when I wean my kids (around 2) I keep it very light and just play up the great new things we do. For me it's always a relief. I love the new, more complex relationship and I think they do too. For nightweaning I keep it very direct. Simple directions (no, we can't nurse but we can ____). Any opposition dissipates in a couple of days. DD did ask for a few weeks afterwards but more like out of habit (not distressed).

Good luck with your pregnancy!

[Gnatty]

foreverinbluejeans - I am having some moderate aversions (only to nursing both at once) and I also had Hyperemesis Gravidarum with my first pregnancy and lost 10 lbs before having to go on medication.

I would love to see any studies, etc on the 3 year thing, particularly as it affects the baby (as you mentioned the womb environment). I am inclined to be skeptical because even with ecological nursing moms frequently conceive well before that. It doesn't make sense to me that our bodies are designed to be fertile 1 1/2 years before it's best to conceive. Obviously a moot point right now, though, and will continue to be as we have religious convictions about not preventing unless there are life threatening medical issues.

D_McG - Thank you! He is doing pretty well during the day with distractions/delaying. I am not cutting the before bed session out quite yet. We've had some rough nights (just at 3am) but tonight he was ok with taking a drink of water and snuggling, so we are making progress!