Will nightweaning my 15 mo old impact my supply and other questions?

[lkmiscnet]

My 15 mo old DS still is about 85-90% dependent on BM versus solid foods. He takes a few sips here and there from a sippy cup, but does not drink even 8 oz of milk (cow or coconut) in a day. He prefers the boob.

I would like to attempt to night wean him. Neither of us is getting good sleep at night, even though we co-sleep, as he still wakes every 2-3 hours, presumably because I am right by his side. I am still suffering from intense night sweats daily and am just drenched during the night. Last night, I slept maybe 2-3 hours and that was broken sleep. I feel so run down and just drag myself through the day.

My concerns with nightweaning are:

Is he really hungry when he wakes during the night and can he go 11 hours without BM? I try to feed him solids a couple of hours before he sleeps, but usually, I can't get him to eat much.

Will my supply be impacted by not nursing during the night?

Do I need to perhaps nurse him once during the night?

Our plan was to have DH try to sleep with him on a weekend to see if that would cut down on his awakenings, with me in another bedroom. We will play it by ear if he cries and see how escalated he gets as to whether or not I need to nurse him.

I need to wean in a couple of months, so thought I had better get a head start now.

I've tried previously to cut back on nursing him during the day, but he has to be nursed to sleep and frequently, it takes me two attempts to get him to sleep for his one daily nap, which means he gets tanked up on BM both times, which causes him to be too full for solid foods. He also needs to nurse upon waking or he cries if he can't. And he pushes his sippy cup away, wanting the real deal.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[CheriK]

All of my children seemed to still get a lot of nutrition from night-time nursing at that age. My son in particular seemed HUNGRY at night, and nursing was easier, faster, and more acceptable (to him) than offering food or a sippy cup. 11 hours seems like a long time to go without anything. You might try for a shorter period at first - like nursing at bedtime, then when you go to bed, then maybe early in the morning.

Your body will adjust to night weaning - yes, your supply will drop, but at night - your body won't keep making lots of milk when your son isn't removing it. You'll continue to make plenty of milk for daytime nursings. I think your plan to have Dad sleep with your son sounds great. We used a lot of Jay Gordon's ideas (http://drjaygordon.com/attachment/sleeppattern.html). My toddlers were older, though, when we night weaned.

He might starting nursing more during the day if you night wean, so if you do need to wean in the next few months, this might be a good place to start. One nursing at a time!

Have you had a physical and bloodwork done, including thyroid testing? Night sweats after the early postpartum period, when your body is losing extra fluid, doesn't sound normal to me. Hypothyroidism is common in women and can cause fatigue and night sweats.