Looks like DS has weaned :(

[ComplexOphelia]

Hi Mamas, I could use some hugs!

I'm 30 weeks pregnant with #2, and it looks like my DS has finished with na-na's.  He only turned 2 in September, so it's earlier than I thought (and hoped) that he would stop!  I had a really hard time with nursing in the beginning of this pregnancy - around the time my milk dried up I developed very, very strong aversions, it felt like spiders were crawling all over my body - and so I did end up putting some limits on the length of nursing.  We'd do "alphabet na-na's" - I'd sing the alphabet a few times and once it was finished it was time to stop nursing.  It was really the only way that I could get through it!

Now, he's uninterested.  We talk about the baby nursing when he gets here, and I always make sure to say, "And you can have na-na's too, if you want them!" He always looks at me and smiles and goes, "No, no more na-na's."  He doesn't seem sad or anything - just kind of done, which is exactly how I wanted him to feel when he was ready.  I just didn't think it would be so soon, and I really miss nursing him!  We do lots of snuggle time, of course, but there's nothing quite the same as nursing your little one, and it just makes me realize that he's so big - I nurse my babies, and he doesn't nurse anymore, so I guess he's not a baby (or, not as baby as he used to be)!

Did any of your little ones wean during pregnancy, then start again after their sibling arrived?  I think if he remains uninterested I'll end up pumping milk and giving it to him in a cup occasionally for the physiological benefits - he was a preemie, so I want him to get those for as long as possible and give him a big strong immune system.

Hugs and support would be most welcome!  This has been tougher than I thought it'd be!

[kythe]

You are really fortunate that he seems to be adjusting well to weaning. :)  This may be a true self-weaning too, considering his age.  Continuing to give him breastmilk is still healthy though, and will be for a long time.

My dd was 13 month old when I conceived ds.  She weaned sometime during my second trimester, I'm not sure exactly when.  It wasn't really a choice made by either of us, it was a necessity.  My milk dried up and nursing made my skin crawl and my toes curl.  It wasn't really "painful" per se, but it was a horrible sensation that I couldn't live with.

When ds was born, he had difficulty with latch.  I was afraid my milk would dry up before he learned to nurse, when a friend recommended I put dd back on the breast to help bring in my milk supply.  At first I was afraid she would bite because it had been a few months since she had nursed.  I thought she might have forgotten how.  But she hadn't, and she was able to bring my milk in. Nursing both at once decreased sibling rivalry too, she stopped hitting her baby brother the day she started nursing again (they get along great to this day).  She no longer felt "replaced" as the baby, and I felt better able to meet both of their needs without "substituting" anything.

[BabyJay'sMom]

DS weaned at 20 months while I was pregnant with DD and never turned back.  I was open too to tandem nursing but he had moved on.  It was very hard, but I understood he was just growing up.  Keep talking about it, and who knows he may just take it up again!

I forgot to send you hugs too! 

[moon.mom]

Here's a big HUG.

:-)