Any ideas tor changing bad habits in toddler nursing?

[JMJ]

She doesn't have the asymmetrical latch.  If anything, she puts more of her mouth on top than on bottom.  This is not comfortable for me most of the time.  I've tried putting her body further down my body to try to encourage her to tilt her head back more, but this usually results in her digging her upper teeth into my breast, trying to keep her latch.  I've tried tilting her head/neck, but she just fights me and puts it back.  She's got a strong latch, and I hate to force her to let go because it's a fight, and it really hurts.  She has a whole lot of teeth and a strong jaw.

She also has a habit, perhaps because of her latch, of latching on and then pulling her head away from my breast to nurse, tugging on my nipple.  If I hold her up against me, she usually fights me.

I have really tough nipples, which is probably why I haven't done anything about this until now.  It hasn't hurt until now, and now it's hard to make changes (DD is 20 months old).  I want to continue nursing until weaning happens naturally, and DD is nowhere near ready to wean.  Maybe it's just such a problem because DD has been nursing like 8-10 hours a day this week, but both my nipples really hurt, and I just don't want to feel this way about nursing my toddler.  Any ideas?

[cellarstella]

I have a 28 month old who fights the latch correction fiercely as well, and it's leading me to wean.  I have small sensitive breasts and she wants to stretch it out like a taut slingshot.  OUCH!  Too much correction and she'll start crying, running away from me, slamming doors behind her.  Last night she bit me hard when I was unlatching her and without thinking I smacked her cheek to get her to let go.  Lots of tears from both of us and she went to sleep without even trying to nurse.  I'm trying to read up on weaning a toddler but all the material is about how to reduce engorgement (I haven't been engorged in about 3 months, can't even remember the last time I felt letdown), and how nursing a toddler is ok and you can find a support system if societal pressures are getting to you.  Nothing about how irritating toddler nursing can be, driving mama insane!

While personally, I'm ready to wean, I'd like to see better advice out there about how to deal with latch issues that start in toddler-hood.  We had a great latch overseen by a seasoned LC (who has now moved onto grad school) when DD was a baby.  Now it is the one thing I dread the most every day. If I could correct the latch, I'd probably put more work into increasing my milk supply and putting a few more months in, as my original goal with her was 30 mos.

[JMJ]

Ouch!  That sounds rough.  A couple days after I posted this, I ovulated for the first time since I had DD, and everything went back to normal suddenly.  She still has bad habits sometimes, but it's not like it was.  I just ovulated a second time in the last couple days, and it was kinda rough again before, but not as bad as last month.  If this is how it's going to be, I'm going to need to figure out a way to deal with it.  I wonder if my milk supply dips before I ovulate, causing her to try extra hard to make it come (and causing pain for me).  We're thinking about getting pregnant again sometime soon, but I'm scared that it would be even worse than that one week a month.

I don't have any experience in weaning a toddler, but from what I've heard, the gentle way is "don't offer, don't refuse."  That still takes a while.  Lots of other attention and distraction are other things.  I hope you something that you can all live with.  Hugs, mamma.

'

[cellarstella]

Unfortunately this for me is two weeks a month... ovulation and AF!  So half the time, really. I've had AF since she was 14 mos and it's gotten steadily worse each month.  I just now nursed her, the first time since 8AM this morning, and it was suddenly better.  Until the milk was gone, then it got irritating again, but she unlatched pleasantly.  Whew!  She's started to accept the limited nursing somewhat, so maybe we can continue on this much more limited basis for while.

My first one was weaned by 24 mos, when I was pregnant with my second, since it was PAINFUL.  She saw me wincing and tapered off on her own along with my encouragement.  I always felt like I cut her off too soon (for her) though, so wanted to do better with the second.  It's so complicated!