I've been thinking about letting my weaned toddler nurse again and could use some advice!
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I became pregnant with my second child when our older son was 13 months old. I weaned him at 19 months because my let down had become painful due to the pregnancy hormones... and he'd also started biting. I became jumpy every time he wanted to nurse because it hurt pretty badly. The last time I nursed him he bit and dragged my nipple (which he thought was hilarious!) and I nearly hauled off and slapped him. I really, really didn't want to end our nursing relationship on that note and was pretty bummed about it, but I was too tender and too scared to try again after that. He asked to nurse a few more times after that, but didn't seem to mind too much once he realized I wasn't going to.
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Fast forward four months, new baby is born, and I've been thinking about reintroducing nursing. He's shown a little interest, mostly wanting to look at my "boo boos" once in awhile or making smacking sounds and resting his head on my chest. I let him quickly try nursing again once and he couldn't seem to remember how to do it, which was both funny and bittersweet :)
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I'm uncertain if I want to let him continue to try. I keep thinking that it could help him emotionally, since he's a sensitive little guy but too independent to let me comfort him a lot of the time. He might benefit from comfort nursing, but I have a lot of mixed feelings because he's already weaned and I know it could seem incomprehensible to some folks I know.Â
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Has anyone reintroduced nursing to an older child after the birth of a new baby? I felt like I weaned him prematurely because of the pregnancy and he wasn't exactly ready. However, his interest now is relatively fleeting and he seems content if I offer him a cup of milk when he asks about nursing. Is it worth it to try again?Â
