Annoyed with nursing?

[nicholeraine]

 Recently(only in this past month, really) I have been.. I don't know. Sometimes when my son nurses it feels really uncomfortable and I feel like I just want to push him away from me and wean instantly. I have always had an easy time with nursing so I have no idea what is wrong with me now. I think I've read that it can be related to PMS and ovulation.. but I don't know. It's 5:20 AM here and 20 or so minutes ago he woke me up trying to nurse and I was just so annoyed with him and moved to the other end of the bed. I have been laying here thinking about how to wean him since.

I feel so conflicted. A month ago I was crying because I didn't want to wean him at two and now he's 25 months and I just wanted him to get away from me and stop trying to nurse. He ended up crying and I just had to rub his back until he went to sleep because I could not stand to have him nurse anymore.

Even if this is just PMS and ovulation related, how are you supposed to ignore it happening twice a month? I do not want to make him upset and I don't want to constantly be feeling like I have to push him away from me.

[CheriK]

If it is because your fertility is returning to normal, I found that it got easier as my hormones regulated.  Taking a calcium/magnesium/zinc supplement also helped; this is supposed to help if you have a drop in supply around menstruation & I always find the irritated, crawling-out-of-my skin feeling to be worse when my supply is low.  More info at http://www.kellymom.com/herbal/natural-treatments.html#calcium.  Pregnancy can cause the same feelings, so something to keep in the back of your mind as a possibility.

Setting limits can also help.  Does it seem random, or is it worse at certain times of day?  Maybe when he's nursing for a long time?  It helped me to limit nursing sessions if I needed to (which also eventually helped us night wean).  I'd tell my nursing that "Yes, you can nurse while I" count to 10, or sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, or recite a poem, or whatever.  Yes, there was sometimes unhappiness about this, but once it became routine they were usually accepting of it.  And knowing that there was an end to the session always made it more bearable.  Using yoga breathing or childbirth breathing can also help.  Night weaning helped as well because I was generally in a better mood when well rested, and more tolerant.

[Mama4life14]

I have been having this problem as well.. Not as bad that I wanted to wean, but I just couldn't stand my 16 mo son nursing during the night, it would keep me up, when usually I would go right back to sleep. I would just be so uncomfortable, no matter how I was laying while I was nursing. When his sucking slowed down I would unlatch and lay however I wanted. But my fertility cycle just returned and now I know this is exactly why!! So thank you very much!! This explains a lot. :)

[nicholeraine]

Thanks for the replies. As I was thinking, AF showed tonight.. so it has probably been related to that.. and also when I was ovulating.

That said, I think he does need some nursing limits because he's never really heard "no" when it comes to nursing. One night this week I didn't feel like nursing and I told him, "Not tonight, you are a big boy and I know you'll do okay without it" and he just snuggled with me and fell asleep. I tried the same thing at nap time yesterday and all hell broke loose. He screamed and cried and tried ripping my shirt, etc. I kept explaining to him that sometimes mommy is going to say no and that doesn't mean he can NEVER nurse, he just won't be nursing right now. I told him that we were going to sleep and when we woke up he could nurse.. the screaming and crying just went on and on and I felt bad but at that point I also didn't want to give in and show him that temper tantrums get him his way.. So I persisted until he was calm and then as we were both falling asleep I nursed him...

I need to find ways to replace the comfort part of nursing. Because I like the closeness and I know he needs it. Sometimes, I think that snuggling is just going to upset him more when he wants to nurse that bad. I was thinking maybe I could have some "special" books that we only read when he wants to nurse and I don't feel like it.. And have a cup of milk or water ready for those times.. and once a day I could handle putting him in the Ergo and going out for a walk instead of nursing. I only say no to him about once a day, anyways. I just need ways to still comfort him and nurture him when I feel uncomfortable nursing..

I like the idea of singing or counting and then ending a nursing session. He is generally okay when I stop him a couple minutes into nursing, but this might help him understand limits a bit better.

Any other ideas? TIA!