Need some encouragement to keep nursing my toddler!

[sacredpresence]

Usually I'm cool to just roll with it, but the last few days nursing my 14 month old dd is really wearing on me.  I'm just feeling touched out and sick of all the slapping, kicking, squirming every which way with my nipple in her mouth, the pinching, the picking, picking, picking at me, the needing to stay latched all night long.  Is it going to be like this from now on or does it get better?  How do I stop the annoying behavior?  If I stop her picking at me, she gets really agitated!  Thanks for reading, I guess I just need to vent a bit to a friendly ear.

[D_McG]

Time for limits I'd say.  At the start I'd give one warning before that kind of behavior would result in me stopping nursing.  Then after a while it would mean immediate cessation.  They catch on quickly!

[featherstory]

She may get agitated, but you absolutely have to give her the awareness that there is a nicer, gentler and more efficient way to get her milk.  Show her how to calm down, take deep breaths, hold her hand and model better behavior, if she doesn't respond, absolutely stop when she does something offensive.  Eventually she'll start choosing the tools you give her to nurse more gently than the chaotic squirming, etc. that results in stopping which agitates her the most.