Ow ow ow ow ow (nursing my 2 year old...) « Back to Group Discussions

[SarahDC]

For the past 2 weeks, I am getting EXCRUTIATING pain when DD latches on, then it goes away in about a minute.  Like, horrible pain though.  I have to grit my teeth.  Anybody else?  I am praying this passes soon.  Weaning would be traumatic for her.  I don't think I'm making much milk at all, but it's a comfort thing for her.  And the little she's getting helps her immune system.

[KristaDJ]

I've nursed through lots of pg's and am currently nursing my3yo at 16wks. It hurts BAD when she latches but, IME, it goes through cycles; for a while it will hurt and then it will get better and then worse again. Do you have colostrum yet? That helps me when it comes in; the dry nursing really sucks. 

[yaya'smum]

I'm nursing my 2yo also and OW!!! I feel like he's just squeezing - not sure if it all teeth?! I ask him if I have milk and he says yes, but I don't think so.

He only nurses to sleep and through the night (no interest during the day typically), so I didn't want to night wean. But, I don't think it's a good experience or comforting for him to hear my literally screeching ow, ow, ow. So I'm thinking of limiting even more. Maybe just once to sleep and once in the morning. Thoughts?

He is just killing me through the night and when I unlatch, cause I can't take any more he actually head butts me?! Craziness, I tell you!

Are you all experiencing the same? I feel like I could handle day nursing so much better, but it only happens like twice a week, normally he is too busy being a kid and playing with his sister.

[acordio]

I just weaned my 2 year old because I couldn't take the pain.  I don't think there was anything there anyway.

[KristaDJ]

Yaya'smom I actually day weaned my 3yo a few months back, now she only nurses to go to bed, through the night and in the morning. I don't think I could take more than that. I think child led weaning is great but once they are two I don't think it's harmful to demand that you are happy with your nursing relationship as well. My 3yo was screaming at me and hurting me if I refused to nurse her or asked her to wait; we are both much happier now. <3 
I also don't think there is any milk; I haven't been able to squeeze out a drop for several weeks now but she she says there is yummy milk. The last bit of it that I tasted was horrible though BLECH! 

[tri31]

Oh my goodness, I am reallly struggling with this. I think my LO really needs the comfort, but it is really hard to tolerate. He can tell I am in pain. He night weaned himself (still wants to nurse at dawn though). I can hardly believe that he only nurses like two times a day now. When I first got pregnant it was all day. Do any of you have observations, regardless of if they are BFing or not, what are your LO's favorite self soothing behaviors?

[LionessMom]

i was trying to at leat nurse once a day but i couldnt take it anymore. when it didnt hurt it was uncomfortable and made my skin crawl. i wanted it done as fast as possible. i didnt want to wean. i had the goal of nursing through the pregnancy and then tandem nursing. so i let her nurse every once in a while so she doesnt forget. but i dont make enough to satisfy her. she hasnt slept through the night since i hit 8 weeks. she was sttn before that. so i tried to up her food intake and give her milk etc. but nothing filled her up and she would spend all night screaming at me. no mama milk, always hungry. it was awful and i had no sleep. i almost lost my cool one night and decided i had had enough. she needed something more filling than whole milk. i hope the natural powers that be dont strike me dead. lol. but i started giving her a bottle of whole milk with vanilla carnation instant breakfast in it. i looked at all the toddler vitamin drinks and the formula and all that stuff. we have food intolerances and all that stuff was full of stuff we cant have. the carnation was the only thing that was pretty safe, except the sugar. i have been keeping an eye on her for reactions but she hasnt had any. she loves the stuff. she has slept through every night since. doesnt even hardly ask for bm unless she gets hurt. she drinks it then passes out. i put her in her bed and she sleeps there all night. i havent felt this rested in months. and it has only been 3 nights. i feel sane again. i almost feel like it is a dirty little secret. dont tell my natural irl friends. ;)

[zoe77]

Nursing is very painful for me right now also (I'm 16.5 weeks pregnant).  I have to grit my teeth for latch on and it doesn't really get much better as he nurses.  Thankfully he is 3 and not nursing much anymore.  Once a day, sometimes twice.  The morning session is the one he won't drop and it's the longest.  Lately he insists on nursing forever (or so it seems).  Over the weekend he was sick with a stomach virus so I offered him milk a lot more than usual and he accepted a few times but only took like two sucks and was done (no way he even got any milk).  Those are the times that I'm like, "that wasn't even worth it for my pain!!!"  I talked to an IBCLC that told me the pain should get better after 20 weeks or so.  I sure hope she is right.  I have no idea how much milk I have, or even if there is any at all.  My sons insists there is milk but I can't even express any out of the left side anymore (we definitely favor the right side lately).  I'm curious to see what happens when my colostrum comes in.

[calapitters]

Yes, it has been hurting at latch for me again, too.  It was better for a while, but I also have some clogged milk ducts right now, so I'm sure it contributing to the whole pain thing, too.  Hopefully things will ease up for us soon!

[yaya'smum]

Isn't it funny that all of our little ones are insisting there is still milk?! hehe!

[SarahDC]

Well it's good to know you all share my pain :)  I don't know if I'm making colostrum yet, can you tell when you are?  I think I still have a little milk because she swallows occasionally.  I hope the pain passes soon!

[KristaDJ]

I can tell when the colostrum comes because my areolas will change shape, like they have filled up. Then I try to squeeze some out and there is the sticky, dark yellow colostrum instead of the watery milk I have in the beginning of pregnancy. I also know when to expect mine b/c with every baby I've gotten colostrum at 19wks. 

[SarahDC]

Thanks Krista that really helps, I'd forgotten what colostrum looks like :)

[calapitters]

I didn't realize that milk changed so early.  For some reason, I had it in my mind that it wouldn't start to change until the 3rd trimester.  This is the first time I've been pg AND nursing and it is quite the adventure!

[sraplayas]

Yes, DS is turing 3 very soon and he still nurses down for naps and bedtime (so, 2x day). I've tried different things to ease the pain when he latches on. It almost feels like my nipples are hard and cold, so I try to warm them up! It doesn't really seem to help. I make sure that he opens his mouth big, etc. to get a good latch (he's always been a champion at this, thank goodness). It was like this at the very beginning  of the pregnancy and now at 17 weeks to the day.:) Glad I'm not the only one and hope we all get some relief soon!

[zoe77]

I'm pretty convinced that my milk is gone.  I couldn't even express the smallest drop this morning.  My son is still happy to keep on sucking though!!  Lucky me.  Hopefully my colostrum comes in soon (I'm 17 weeks today).

[KristaDJ]

Colostrum comes in at different times for each woman. A lot of women don't notice it until the third tri and some don't have it until after the baby is born. I was 19wks with my first the first time I noticed a wet spot on my shirt and with each one it has come in right around the same time, never later. Seven months is what I always read was average.

[eviemp]

Originally Posted by SarahDC 

For the past 2 weeks, I am getting EXCRUTIATING pain when DD latches on, then it goes away in about a minute.  Like, horrible pain though.  I have to grit my teeth.  Anybody else?  I am praying this passes soon.  Weaning would be traumatic for her.  I don't think I'm making much milk at all, but it's a comfort thing for her.  And the little she's getting helps her immune system.

Yes, exactly what happens to me but only my right side. My left one doesn't have that problem for some reason. I just remind myself to clench my teeth and it will pass in a moment. DD only nurses at night though.

[KristaDJ]

Originally Posted by eviemp 

Yes, exactly what happens to me but only my right side. My left one doesn't have that problem for some reason. I just remind myself to clench my teeth and it will pass in a moment. DD only nurses at night though.

That is weird, I cut my daughter off from nursing on my left side at the beginning of the pregnancy because it hurt SO bad; the right one hurts but not nearly as much. I wonder why the two sides would be different, I thought I was just weird alone ;-) 

[zoe77]

I have one side that is more painfull also.  It's also the side that was more painful and damaged when my son was a newborn.