Is there any way to make milk dry up?

[mamayogibear]

I know this is mdc and I should do the natural thing and wait till my baby chooses to let me wean. However I work a hectic schedule and need to sleep when I can! I don't want to give up bedsharing but I can't stand his waking me up moving my arms and pulling my shirt down a couple of times at night so he can have numnums. I've tried giving him a sippy cup of milk when he wakes me up but this repeatedly results in his getting very aggitaited and violent. I've tried every tactic I can think of from here to get him to give up nursing but he loves his boobies. So I'm hoping if I can find a way to dry up my milk he will stop trying to nurse...

I've just started taking sage and peppermint in large amounts and benadryl at night. I'm pondering getting some cabadge but doesn't that only work with engorgement or does it dry up a normal supply?

Oh and my baby is two and I let him choose when to start solids by stealing food from me and his big sissy, he did not use a bottle or paci, etc. I just really need to get a good nights sleep for a change!

[JudiAU]

It sounds like the issue is really nightime. Have you considered night weaning? Might be a good solution for you right now.

 

[Sharlla]

yeah i night weaned DD before she was 2 and it was nice.  i had DH sleep with her and i slept alone until she got use to it.   i imagine your milk will just eventually dry up if  you stop nursing, i weaned ds2 at 24 months and didnt have any discomfort at all. i did still have milk even over a year later. 
 

[mamayogibear]

I've tried all the night weaning tactics I can think of including the ones that worked with his older sister. I've tried getting him a sippy cup of milk and even giving him a pacifier when he wakes up. I've patted him on th eback an sang to him; it just makes him madder and he will scream for over an hour and no one gets sleep.

I guess I just have to keep it up even though it is miserable. The biggest problem is that he doesn't always wake me up to nurse so I wake up and bam there he is nursing! I usually sleep on my back so it's easy for him to sneak in a snuggle when I'm sleeping.

I

[melon]

No advice, but in a similar situation. DS is 17 mos, and wakes every 2 hours or so at night to nurse. I need him to night wean. I'm so tired and my back is so kinked from laying on my side. He likes to play with the other (sore nippled) boob while he nurses, so I spend all night defending the non nursing breast, and I can't just drift off while he nurses. He never took a bottle or paci.

He has a very hot temper and the more we try to soothe him, the angrier he gets. He screams like he is being tortured. Wakes up his brother and probably the neighbors. And then it takes forever to calm him down and get him to sleep, even with a boob.

If I'm not here he makes dh bring him to every room in the house, and even outside to see if my car is there.

It's so frustrating.

[loveandgarbage]

I nightweaned both of my kids before they were two in order to save my sanity. Sage is good for drying up milk-- I know I always noticed if I ate it because my supply would go down. Maybe it just takes a little time to really work.

[Parker'smommy]

Does he still nurse during the day? If you weren't opposed, I would work on letting him nurse only during the day, and nightweaning. It's been my experience, that when I allow them to nurse more during the day, they don't need it as much at night as their needs are met. The only thing that has worked for my kids is having daddy help a LOT. Daddy usually sleeps with them for 2-3 weeks alone in the beginning. And then, I come in and sleep next to daddy, with baby on the other side of daddy. We use a bedrail on our bed to keep baby safe. I'd also wear a bra to bed, to discourage the little one from sneaking his milk. But, I wouldn't count on your milk drying up as a way to wean. MANY toddlers will continue to nurse without milk. Ask any tandem nursing mommas. It doesn't matter sometimes what is in the containers, but the containers themselves. 

Good luck!

[foreverinbluejeans]

If your milk drys up he may still scream at night because there is no milk. This happens when women get pregnant and their little ones wake at night. Usually it is easier for the adult to adapt her behavior to her child's normal behavior to want to nurse at night. You might try deep breathing, self-hypnosis, or other stress reduction techniques.