Weening 2yr old twins to 1 or 2x a day, need advice on boob health, toddler nutrition & more.

[~Adorkable~]

So i am starting a medication that will require me to cut back on nursing to once first thing in the morning (before i take a once a day dose) and hopefully still a bedtime nursing (after my morning dose is mostly out of my system) this medication will be for the indefinite future and is pretty much a must take situation

in the last month or two i have mostly cut out vernal on demand night nursing (to save my sanity, the were getting really aggressive and my health was suffering in lock step with  my lack of sleep) so they come to bed in the wee morning and i nurse them a few times once it is 6am, its been working mostly good for us. i few bouts of pouting, but lots of snuggles have gotten us thru.

in preparation for this i stopped the late after noon nursing a week or so ago, so it has been only 1pm nap, 8pm bed and 6-9am mornings for a few weeks.  it will now have to be 6-7ish mornings and 8pm bedtime nursing only.

my twins turn 2 this week and drink nothing but my milk and water, they eat pretty great from what i can tell.

here are my 3 questions:

1. what can i do to help my boobs go these huge gaps in the day with no nursing? i may need to drop even the bedtime one, not sure yet.  i would like to keep the morning nursing for a good while, it makes us all happy and no way id drop it mid winter if i can help it. So i have thankfully never had a full blown case of mastitis, but i have regular plugged ducts, in the same spots over and, probably from some breast surgery i had 17 years ago, i have always aggressively treated it with tons of hot hot hot packs and nurse nurse nurse! i have 2 kids that frankly love me to get plugged ducts! i hadn't had them in a while but then got them 2 times in these past weeks that i have been cutting everything back.  what else can i do if i get them and cant nurse, is there anything to do besides pump and dump?
2. do i need to add anything to my twins diet nutritionally, I'm sure folks would say to add whole milk, I'm on the fence about drinking lots of milk from another animal. not sure totally why, i personally drink milk in things like coffee and cereal, but usually stop short of just drinking a glass of milk, again not sure why, maybe I'm way over thinking it.  the twins eat lots of organic whole milk yogurt and kefir, eat cheese, is that enough for their calcium needs, or what else am i not thinking of I'm that they might need when they are getting way less milk?
3. also a bit fretting over the loss of a "back up snack" i have never really worried about the odd day when one just decided to not eat a particular meal, or when we were running errands and ate thru all the snacks i brought, i just am so bummed to lose my awesome back up, always available and in stock yummy super snack! not to mention the "mood mender" & "healer of all booboos".  how to i deal with that? I'm crushed thinking i wont be able to nurse a hurt toddler. I'm getting teared up thinking of this right now.

[~Adorkable~]

just a small update, well i sobbed as i nursed them this morning. i know i'm going to be still nursing and can do it just once or twice a day for as long as we all want, but it also wont be the same as of today and that hit pretty hard. 

it took me fully 6 months to learn how to nurse my twins and get off of pumping and struggling, it was something that i think probably 1% of ladies would have stuck thru . when we finally got there it was such a relief, so proud of them for learning, of me for just living thru the struggle. 

So to think that here i am with them turning 2 tomorrow and i have to "downgrade" our nursing relationship from anything just bites.

on  the very good side they both just snuggled into me and kept nursing while i quietly sobbed on their hair and it was a really sweet morning even if it doesn't sound like it. and nap time went amazingly well, strangely they didn't ask to nurse, i dont think that has ever happened. right after i was relieved, i then got really worried that this was going to trigger them to ween all together right i the middle of cold season, or so fast my boobs could never adjust.

the even went great as well, while i sw my DD sign "milk" her word for nursing once, it wasn't to me, but rather i think to her newly acquired first doll. the first time since morning that she asked me, was when we were getting her into PJ's, the same time she asked every night, all good because it was the very next thing we planned to do anyway.

so they seem to be taking it like champs, somehow this seems to feel ok for them and for that i am soo grateful.

my boobs took it slightly less well and i have one spot that is threatening to get cranky, hopefully they will work on it in the morning.

anyway my questions remain, would really like to hear peoples thoughts on them

thanks for listening

[skycheattraffic]

Big hugs to you! You've done an amazing job nursing your LOs, and you're doing all you can to preserve it. I had a singleton and took ten weeks to transition her to the breast so I can relate to the struggle and eventual relief once it all works. I can't imagine six months of pumping and two kiddos. Again, you've done marvelously.

I'll get to your questions:
1: I've heard that lecithin (sp) supplements can help prevent plugged ducts. If that's not an option or you're already taking some then pumping (ugh I know) can help you transition. Pump for maybe ten or fifteen minutes when the kiddos used to nurse (at naptime) and gradually cut it back then drop the session altogether. I know it would be a pain but it may be worth a shot.
2: their diet sounds great. Milk is not a magic replacement for nursing. If they are eating other dairy especially then they are getting what milk would deliver.
3: My go to snacks are bananas. I pack as much food as I realistically expect DD to need and then I add a banana. They are easy and keep well for a few days if not needed. I'm expecting baby #2 and DD has cut waaaay back on nursing and I'm worried about her weaning too. The awesome snack, the booboo fixer, the tantrum tamer.... I'd be lost without it. The hardest thing is that DD relies on nursing to sleep so if she just stops all of a sudden I'll be sunk. No great words of wisdom except offer when you CAN nurse.

Gotta run for now but good luck! Hopefully the twins will have many many months of happy nursing ahead.

[~Adorkable~]

Things are going smooth. In hindsight I lucked out and this all fell on the week leading up to AF. My supply tanks that week and comes rushing back the moment my flow starts. So I think risk for engorgement and its repercussions were at a minimum. By the time my milk came back 2 days ago my body thankfully has seemed to settle into its new daily rhythm.

Still struggling to feel good about having alternatives in place when my first thought is to whip out a boob and nurse when a errand or Apointment runs long and the kids get peckish or cranky. I keep thinking how really hard this would be if I had been one of the millions that ween way way younger kids! At least now they can hold a snack in their own hands and eat with some decorum in public, it's still a heck of a lot harder than nursing I public ever was!!!!

[lovemylab]

I just started weaning my 21 month old on the last two nursings. She seems ok with it, but j feel horrible. Mostly like you I feel I had to do it. I am pregnant and my doc is saying if the nausua doesn't go away and I don't start gaining weight I will need to take a med. So part of this is to prepare for that.... But almost two or two is pretty awesome to be still getting mom milk!