Help, continual nurser giving mama no rest!

[ElorasMama]

DD is 15 months old. She nursed exclusively the 1st 5 mos. and then started on some solids. She is still an avid nurser.

She had a bad cold a few weeks ago and since then she has taken to demanding to be nursed all the time! Seriously, she gets up and nurses, and within 10 minutes she's back at me again, and then 5 minutes later, and so on. This happens regardless of what sort of mood she's in. Sometimes she actually drinks for a few minutes,and sometimes she just latches on, sucks 4 or 5 times, and calls it quits. Sometimes alternates breasts every minute or so. She has always been a very active nurser - squirming, etc. - but this recent behavior is really starting to wear at me.

I know my supply hasn't changed (no, I'm not pregnant!) and I spend tons of time playing with her, reading to her, cuddling when she will, etc.

Is this a phase that toddlers go through? Do I need to honor her near-continual requests for milk? She used to do decently with a regular cup, but lately she doesn't want the cup, just the breast.

I'm grateful that she's still keen on nursing, and not weaning herself - but I can't be glued to the couch every waking moment of my day! (As for nursing her in her sling, fuhgeddaboutit, she won't tolerate it for more than 2 minutes!) Do any of you ladies have experience with this? What would help save my sanity and back while honoring my dd's needs?

[gethane]

No advice but ny son is just the same. I am going insane.

[babyluvr]

oh mamas, I could have written that just a month ago!!! From the time ds was about 11 mos till about a month ago (he's 15 mos now) he wanted to nurse nonstop and I was going NUTSOS!! What got me through was talking to my irl friend whose son did the same and she said it lasted 3 months, which it did for us too. It helped me to know that someone had gone through it and made it and that it ended, no trauma for anyone.

Now while he was doing this I did set some loving limits so we could all eat three meals a day and have some semblance of neatness once in a while. I would pop him in the ergo or give him a box of raisins (buys 10 mins of peace!!!). We went outside even when it was very cold, did more fun stuff out of the house, kid's science museuem, mall, etc. For my ds a lot of it was from boredom, it was like i could see his brain expanding and that was scary (needs to nurse) and everything was boring (need to nurse). I did get to the point of sometimes telling him it was all-done for now (he's quite verbal) and let's ____...read, play cars, find sister, take a bath. He usually took the suggestion pretty well and I felt so empowered to not just be a mute milk machine having to give 24-7. It helped me to enjoy the nursing more when it was little more give and take.

Mothering your nursing toddler is a great book for times like that. It really validated what I experienced and helped encourage me that I was doing the right thing for him.

I think it is a totally normal phase and will pass. One thing I also got from another friend was the idea to do something I enjoy sometimes while nursing, whether it's TV or mdc or a book or rocking quietly, etc. that helped at times too.

[MsMoMpls]

Yeah, me too. I figure it is a growth spurt or teething or just a plot to make me crazy. I am pushing food late in the evening and it helps some. Otherwise I just get really comfortable and sleep with him on the boob. I don't think there is a better plan, is there?

[CajunMama]

Must be the age...mine is 15mo and is constantly attached to the boob. Has been driving me batty.

Glad to know that I'm not alone.

[MuseMom]

My son also did this at 15 mo. (he also had a cold and was teething heavily) It was a very challenging couple of weeks for me - I was afraid it would never end. He just turned 16 mo and after noticing a major growth spurt he returned to his more normal nursing pattern. Hang in there

[TiredX2]

I would suggest getting out of the house as much as possible. Don't sit down. You don't want to wean, but if you want a break try to get DD interested in something else.

Good luck!

Kay

[BetsyPage]

I agree with the distraction ideas for days when they are healthy & feeling good, but I've found that on days when she's fighting a cold or teething it's best to just go with it... but when it's just boredom a change of scenery is great... as I remind myself, I'm more likely to "comfort eat" on gray & blah days when we stay indoors & I think she is too!

I'm hopimg I see a growth spurt or new teeth or something soon, though... to make it worth it. I feel a bit like I'm living "Groundhog Day" here... never ending winter, neverending nursing, on & on.

[nichole]

i'm so glad to find this thread. i feel guilty about it but i DO NOT enjoy nursing every thirty minutes. it "sucks" the fun out of the whole experience. but i think it might just be a phase. ds just learned how to say "nee nee," is experiencing seperation anxiety from his dad, and is cutting a molar. i think i am going to wait a few weeks before setting any kind of limits and even then it will probably be just distraction trying to hold him off for a little while. i think it would be a bad idea to deny him now while he seems to need it the most. oh yeah, my ds is about to turn 15 months. interesting!

[hottmama]

My son is 26 mos. and still nurses 2-4 times an hour, and has since birth. He sometimes will go an hour or maybe 2 if we're out somewhere very exciting. I refuse to nurse if I am busy or just not feeling it, and he deals well with being put off for a while, usually. Sometimes he throws a fit but that's just him being his normal, 2 yr old self. It's hard to nurse a toddler so much because we're told that toddlers nurse less than babies, and sometimes that's just not true.

[charbellemom]

I cannot tell you all how reassuring it is that my DD is not the only one doing this! She is 16 mos, and is getting her incisors and recovering from a nasty GI bug. I'm out of the house 11 hrs 4 days a week, but when I'm home--watch out!! Don't dare try to get between her and me or there will be tantrum time, breath holding, and often passing out. I can barely get in the door from work and she's tugging on my shirt (please, I say, let me go to the bathroom for the first time in 8 hours (bad habit, I know), and then we'll nurse!).

Whew. Just had to vent a little. I don't like feeling guilty for not wanting to nurse constantly, and now I'll try not to. As with everything else since she was born, I should have known this would just be a phase!

[jessie-v]

I feel so validated right now!!! I have been feeling like I am going through nursing burnout right now with his constant and very demanding requests.He is 15.5 months old. He has to have both breasts exposed and goes back and forth between them. He gets very offended when I leave one covered in my bra. Public nursing has become quite an ordeal. He nurses as much as he did when he was 5 months old. It does seem to get better though the more I reassure him that the ninnies are there whenever he needs them. He picks up on my irritation and it seems to feed into whatever anxiety he is having. I know that it is important to be patient. NOT EASY, but important.