Question

[OrangeblossomB]

I'm expecting baby number three. DD (weaned at 17 months) will be about 2 and a half when this baby is born. I'm thinking that when she sees me nursing the new baby, she may decide she wants to try nursing again too. If this happens, I can't figure out any reason why I wouldn't let her (as it is, I've wished about a million times that she wasn't weaned anyway...every time she gets a cold or runny nose, I'm wishing for breastmilk so I can make it go away) but my paranoid brain can come up with a million and one reasons why other people might have something to say about it... everyone from DH down to the ped. Most people around me are pretty BF supportive, but I have a feeling that if this comes up, it will seem strange even to them. They'll listen to reason, though, so I'm wanting to come up with some concrete reasons why letting DD nurse as well (if she wants to, of course) might be a good idea, as opposed to a neutral or "weird" idea, kwim? Are there good reasons to let a toddler nurse, even if they've already been weaned? Comfort and nutritional benefits would still apply here, wouldn't they? And if she decides to nurse, wouldn't I wind up producing more milk (something that would be helpful, considering I'm going to need a freezer stash when they drag me kicking and screaming back to work?)

[LeighB]

I've heard (on this site), that they lose the ability to get a let down after they've been weaned for a while. I guess they don't latch properly or something, so she may not even be able to nurse if she wants too. Other than that though, I can't think of any reason she couldn't, if you both feel comfortable with it.