i'm almost serious, you know. DD turned 5 in june. when she was 3.5 we went through a really rough patch with nursing--she wanted to nurse constantly, and i couldn't stand it, and i was losing patience a lot. we did a weaning party, mostly initiated by me, and then she promptly declared that the party was fun, and she'd have it again, but she also wanted to keep on nursing.
then we managed to set some boundaries about nursing--only one breast, and mostly before bed, with some exceptions. no "rules", and i'd almost always nurse her when she really needs it during other times; and also sometimes i'd tell her that i can't nurse her at night, if DS nursed a lot and my breasts are too tired. i do get this feeling that there is a limit to how much of the physical sensation i can take. but i have a feeling, that she'd nurse as much or more than her 2.5 brother, if there were no limits to it.
but overall our nursing relationship since the rough patch has been good.
just before she turned 5, she mentioned that she'd like to wean when she is 5 or 6, and she talked about preparing a surprise for my breasts
, which sounded she wanted them to rest more. i was very careful not to push her. i didn't mention anything to her again. needless to say, she didn't wean.
yesterday we talked about nursing in general, and i told her that older children and adults didn't nurse (as the way she was talking, it seemed she assumed everyone just kept on nursing forever), and she started sobbing, and said she was very sad about losing her childhood.
i want weaning to be her decision, especially as i feel guilty about the rough patch, but i am also confused about her intense desire to keep on nursing. there are no indications that she is moving towards weaning, and she sometimes tells me that the only thing that can calm her down when she is upset is nursing.
how do children like her end up self-weaning? how do i help her to be at peace with this?
then we managed to set some boundaries about nursing--only one breast, and mostly before bed, with some exceptions. no "rules", and i'd almost always nurse her when she really needs it during other times; and also sometimes i'd tell her that i can't nurse her at night, if DS nursed a lot and my breasts are too tired. i do get this feeling that there is a limit to how much of the physical sensation i can take. but i have a feeling, that she'd nurse as much or more than her 2.5 brother, if there were no limits to it.
but overall our nursing relationship since the rough patch has been good.
just before she turned 5, she mentioned that she'd like to wean when she is 5 or 6, and she talked about preparing a surprise for my breasts
yesterday we talked about nursing in general, and i told her that older children and adults didn't nurse (as the way she was talking, it seemed she assumed everyone just kept on nursing forever), and she started sobbing, and said she was very sad about losing her childhood.
i want weaning to be her decision, especially as i feel guilty about the rough patch, but i am also confused about her intense desire to keep on nursing. there are no indications that she is moving towards weaning, and she sometimes tells me that the only thing that can calm her down when she is upset is nursing.
how do children like her end up self-weaning? how do i help her to be at peace with this?