[Lizzo]

I worry about this often b/c I will be working and/or going back to school and I want my DS to self-wean.<br>
Maybe I am being ignorant, but tell me, can it work?

 

[lechepatito]

You bet we can! I'm wohm full time to my two kids, DD is 4.5 yo and DS is 14 mos. I pumped for 20 mos for DD, weaned off the pump but kept nursing all the way through my pg with DS, and am now tandeming them. Your body will quickly adjust to making the amount of milk your baby takes (supply and demand, ain't it grand?), so as long as you nurse on demand when you're with baby, you should be able to nurse for as long as you both want to. I sleep with my kids to encourage our attachment and to make nursing readily available at night, and both kids reverse cycled, making it a little easier to keep them interested in keeping on nursing. Don't be discouraged - you CAN do this! <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/thumb.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="thumbs up">

 

[Love my 2]

Absolutely! My dd just turned 4 and has pretty much weaned (she'll ask for nursies maybe once a week but likes to rest her hand on them when she is falling asleep) I've been working full time for the past 2 years. I stopped pumping t work when she was about 23 months old and started really cutting back on her nursing sessions.<br>
It's a nice way to "reconnect" after a day apart.

 

[minkajane]

That's what I'm planning on! DS just turned one and nurses 4-5 times a day. Before work, lunch, after work, before bed usually. I haven't had to pump since he was about six months old because of his scheduling.<br><br>
I don't see any reason why you can't do CLW. Nobody says you can't limit it - like only nursing when you're home so you don't have to pump. My son is night weaned and I have no problems with setting that limit for myself so I can get some sleep.

 

[CalBearMama]

You can do it! As PPs have said, you can always pump so your baby gets your milk while you're apart, and then nurse lots in the evenings/through the night/on weekends to keep up your supply and have lots of good bonding time.<br><br>
You might also start thinking now about how flexible you can make your work/school schedule and your childcare arrangements. I'll use myself as an example: I've been back to work three days a week since DS was about five months old. We found a nanny who was willing to watch him nearby and bring him to me for feedings. In the beginning, I nursed him before work, once mid-morning, once mid-afternoon, after work, and then whenever he wanted for the rest of the night. When he was about 11-12 months, it was clear that he didn't need to nurse every time the nanny brought him to me, so we changed the schedule to before work, between noon and 1:00, after work, and then whenever he wanted. Now he's 14 months old and is starting to kind of half-heartedly nurse during the lunch hour session (although some days he just chows down - go figure). I'm not going to change the schedule, though, because I really like seeing him at least once during the day. If he eventually stops nursing at noon, we'll do something else together during that time.<br><br>
I find that nursing is a way to instantly reconnect with DS, and it has the side benefit of keeping me relaxed all day in a job that can be pretty stressful at times. However you choose to do it, rest assured that your nursing relationship can continue to thrive even if you're not together during the work day or school day. You may find, as I have, that your child simply makes up for being apart by nursing more when you're together. Co-sleeping definitely helps with this, and it's for this reason that I have no intention of trying to night-wean DS - I figure as long as he needs to nurse at night, I will let him, because he doesn't have unlimited access all day every day. (Not that I think there is anything wrong with night-weaning - I just don't feel the need to do it myself because DS's nursing doesn't disrupt my sleep that much.)<br><br>
Hope this works out for you. In my experience, it's well worth the effort to preserve your nursing relationship.

 

[Peppamint]

It can totally be done. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="smile"> I did CLW with my dd, working part-time for 4.5 hour shifts (so just over a 5 hour separation) 3 days a week and one weekend a month. She weaned at 20 months- which is possibly sooner than she would have weaned if I hadn't been working and hadn't been pregnant again, but ya never know. Either way, she got almost two years of mama's milk!<br><br><img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/thumb.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="thumbs up">

 

[dinamom]

Absolutely! I WOH and my almost 5 yo has just weaned. My 2.5 yo is still nursing though. I stopped pumping around 1 year for both of them, but continued to keep nursing. You can do it!