[Julesy]

Hello, I'm new here, and mother to a soon-to-be 12-month-old daughter who still nurses every 2-3 hours, day and night. She's not really on solids yet, as she just recently found an interest in table food and is content with a few bites of our food at each meal. At night, she wakes at least every 2-3 hours to nurse back to sleep (we co-sleep). That's a good night - on a bad night she's up every hour.

I've never done anything but nurse on demand, but I was always under the impression that by this age babies cut back on nursing to just a few times a day! I'm honestly a bit exhausted and burned out. I'm not planning on weaning, and I won't let her cry at night, which everyone tells me is the problem! I don't expect anyone to have any answers, but I am curious to see if many others have had a similar experience. I could use the support.

Thanks so much

 

[blessedwithboys]

BTDT twice! lol you both are perfectly normal. and just when you think the burnout couldnt get any worse, it does. no, i'm totally kidding. what happens at that point is the child just magically starts sleeping through the night, then cutting back on nursing, and you find yourself sobbing inside, wishing you still had a tiny baby who couldnt go 2 hours without needing you.

:

 

[Threefold]

I've also BTDT twice. My dd is now 10 mo and still nurses lots, maybe more frequently than every 2-3 hours. She nurses almost non-stop at night (more like using me as a pacifier than actually nursing), just like my ds did. By the time he was 2.5 years old, I couldn't handle the night nursing anymore, so we night weaned, then he began nursing only at home, only upon waking, for nap, before bed, and before I knew it, he was done!

 

[TiredX2]

Before DD I also had the perception that children at 12 months would be nursing just several times during the day and none at night.

At 12 months, DD was nursing more than once an hour during the day and every 1-2 hours at night.

At 24 months it was still often during the day and 1-2 hours at night when we night weaned her for 4-5 hours each night (and then 1-2 hours again). I was pg.

DS had the same pattern--- maybe not quite so often. Now, at 3.75 he is only *starting* to go 4-5 hours at night (and only started going more than 2 regularily after he turned 3).

Basically: TOTALLY NORMAL

 

[Momtwice]

Normal!!!

It's also normal if a friend/relative/author etc. has a child who is one who nurses only a couple times a day. But it is NOT ok for them to tell you YOUR child is not ok because their child has a different pattern from yours.

 

[Julesy]

Thanks so much everyone ... I think I just needed some validation! Between not knowing any like-minded moms IRL, and a pediatrician who says that while it's "OK" for me to nurse beyond a year, I shouldn't be nursing more than 4x/day (gasp!! My daughter would revolt!!) because I need to push solids (

), I've been feeling a bit down. It's a relief to hear that others have had similar experiences (and survived)!!

 

[Sassafrass]

Oh yeah! DD will be *1* tomorrow, and she is a nursing fiend! Latched on all night long and at the very least once an hour during the day. She nurses as often as she did when she was a newborn....has always been a super frequent nurser. The only thing that is different is the amount of time she spends at the breast, rather than the 45 minute nursing sessions we used to have, she generally only spends 5-10 minutes on the breast now, unless she is sleepy.

Oh, i have a friend with an 8 month old who only nurses 4-5 times a day, sleeps all night......he is a big boy, too........26lbs, but man am I jealous when I see them.......what I wouldn't give for a full nights sleep!\

angela

 

[mamasgirls]

I also think its normal. My dd turned one on the 7th of this month and still nurses constantly. At least every 2-3 hours. She only usually nurses twice a night, though. Anyway- she also doesn't eat many solids- she is still getting 95% of her nutrition from nursing! You are not alone