[mamamara555]

I would love to hear others' thoughts and suggestions. I have been breastfeeding my cosleeping 2.5 yo only at night (to go to sleep, at 1-2 awakenings a night, upon awakening) for the past few months. I wanted to completely do CLW, but I've been trying to gradully reduce/wean because I'm pregnant, and I know my nipples can't take tandem nursing (I have psoriasis, and I'm concerned about making sure I can nurse the next little one). I had nipple pain for the first year of nursing (multiple treatments tried/experts consulted to no avail). They've become painful and itching recently again, so I really need to stop ASAP, despite my and my daughter's sadness. I want to do so as gently as possible. Last night I limited nursing to one side (the least irritated), and tonight I did no nursing to sleep. I did nurse 1-2 times in the middle of the night. My daughter said she was "very, very, very sad" tonight b/c we couldn't nurse.<br><br>
I'm not sure what the best approach is for the middle of the night nursings. She has never gone back to sleep any other way (although she has fallen asleep other ways for my nanny, which is why I started with that). Should I just cut out the night nursings tomorrow night completely? I considered a time limit (i.e., 2 minutes), but when I asked her to stop last night, she wouldn't let go.<br><br>
I'm also not sure what the best explanation is. I started with the truth---that my num-nums hurt. Tonight, trying to emphasize the positive of being like a big girl, I also said we were going to go to sleep like her older cousins, who don't do num-num. I know in the middle of the night, the explanation needs to be minimal, but I want to talk to her in more detail during the day. I explicitly acknowledge her sadness and mine.<br><br>
Thanks for your feedback!

 

[Meredith&Alexander]

I used some suggestions from Dr. Jay Gordon's nightweaning advice, and talked about the nursies going to sleep when we do and waking up when it's light outside. They're comfortable enough that when they hear me grunt "Nursies sleeping. Go back to sleep." they generally do, unless it's really a pressing matter, and then they stick with it and I wake up for real and figure it out.<br><br>
And I have psoriasis too. It's never been close enough to the nipple to be an issue, but I did have a very frank conversation years ago in the middle of a very bad flare with my dermatologist where he promised he would never ask me to wean unless it was my life on the line, and I promised that if he said it had to happen because, I would. Fortunately, it never came to that, but things were pretty ugly for awhile.

 

[mamamara555]

Thanks for sharing. It's comforting in some way to know that someone else has had to deal with the psoriasis issue potentially impacting nursing. I am so sad that it has forced me to have to go through weaning earlier/faster/more mother-led than I wanted. But I'm even more worried about not being able to nurse my next little one if the psoriasis worsens due to irritation.<br><br>
The challenge I have with the Dr. Gordon approach is that the night nursings is all I have left at this point. I saved the hardest for last, so I'm not sure what else to do besides gently denying. And I'm not sure if I should do all night nursings at once or some gradually and how.

 

[Gray's Mommy]

I have to cut the time down. It plain hurts my nipples & he bites a bit to see if there will be any milk letdown (which is not happening). I let him nurse about 1-2 minutes then say, "all done".<br><br>
During night/sleeping, I pat him on his back & say, "in a little bit". It seems to put him off for a while & normally he goes back to sleep.<br><br>
I am done with nursing-He is 2.5 years & I am 15 weeks pg. While I am sad to see our nursing end, it is also a good thing.