[meemee]

when my dd is with me she always nurses when it is naptime/bedtime and first thing in the morning. so whenever she nurses i know she is tired and needs to take a nap (she rarely naps). for the last three/four weeks she said there is no more milk. i ask her once in a while and she tells me no milk. i know that is true because i can feel my breasts are not that soft anymore but getting a little harder.

so i am curious how long do children nurse even without milk. i see no signs of her stopping. since she was 3 1/2 her dad and i take her alternate nights so she would nurse alternate nights. then last week we started 2 nights with him consecutively and it may go upto 3.

she turns 4 next month. so i was wondering - since i know nothing about this - is choosing to continue nursing after milk dries up a temperament thing. some kids continue it without the milk (for how long?!!) and some stop when milk dries up?

i am not looking forward to her stop nursing soon as she is comforted so easily by it. that is so easy for me with a sensitive emotional child.

 

[Angierae]

I've not been in your exact situation, but my eldest nursling who just turned 5, nursed through 4-5 month milkless periods during pregnancies. She never seemed to notice or alter her nursing at all. I imagine she would have kept going even if new milk hadn't come in after the birth. Good luck!

 

[Momtwice]

My dd nursed for a long time, for several months after the milk was gone. Just a couple times a day or week at that point, for several months. Occasionally she seemed to get a little sip.

 

[Tummy]

I have not had milk for 17 months... my daughter had not nursed for 15 months.. she started nursing again almost three months ago

Still no milk.. but we do not care about the milk part of it.. we are nursing, not breastfeeding.

I have NO intent to keep her from the breast if she wants it.. she is almost 21 months old and I will allow her to nurse as long as she desires!!!

 

[meemee]

oh thank you mama's. we both arent ready to give up the nursing experience yet - even though my ex thinks otherwise.

wow tummy your dd has not nursed for 15 months and started again. wow!!! way to go!!!

 

[Momtwice]

http://www.kathydettwyler.org/detsuck.html

Quote:

"I'm still nursing Alex, but I'm not lactating. So is he breastfeeding? It's definitely non-nutritive, but does that make it not important? "

 

[mama_kass]

Just curious why and how does the milk dry up? I am still lactating, but I don't produce very much milk. Ds told me it's not milk, just water.

 

[meemee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mama_kass Just curious why and how does the milk dry up? I am still lactating, but I don't produce very much milk. Ds told me it's not milk, just water.

kass i am guessing it is based on supply and demand. in my case being a single mom and sharing custody with her dad - the demand was sporadic. plus sometimes she does 'fast food' nursing. nursing for 30 seconds every 5 minutes before bedtime when we are struggling about her going to bed as she is not done yet.

since my dd loves sharing how much milk i had i could tell the last few months how fast my milk dried up. she is almost 4 years old and nursing now is not about nutrition at all. because her sucking urge is so strong sometimes at naptime she also wants a sippy cup of milk. i have to go out and buy sippy cups since i gave hers away a long time ago.

your sons comment about water maybe because i am guessing the milk is not so full of fat anymore because the nursing is not the type for nutrition. my dd loved sqiurting me or milking a bead of milk (ouch) so i could tell my milk looked more like foremilk - watered down milk.