[maxam67]

My son is now 25 months old and I am DONE nursing. I do not know how to stop. I am like his pacifier. He only nurses when he is really tired or cranky. Does anyone have any suggestions? I want my body back.

Thanks.

 

[babygrant]

You've done a wonderfull job nursing for 25 months mama!!!

What about your body do you want back or do you just not like him using your breast to soothe himself? DS won't use my breast as a "soother" he needs an actual pacifier and it's a pain in the bum. We lose the darn thing all the time, so I wish he would use me.

 

[Trishy]

Moving to BF Beyond Infancy.

 

[henhao]

Congratulations on nursing for so long! I don't have advice -- just sending good vibes your way that you figure it out.

 

[artgirl]

I'm gradually weaning my ds right now. I think the most important thing is the replace the nursing with some other kind of loving. And explain to your ds what is going to happen ahead of time so that he's not taken by surprise.

We are working on night weaning right now. I wanted to do that first so that my whole family could get some sleep. I explain to ds every night that he can have milk now, but if he wakes up at night... no milk. I say night is a time for sleeping... dh is sleeping... dd is sleeping... mama is sleeping and ds should be sleeping also. When he does wake up at night I tell him that I'll hold him while he goes back to sleep. I also explain that he can have milk again in the morning. I don't want him to think he can never nurse again.

So... in your situation I guess I'd just explain when he's not tired or cranky what you're trying to accomplish and tell him what you'll do instead. Like "mama will rock you or read to you"... whatever might work for your ds. And then when the time comes for you to try to enact something you've explained... guage his reaction. Expect a little protest but if he's really distraught I'd nurse him and try again next time. Also, make sure to give lots of hugs and kisses during the day.

I know there's a book or something on weaning... maybe even in Dr. Sears.
I know it's not a popular subject around here so I hope that helps. 25 months is fantastic!!

 

[maxam67]

Thanks everyone for the kudos for nursing this long. I really do appreciate it. When I tell most people, I usually get strange looks. I kind of like to shock people so I tend to tell everyone I meet.

I just feel that my breasts aren't mine while I am nursing. I want to buy a nice Victoria's Secret bra again and stop wearing those very unflattering nursing bras. I will not let my husband touch my breasts because I feel they are for my son. My husband is very good about this, but I know he misses it and so do I.

This is my 3rd son. I nursed my 2nd son for 22 months. I stopped cold turkey with him because he bit me really hard, making me bleed and I just had to stop. There were 2 days of crying, but he was a really easy going little boy and it wasn't bad. He is now 12 and shows no signs of trauma from stopping nursing. Ha ha!

My youngest is not so easy going. He is a screamer! I do try to talk to him about it during the day, but when he gets tired all bets are off. If I don't nurse him, there are loud, loud tantrums.

It's just that I thought I would do it until he was 2 and then stop, but it's easier said than done.

Thanks for letting me vent.

 

[APCDmama]

maxam67, I have a "screamer", too.

: I am in the process of setting limits with DD, but sometimes it's far easier to let her nurse than deal with the tantrums you speak of. Besides, if she's THAT upset and insists on nursing, I figure she must really need it.

My goal is to give DD what she needs while also respecting my own needs...a tough balance, at times. I hope DD will finish nursing by age 3, but it's hard to imagine, given the number of times she still nurses per day. Sounds like your DS is an avid nurser, too. Would you feel differently if it were only once or twice a day? I know I would.

About the bra...you don't have to wait until you're done with nursing! Go out and get yourself a cute bra! It will make you feel a million times better. I threw out all my yucky nursing bras ages ago, and I've never looked back.

 

[Mackenzie]

We are slowly weaning too...very veeerryy sllloooowly.....I am (usually) pretty ready to be done. He is not. It helps me to know that we are working toward it, but at the same time it is not too traumatic for him. It just started with me asking him to wait, then we gradually cut down, in frequency and duration. Now, he only gets to nurse, without hesitation of any kind, to sleep and in the middle of the night. If something happens, such as he gets injured, or gets his feeling hurt and really needs to nurse, I will let him. If at any other time, he really pushes it, I will let him have an "all done nana" which means a ten count on each side. The "all done" started a long time ago when he would get very upset when I would make him stop nursing so I started to tell him "all done" and then count to ten, just so he knew when it would happen. We still do this at the end of each nursing and some night time nursings have become "all done nana"s . Right now, we are down to about 5 nursings a day, I would guess. That does not count what ever happens at night which I don't really think about. This is down from 20 or more, without fail.

Good luck!

 

[maxam67]

Thanks again everyone. I will definitely go out and buy a couple new bras. I think that will help me feel a little better.

I am going to try LLL to see if they have any suggestions or books they can recommend.

 

[just6fish]

LLL would be a great resource. THey have books on lots of topics including weaning and will help you with it. I know what you are going through. I am ready to be done, too, with my 20 mo who nurses ALL THE TIME!!
The bra idea is great. I stopped using nursing bras,too and that helps
Hang in there!

 

[Past_VNE]

I wear some Calvin Klein bras that are quite sexy and I have a Victoria's Secret bra called "Very Sexy" that I love for those push-up sexy times. I only have ever had one nursing bra and have never worn it much.

I'm not at all trying to convince you not to wean, mama, but just wanted to say that you might lose a very valuable "mama tool" by weaning, and still have all the demanding, screaming aspects with no good way to console him. It's just a thought on my part. Anyway, you can definitely wear sexy bras and nurse, no doubt!

This is only a suggestion if you want it, otherwise, ignore me. Perhaps, if this is the only reason you want to wean, but would still like to be able to comfort him by nursing, you could retrain your mindset to allow your breasts to be both sexual and sustenance. For me, they are utterly both. They do both tasks equally well at different times. Even more, my husband loves the milk aspect during our adult moments. We have so much that way, I will miss it when I am done nursing forever!

Anyway...again, I am not trying to push you to continue nursing....I just don't want you to feel weaning is your only option.

 

[maxam67]

Thanks for your thoughts. I am just done with nursing. I just want to stop. I am doing other things for my son to try to console him when he has a tantrum and we are definitely cutting back. I checked the LLL website and found a book that I am going to check out at the library.

Like I stated before, I am so glad that I have been able to nurse him for this long, but I just want to stop now.

Thanks!