I had posted on another thread in child-led weaning, but didn't want to hi-jack that post, plus our issues right now extend past-though directly related-nursing. As I mentioned in the other post, ds is on a nursing strike. It happened after an illness, which I found out was foot, mouth, and hand disease (thanks to mamas on this board for figuring out what it was). After the fever broke, he refused to nurse. He's also getting his eye teeth in. It will have been 11 days tonight. We've had a few close calls-twice asking for milk, but then refusing. He won't even latch on-he starts to, but then lets go. He tells me he "no like milk" and "milk all gone"- which isn't true. So my first issue is-is this really a nursing strike?? Or is he weaning? I know it's not the normal weaning pattern-this was very sudden. At first he was miserable, but seems to be adjusting. He's eating a LOT more, especially cheese. He's always been "ahead" developmentally, and part of me is wondering if he's done, though it just doesn't seem right. BTW, he doesn't drink any other milk. He was never really a cheese fan until he stopped nursing. We didn't offer it, he got in fridge and got it out. He drinks from a regular cup too-mostly water, sometimes juice and water. And yes, I have done all the things suggested for a nursing strike, and nothing has worked. Well, I haven't walked with him or put him in the sling to nurse, but I had foot surgery and still can't carry him.
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I have talked to my LLL leader, and she said to let it go. He's old enough to comminucate when he wants milk, she said, and I agree. Putting pressure on him just frustrates him. When I ask if he wants milk, he says, "no like milk, Mommy!" with a tone that states ,"I have told you a million times I don't want it!"
We co-sleep, and he's actually been pretty easy to go to bed--he always tells us, and tends to lay down with his blanket and go to sleep. He doesn't want me to pat his back or anything. It's the waking up that's the issue. He wakes up at 5 am, and usually asks to eat cheese or waffles. At first we gave it to him, and he'd go back to sleep. But this is becoming an issue. He eats before he goes to bed, and wakes up about the time he would have wanted to nurse. So do we continue to feed him? I don't want him to be hungry but at the same time I don't want 5 am eating to become a habit.
Last night was the worse. First of all, I woke up with him pushing me into dh saying, "Mommy, go away." I said, "No, I will not go away. Roll over into your crib"(the crib is attached to our bed because he is a wild sleeper.) He continued to insist I go away, tHEN he wanted a kiss (which I gave) and then started crying for waffles. Now, I feel like an awful mom, but I said, no, and dh backed me up. ds said, "I go down, get waffles" and he went to the baby gate at the top of the stairs and screamed. DH brought him back, and I said, "Either you have milk or you lay down with bo-bo (his blanket)." He thought about this, then lay down. Wow. I felt really bad. He then wanted rocked, so we did that, and he went to sleep.
So, we could bring up a waffle before bed, show him where they are, and tell him if he gets hungry he can get some. I think this might work? Have any other mamas had problems like this?
We co-sleep, and he's actually been pretty easy to go to bed--he always tells us, and tends to lay down with his blanket and go to sleep. He doesn't want me to pat his back or anything. It's the waking up that's the issue. He wakes up at 5 am, and usually asks to eat cheese or waffles. At first we gave it to him, and he'd go back to sleep. But this is becoming an issue. He eats before he goes to bed, and wakes up about the time he would have wanted to nurse. So do we continue to feed him? I don't want him to be hungry but at the same time I don't want 5 am eating to become a habit.
Last night was the worse. First of all, I woke up with him pushing me into dh saying, "Mommy, go away." I said, "No, I will not go away. Roll over into your crib"(the crib is attached to our bed because he is a wild sleeper.) He continued to insist I go away, tHEN he wanted a kiss (which I gave) and then started crying for waffles. Now, I feel like an awful mom, but I said, no, and dh backed me up. ds said, "I go down, get waffles" and he went to the baby gate at the top of the stairs and screamed. DH brought him back, and I said, "Either you have milk or you lay down with bo-bo (his blanket)." He thought about this, then lay down. Wow. I felt really bad. He then wanted rocked, so we did that, and he went to sleep.
So, we could bring up a waffle before bed, show him where they are, and tell him if he gets hungry he can get some. I think this might work? Have any other mamas had problems like this?
