Pinecone is 21+ months, and her aggressive side is coming out -- over nursing. She used to just nurse before sleeping and upon waking. Lately she's asking for it all the time during the day too. That wouldn't be so bad, except she's a really aggressive nurser. I can't think of any other word to describe it. As she is nursing on one side, she reaches over and twists and pulls the other side, and when I try to keep it covered she does whatever she can to get at it. Or she works on the small moles/tags she's recently found on the sides of my breasts -- I swear one will be pulled off one of these days, and it'll be a bloody, painful mess. Then there's the unintentional teeth grinding, which ends up making me feel raw.
All these things have me contemplating weaning. She only nurses for a few minutes at a time, as I know I have minimal milk now (haven't done anything to increase milk since she turned one, and used up the last of my Lact-aid stuff in February), and it's really just for soothing. I am trying to soothe her other ways, but she knows what she wants and it's Mom's "NURSE!"
And then she does cute things like give me her stuffed animals to nurse, and at times when nursing she seems like that little baby I once knew, and then I don't want to wean her.
I don't know. I never thought I'd be nursing this long doing adoptive breastfeeding. But when I thought I'd have a baby by giving birth, I assumed I'd nurse until 2. Which, I hate to say, is just around the corner.
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3 comments:
Oh I remember the assertive nursing stages1 My daughter self-weaned at just over 30 months old and it's so bittersweet. I found that she was more aware of the overall effect on the world she had when she started being more demanding with nursing so I attributed it to her personality stage. My love for our nursing relationship definitely waxed and waned like yours! I think it's fantastic that you've made it so long after inducing lactation! <3
Firstly- how cool is it that you are still nursing? Way to go!!
I just recently healed from cuts on each side, from Acorn being in this aggressive switching(1 minute per side) mode. I've been working on her being more passive, to help forestall any other injuries. I hope to make it to 2, as well.
Oh I hear you -- I thought it was sweet, somehow, at ten months when Z found the other side and had to hold on like a handle, checking it was still there -- and though I'd read about introducing a lovey I never did -- not realizing that I was becoming the lovey -- and now at night, nursing to sleep -- it is a constant battle to keep her pincers from me -- (and a great incentive to cut her nails short short short while she's asleep) -- I was always going to let her lead with weaning -- but I'm dealing with some dental stuff which is causing me to cut down on the on-demand nursing during the day -- but that means that it makes the night-weaning harder (if not, frankly impossible right now during her teething four teeth)
I wish I had advice. I was just reading about how you can start using language at night to wean "time for mommy to sleep, baby to sleep, milkies to sleep (or whatever)" -- she's almost at that stage now -- I wonder if those things would help Pinecone during the day? Does she respond to "be gentle" -- I often say "that's a part of mommy's body -- be gentle" -- and she might not pull quite as hard...
I am right there with you though - I get it...
XO
P
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