Breastfeeding - Cleveland, OH

I'm in the same boat as you -- it's so hard denying him of it when it puts him right back to sleep - but I am over it!! :) I'll be interested to hear any responses.

I gave my kids a sippy cup with warm milk and that was comforting enough to get them off the breast.

Hi there good for you for sticking too it! i nursed all three of my younger kids until age two as well and that last night feeding was the last one to go. I had a long toalk with each of them explaining that it was time to give it up but that I would give them all the cuddles they needed. We did the same routine with me holding htem as if nursing with out it songs, kisses etc. The first few nights they cried one of them sobbed and while it was hard I knew it would pass and to stand my guard. Once they realized i was still goingto give them all the affection sans the breast they were okay. I also explained that it wasbad for their teeth so water was the only option.

Without knowing details whether or not this is a "control" issue for the child, my gut answer is to enjoy the bonding time because they grow up too fast. Does she want the cuddle time? Is she afraid to go to bed? Are you just tired of nursing, or is it interfering with something else?

A friend once told her persistent nurser that the milk had gone bad by putting vinegar or lemon juice on her nipples, but that's rather deceptive...

It comes down to your reasons. My two youngest nursed till they were over three; it was forced relaxation and good bonding time. The youngest got to a negative point with it and I abruptly had to stop--we both survived. :)

S. R.

YEA for you & what you have done for your daughter, nursing her for 2 beautiful years!!! :O)
If nighttime is not her only nursing time, then try telling her that the "num nums" are sleeping & won't wake up until morning. Expect some protest, but if you stick to your word, she'll eventually believe you & will be happy to just nurse in the morning.
If nighttime is your only nursing time left, then you may need to try telling her that the "milkie" is all gone.
It's a hard time to stop nursing. Night is such a comforting time to nurse.
Kudos to you for your dedication & I have faith that you will figure out a gentle way to ween the night feeding.
*hugs*

I know it sounds silly, but put a couple of peices of cabbage (raw from a head of cabbage) in your bra. Make sure it is touching your skin. It works wonders. I know it sounds odd, but it dries you right up!

The best thing to do is simply hold her, nurture her but refuse to give her your breast. Or, let her daddy get her so she doesn't get tempted at all. Then once you do that for a few days you should dry up naturally. However, if you need help drying out then consider cabbage leaves. A friend of mine just told me about this last weekend. That she used leaves to treat engorgement then went too far and she was starting to dry up. Here's what I found on the net....

Cabbage Leaves

Cabbage leaves are a very old remedy that has received much renewed interest from lactation professionals over the past 10 years. Though admittedly, there is not a lot of research on the effectiveness of using cabbage leaves to treat engorgement, they have been used and recommended for many mothers in hospitals all over the country. From our observations and mother's reports, it does seem to be quite effective at relieving engorgement, while having little chance for side effects.

To treat engorgement, place a cold cabbage leaf (see preparation methods below), covering each breast, and securing inside the bra. Change leaves when wilted, or approximately every two hours. As engorgement subsides, discontinue use. Continued use can dramatically reduce the milk supply.
When using cabbage leaf compresses, it can make it easier if you prepare enough leaves for several changes ahead of time. Wash the cabbage leaves, allow to dry and place in a zip-lock bag until needed. There are several recommended methods of preparation to choose from:

• They can be applied as is, using one or more, as necessary to cover the breast.
• The leaves can be crumpled in your hand to crush the veins prior to use
• Leaves can be softened briefly in hot water to make them more pliable, and then chilled
• Veins of the cabbage can be scored with a knife before application
• Warmed, rather than chilled cabbage leaves offer better relief for some mothers

I don't know anything about something that might dry you up, other than not nursing any more. If you are really ready to stop the nursing then she just might have to cry it out a little while until she's done. With my son, I went out of town for a three day weekend and when I got back, I didn't nurse again. My milk was pretty much gone by that time and we had no problem. It's worth trying if you really are ready to stop.

I just gave up nursing my second child at 18 months. The best advice I can give you is to tough it out. You will have crying for a few days but it does end. If you have a husband who is at home in the evenings let him be the one to put your child in bed and say goodnight. It works well to just hide out in another area of the house so she doesn't even see you. Make sure he gives her a little drink of milk or something since she is used to having a drink before going to bed. Hope this helps, good luck.

Dannielle,
My daughter is 2 and 1/2 and still "nursing" just before bed. I completely agree with the post that said it may be more about comfort than milk. I'm pretty sure my milk is almost if not completely gone because sometimes she'll tell me that "there's no milk in my tummy." But that doesn't stop her from wanting to nurse every night. I've been trying to slowly shorten the amount of time she nurses. Now we're down to two or three minutes a night. Good luck!

Dannielle, It's wonderful that you have gone this far with the nursing. I have a 20 monh old and he is nursing through the day and night. It's working for us, and we're doing all right. It does take willing participants on both sides though, and if you're ready to be done, I would suggest, as ohers have, to wean gently and gradually.
We have a night routine where my son will nurse right before bed time, and my husband will take over and get him to sleep. It's really helped with the frequency of night nursing, and I think my husband is really enjoying putting him to sleep each night. It's almost as though my son remembers that Daddy put him to sleep and when he wakes (we co-sleep) he looks for daddy to cuddle with, and not my breasts for comfort. I also liked the section on night weaning in the Baby Book by Dr. Sears. If you have that book, you may want to read the section, and if not, I'm sure you can find it at a local library. Something else to consider is that even if you dry up your milk, she may still want the physical comfort of nursing because it's soothing. I'm not exactly sure, but I think even if I had no milk, my son would probably still nurse for the comfort. I wish you all the peace in the world as you make your way through night weaning.
S.

First of all a big CONGRATULATIONS are in order for making it this far!!!! My daughter turned 2 last month and I weaned her last month as well. For us it was nap time that went last but here are some night time suggestions. What worked for us is having my husband put her to bed and establish a bed time routine. We replaced the breast with a cup of milk, book, and short cartoon while being cuddled with her cup. She did protest at first but it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected and I probably had a harder time than her:) Another way I've heard works great is to tell put band-aids on your nipples and tell your daughter you have boo-boos and can't nurse her. Maybe that is a little lie but it can be hard for them to understand other reasoning. I wish you the best of luck and feel free to contact me if you have other questions or need some one to talk to.

Good for you for nursing for the second year! :)
I know there used to be something you could take but I think it was taken off the market some time ago. I will ask the LC's at support group and leaders at La Leche League to see if anyone has any suggestions.
One thing I have heard works is to set a timer for, say, 3 minutes and tell her she can have milk for 3 minutes until the timer goes off. Or play a CD and let her nurse for the length of one song. You can decrease it every week or so and start offering her water or something else in stead before letting her nurse.

OK, I recently stopped breastfeeding my son who was 14 monthsold at the time. He was one of those who wouldn't go to sleep without it. I found it easiest to rock him and hold him till he falls asleep at first just till he got used to falling asleep without breast feeding, which will take a while. Now getting her to sleep by herself is going to be tricky. if you can handle it try to let her cry it out but if your like me and cant try getting her a toddler bed putting her in your room and sit with her till she falls asleep gradually moving away and eventually moving her to her own room. I hope this helps.

Dannielle,

I have the perfect thing for you. I used it with both of my kids after they were born to dry myself up. Go buy a head of cabage and stick it in the fridge. Take one full leaf of cabage and put it in one side of your bra and do the same for the other side as well. You won't need any nursing pads due to the cabage will soak it up no leeking when you use cabage that is what is so great about it. Put a full leaf in both sides of your bra and it will take about 2 weeks or so to dry you out. You will just have to put her to bed when it is time for bed and let her cry or throw a fit to get her used to you not sleeping with her. It will take a few days to break her but she will be fine after that. YOu have to make sure you stick to it though don't give in. Give her a blanket or stuffed animal to sleep with instead. Hope this helps. Let me know how things go.

J. D

I cut my daughter off cold turkey. She had just celebrated her 1st birthday and I was weaning her gradually, at one she was done, toot finee!!! It was hard, not because I was engorged (I wasn't)she missed that nighttime feeding and that was the last one to go. She eventually got over it, and I started a new routine with reading, bath and lots of just us time. If this nighttime feeding is the only one, I would suggest going cold turkey and replacing it with a light snack while you read her a book and some quiet time, just the two of you. She might protest at first, but she'll get used to it.

Hi Dannielle,
I too have the same problem. I have been asking a lot of people that have breastfed their children too, I never get any good responses back, well I guess I'm asking wrong or something. My daughter only wants to nurse when she gets hurt or isn't feeling well. Its like a security thing and I try everything to try to get her from nursing. Yet she is determind to nurse. If you come up with a really good solution would you care to share?! Would greatly appreciate it!

Another congrats on 2 years of breastfeeding!! When my son was 2, I went out of town to visit my grandma for a night or two, and my husband stayed with our kids. At that point, my son was down to nursing just at night, and the change in routine of not having me there did it. When I came back home, he was fine with the new routine set by my husband. It is a matter of replacing the nursing with something new that becomes familiar and comforting. If you are still comfortable nursing - that is perfectly fine too! He will wean on his own if you aren't ready to wean yet. But if you are, then just find something new for you guys to enjoy at night. I do think having someone else like daddy or grandma to introduce the new activity is helpful, so that she may be less likely to think about nursing at that point. Good luck!!

Hi Dannielle,
I just wanted to let you know that you're not alone. My daughter just turned 2 last week and we still breastfeed throughout the day and to get her to sleep. I bought the books "The No Cry Sleep Solution" by Elizabeth Pantley and "The Baby Sleep Book" by the Drs. Sears. I have heard wonderful thing about both books so maybe they will help you. I haven't read them myself, because we're not ready to end breastfeeding yet. I want her do to it when she is ready. But after 2 years of interrupted sleep every night, I would love for her to just not nurse at night. Anyhow, Congrats to you for extended breastfeeding and good luck!

Best of luck!
A.

What a wonderful thing, to give her 2 years of breastmilk. It is so beneficial, I would consider nursing at least before bed for the immunity she will still be needing. Age 2 can have lots of illness, just a little of your breastmilk will protect her and help keep her healthy. Little ones don't have a fully developed immune system until age 4-7. You don't have to tell anyone if you nurse her before bed, it can be your special time with her. You can tell her nursies are night-night at night, if you wanted... I told mine they went to sleep when the sun goes down. Good luck!

Good for you!

I would ask yourself why you want to wean. There's nothing wrong with weaning, but there is also nothing wrong with continuing to nurse...if it's working for both of you.

I'm not sure that drying up your milk would help all that much. She's probably nursing for comfort anyway. My daughter would have drank moter oil if it came out of my breasts.

Do you have a husband? One that willing to walk around with her, or that can lay down with her? That's how I weaned my daughter off nursing to sleep. My husband would lay down with her and tell stories, sometimes until VERY late at night. But it did eventually work.

I always consider the benefits of continuing to nurse. It's a tool that can calm any tantrum, settle a sick child, etc.