piratecat
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Post by piratecat on Aug 18, 2018 10:41:50 GMT -6
My kid is almost 15 months. I have always had low supply and I stopped pumping when he turned 1. I always offer to nurse when he wakes up, before naps, and before bedtime, and recently he has been refusing more often than not, so there are days when he doesn’t nurse at all. I always let him nurse when he asks, which he does at random times, but in the past week or so I can tell that he is not getting any milk. So where do I go from here? When he does nurse, it is highly unsatisfying because he will nurse forever, not get anything, I usually have to unlatch him after a while, he will ask to nurse again, and I tell him it’s all gone and he is still upset. Will he wean himself eventually if he isn’t getting any milk?
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vvvvvfee
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Post by vvvvvfee on Aug 19, 2018 8:41:45 GMT -6
set a time limit when he's nursing-- for instance, sing a particular song and nursing is all done when you're finished. or even set a timer on your phone for a minute (or however long you can tolerate). then i'd offer some kind of substitute for him-- cuddles, for sure, and maybe he wants a cup of warm cow's milk or some other beverage. or maybe you want to read a book with him. just something else comforting for him. i would also try to limit nursing to just at particular times and then refuse him at other times. so just wakeup/naptime/bedtime, for instance. then drop them one by one.
setting limits should gently push him towards weaning. if you don't set any limits, whether or not he self-weans depends on his personality. i had one kid that nursed right through my entire pregnancy even when he wasn't getting anything for months on end, and another kid who self-weaned as soon as my supply dropped in 1st trimester.
(the above is with the assumption that you actually want him to wean)
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piratecat
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Post by piratecat on Aug 19, 2018 12:49:43 GMT -6
vvvvvfee those are really helpful suggestions, thank you. I didn’t think I would be weaning this early but I feel like it makes sense at this point. I don’t know, I guess I have some mixed feelings.
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vvvvvfee
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Post by vvvvvfee on Aug 19, 2018 13:02:59 GMT -6
piratecat, yeah, i mean i think you'd probably have to be on a consistent schedule to get your supply back up (like, offer 2x a day and then pump if he refuses)... so i agree it probably doesn't make sense. but you nursed for a year despite some struggles and that's great! i think everyone has mixed feelings about weaning- wanting to be done but also feeling sad about losing that connection. hugs!
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piratecat
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Post by piratecat on Aug 19, 2018 14:08:39 GMT -6
@vvvvvfe he didn’t quite understand the whole supply/demand concept. 😂
Thank you. It wasn’t always easy but I’m glad I stuck with it.
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