weaning help

[Godswill]

I hope no one get offende dby me asking this question, but i figured u guys would know.

MY dd is 13 months yet she will not wean, but lately i feel like i am not making enough milk at ;least to me. She eats all day but mostly at night, I am starting to wonder if i am just a pacifier for her. Well at her last appointment, they said she was 18.8lb which is small.They want me to see a nutritionist(sp), IN 3 months and check to see if she has gain weight. She does eat solids, but she is very picky. She has never had a bottle or pacifier, she hates them.

Well i went on a trip:rolleyes: , i left at 1am thursday and came back friday at 11 pm, because she would not eat. she ate a little but not much. that night a couple hours before i came home she took a cup of milk, but after she saw me, THAT WAS IT:imbar .

What am i too do, i fix her a cup of milk and she hands it right back to me. I express milk in cup. still no go.

Any suggestions would be great.

[Godswill]

Thank U all for your suggestions. I will be calling the LLL Monday, at birth she was 6lbs 4oz she was a little baby, she has never been big. I think I am just going to go as long as she want to. BUt i Think by december i may try to make her wean if she does not. But if she won't give i guess i can give her more time. I just want her to grow:) Again thank u all and u guys have no idea how much u help me still feel good about breastfeeding. Thank u all so much:)

[fourbirds4me]

Dee.... not to beat a dead horse but very likely the reason for her not growing has nothing to do with breastmilk. Breastmilk has approximately 20kcal/oz. Just the same as formula and MORE that cow's milk. With a lot better nutrient gradient.

Hang in there and try to enjoy.

[Mimi2RN, ASN, RN]

Don't stress about her size, she sounds just fine to me. My youngest was 7lb 5oz at birth, 17lb 12oz at a year. He was always one of the smallest in his class, but it didn't slow him down. His adult height is 5'8".

Just make sure she is eating a varied diet, she should be eating mostly what you eat, now. Give her finger food, including a snack before bed. Babies her age can mostly feed themselves. Persist in water or juice from a cup. Don't use it for milk at this point.

She is probably pacifiing herself at night. If she's hungry, she can nurse.............but doesn't need to be on the breast all night. At that age, you can't be sleeping well, either.

Good luck!

[marilynmom, LPN, NP]

If you want to nurse her please continue to do so because breastmilk is truly so good for her, especially for picky eaters because through your milk she is getting things she might not get without it.

My daughter is 20 months old and is still nursing and because we both enjoy it, we will continue until she decides to wean on her own.

I also got the opposite as you did, my dd was always "too big". My Ped told me to limit her nursings because she was to fat at 3 month (she was 15 pounds and no I did not listen to her, thank god for the confidence LLL instilled in me and the knowledge) Now she has slimmed down so much at 20 months because she is so busy so its the opposite and she is thin!

Why dont people (especially docs) understand that all people )babies and adults) come in all different shapes and sizes??? Unless she has somehow really fallen off the growth curve I would NOT be concerned. Is she happy and healthy? I think that is the most important thing to look at.

Marilyn

[live4today, RN]

Originally posted by marilynmom

....Why dont people (especially docs) understand that all people )babies and adults) come in all different shapes and sizes??? Unless she has somehow really fallen off the growth curve I would NOT be concerned. Is she happy and healthy? I think that is the most important thing to look at.

Marilyn

Now THIS is perfect advice! I agree wholeheartedly with your comment here Marilyn. Enjoy that little one, and don't rush her weaning time, especially if you are not getting frustrated with nursing her still. They do grow fast. Before you know it, you'll be telling her to slooooooowww down.....your eating TOO much table food! :chuckle

[Chrislynn2003]

Was your child a full term newborn? I know twins that were 3months premature;they're 17months now; they don't breastfeed but one of the kids eats only formula and fruit/veg. He will not take whole foods very well; cereal, gerber finger snacks. He is only 17 lbs at 17 months. The important thing though is that he eat and it may take him awhile to go to solids alltogether. I would say that some children just have an attachment; their habits change constantly. Don't focus on the weight; your child is doing just fine.

Christine

[bluesky, BSN, RN]

I am soooo glad someone started a post on this- I was so upset last night that I thought to myself how I would love to post a thread on this but would they think I'm crazy?

One thing I want to say is that many (especially old school) pediatricians aren't very well educated in the benefits of breastfeeding. If you look at the medical school curriculum, it just isn't in there.

My son is 22 mos, good size, eats plenty of food etc. He goes to daycare during the day so his idea is that nightime is the right time to catch up. And when I say catch up I mean he STILL wakes up every 3 hours or so and does that play with the other nipple thing with his fingers that DRIVES ME CRAZY! I was so happy following Dr. Sears method but now I am just desperate for a full night's sleep. Do I need to wean my son to get it? HELP!

[Mimi2RN, ASN, RN]

Maybe he needs to spend some time in his crib alone, I don't think you need to wean him yet, but he may not be sleeping soundly, either. My 13m/o grandbaby goes to bed in her crib but quite often is in bed with mom and dad by 5am. At least she has had several hours of sleep, and they have too.

The plan originally was nurse, read to her for a while, then put her down while she was awake. She would settle down and fall asleep. That plan fell apart when she was sick...and very restless. She had a prolongued bout with ear infections etc, and was sleeping with them all night...it took a while to get her back on track.

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

Bluesky . . I pm'd you but thought I'd post the article here too for others in case.

Breastfeeding - nipple twiddling

Is that ok?

by Shel Franco

Margie White, of Oakland, CA, never worried if her baby got enough breastmilk, and she never worried about nursing in public. In fact, she felt very confident about breastfeeding. Then came nipple twiddling.

"When Jacob was thirteen months," White says, "he discovered the other breast. Maybe he always knew it was there, but now he wanted to hold it and squeeze it while he was nursing. I didn't know what to think or how to act."

White's experience is not unique. Many nursing moms have dealt with wandering hands. Short of making mom feel uncomfortable, these little pats and twists are not cause for concern.

Still, the habit can become annoying and even painful. "My son would dig his finger nails into my nipple," says Julie Beck, of Columbus, Ohio. "I actually bled."

To stop the torment, Beck turned to nursing beads. She discovered that these highly colored and textured beads strung with heavy duty fishing line were the perfect distraction.

Other moms have found relief in the palms of their hands. Wendy Glenn, of Tucson, Ariz., covers the non-nursing breast with her free hand. "Jordan fussed a bit at first, but now he's fine to play with his hair."

Some children are more persistent than others. They know that the other breast is available, even if it is covered. For the tenacious child a stuffed animal, soft blanket, or mommy's fingers can keep little ones busy.

"At first, I worried that I had this abnormal child," says Rory Carpenter, of Boston, Mass. "Then my sister told me her kids all did it, and my best friend agreed. It didn't seem so bad once I knew other moms went through it, too."

~~~~~~~

Shel Franco is a freelance writer and the editor of The Nursing Mom's News. She is the proud mom of two very big and very healthy breastfed boys.

[Godswill]

Originally posted by bluesky

My son is 22 mos, good size, eats plenty of food etc. He goes to daycare during the day so his idea is that nightime is the right time to catch up. And when I say catch up I mean he STILL wakes up every 3 hours or so and does that play with the other nipple thing with his fingers that DRIVES ME CRAZY! I was so happy following Dr. Sears method but now I am just desperate for a full night's sleep. Do I need to wean my son to get it? HELP!

OMG!!!! my dd does this tooooo.This is the only down fall to nursing i have, because its painful at times, and she up all night too just like your ds. I get no real rest, i am afraid to move in bed,lol:chuckle :roll out of fear of waking her up. she up 3-4 times a night and will suck 1-5 minute then go to sleep:imbar

Stevie- thanks for article- I always try to recover my self when she does this, but she digs my shirt up.lol and fuss. but if i talk to her are play with her other hand she fine.

I have real enjoyed all these comments:)

[nekhismom]

Godswill,

I nursed my son for 22.5 months!! I completely understand where you are coming from. My son will be 2 this week and he only weighs 28 lbs. He has only gained 2 lbs. this whole year. He is small. Many nights he fell asleep with my breast in his mouth and woke up as soon as I removed it. He woke up all night to nurse. I NEVER got a full night's sleep for the whole 22.5 months!!! My son would not take a pacifier or bottle from me either. I found success by letting others feed him. I would leave the room or the house if need be to let my family members feed him. But really, even doing that, he didn't take to it very well. He would not drink cow's milk until he was weaned. He has gained his 2 lbs. since being weaned. I am completely for breastfeeding as long as mother and baby both desire it, but sometimes weaning may be better for both. If I can help you at all, you can message me. Good luck to you!!