Its a strike...do I throw in the towel? :(

[SeekerMage]

I really dont want to give up nursing just yet. But Im getting no support to continue, especially now when I need it most. We just made our one year goal, and now I cannot imagine stopping. Except for the fact she isnt wanting to nurse during the day! Overnight most nights and every morning is about the extent to it right now.

Per her ped she is starting to teeth, but no buds yet just swollen gums. She crys whenever we get ready to nurse. I know its part distraction, and part teething, but I dont know how to fix it. Im getting really depressed and upset about the whole thing. I know she has to grow up some time, but Im really have a hard time giving this up. (The fact the SIL has a two year old who is extremely active in nursing doesnt help any either!) We have had an uphill battle from the start, and just as we finally get going, now she is ready to quit? Ive read all the kelly mom article, but there just isnt a lot of babies after a year....anyone have any suggestions? Should I just give up or continue in hopes she will nurse again soon. Is there even any hope my supply will last? Help, I really need some support :(

[psophia17]

I found out after DS stopped wanting to BF for a whole weekend that if I didn't pump, which I didn't, my milk would turn salty and he wouldn't want to BF anymore because it didn't taste good anymore. If I had known about the salty thing beforehand, I would've had a better idea what was going on.

In your case, for the time being, I would recommend pumping as often as you'd normally BF, and give your DS some time to get over her strike...that's what I would do if I had it to do over again. Pump and eat lots of oatmeal...

HTH, and good luck :)

[missym]

Hi Kathryn,

I'm sorry you're having a hard time! There are certainly plenty of good reasons to nurse past a year, and if she's nursing at night and in the morning, it doesn't sound like she's ready to quit yet, either.

Have you tried giving her ibuprofen prior to nursing? When Gwen has been fussy about nursing because of teething or ear pain, dosing her 30 min prior to a nursing session has helped us.

Also, I know it's so hard not to stress about this, but I think our kiddos are very good at picking up on our emotions; the more upset I got when trying to get her to nurse, the more adamant she got in her refusal. Pumping to keep your milk supply up is a pain but probably worth it until she settles back into a nursing routine.

Good luck!

Missy, mom to Gwen 03/03

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbo...merald_18m.gif
21 months and counting!

[missym]

Hi Kathryn,

I've been doing a little research and came up with a few ideas from the mothering.com boards. You may have already tried these...

for the teething pain:
* frozen washcloth to chew on prior to nursing
* Highland teething gel
* ibuprofen works better than tylenol

to get her to settle into nursing during the day:
* take a warm bath together
* try a dark, quiet room
* spend a lot of time with your top off - not sure how practical this is ;)

If you haven't already, you may want to hop over to the mothering.com forums. There's a lot of helpful info related to breastfeeding past a year, and nursing strikes are a common discussion point.

Hang in there, momma! You're doing a great thing for your DD!!

Missy, mom to Gwen 03/03

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbo...merald_18m.gif
20 months and counting!

[sntm]

Yes, definitely look at the Mothering boards. The teeth and distraction sound like the culprit, especially if she is more likely to nurse when sleepy. Try ibuprofen before nursing.

Also, remember that if she is still nursing overnight and in the mornings, that's a decent amount. Should be enough to maintain your supply. You will find that as the teeth come in/cold goes away/toddler mind changes and she starts nursing more again that your supply will rebound.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03
mama to Jack 6/6/03
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif[/img][/url]
Breastfeeding 18 months and count

[hez]

Hang in there! Payton has some days he nurses all day long, and some days he nurses once between 6am and 8pm. Depends on what's going on, if we're out and about, if he's cutting another tooth, if he's got a stuffy nose... You get the picture. I also tried the ibuprofen before nursing if I was pretty sure he was teething-- and it made a big difference. In our case I have not noticed a huge difference in supply whether he's spent the whole weekend nursing or occasionally nursing during the day. I think you can keep at it, and see what happens, especially since you don't want to stop!

[Rachels]

Don't throw in the towel! It's pretty common for babies to have a tough time when they're teething. Try what everyone has said-- Advil or Motrin a while before nursing, Orajel or Hylands gel on her gums a few minutes before nursing, etc. I also found that giving Boiron Camelia and Rescue Remedy shortly before we nursed was very helpful for her. On the completely awful, painful days, I keep the Motrin going-- it's much easier to stay on top of pain than to try to catch up to it. Hang in there! You've done such an amazing job.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02


"When you know better, you do better."
Maya Angelou

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbo...pphire_24m.gif Two years and counting!

[nd93]

I've nursed two kids for two years each, and I know of others who go well past a year so it is possible and if you want to do it and your daughter does too then hang in there! It will get better! Listen to your instincts, try to make her more comfortable and see if it does get better after some teeth come in. Then you'll know what to do if it happens again w/other teeth. As my kids got older we'd nurse sometimes only in the morning and at night. If we were out a lot during the day they might not have nursed at all that day, just a night before bed. So you may see some flutuations and that's ok. Just keep it up, you're doing a great job and you are showing a lot of concern for your little one.