Need advice: going to sleep without nursing
We've been trying to teach my 15 month old daughter how to fall asleep without nursing. Ever since she got teeth nursing has become increasingly painful. (Especially during certain times of the month). I got sick of the nurse til I can't bear the pain, let her cry with dad, try again nights. (She stopped being able to fall asleep with him.) One night she cried herself to sleep in my arms because I couldn't bear to let her nurse again. Since then I've had a policy that I cut off the nursing when I hurt or she's almost asleep. We've had many nights where she cries some but then calms down and falls asleep cuddled up with us and not crying. I keep hoping we can gradually eliminate the crying part. Is there some way to prepare her for the milk going away? I'm not trying to wean, it's just that when she is sleepy I get chewed. Do I need to eliminate all bedtime nursing?
Any advice would be welcome.
^_^:
If you are not ready to wean than you dont need to talk about no milk. If you want to wean gently I sugest reading "How Weaning Happens" or contact your local LLL. You may want to tell her to keep her mouth open wide and when she starts to chew take you nipple out of her mouth and tell her it hurts you when she nurses like that. When my ds got his top teeth he chewed while nursing. I simple did not let him chew. He cried every time I told him it hurt me and we would try to nurse again. Now months later I cant hardly remember the chewing phase. Thats what it was a phase... good luck... You may want to post in the extended bfing board also.
^_^:
I've been working on changing how she nurses for a while. I've come to the conclusion that I need to limit or eliminate bedtime nursing. My question is how to get her used to the idea that nursing is not how to go to sleep. Maybe this is a partial weaning, but it seemed like nursing til she was sleepy then lying down together was almost working.
^_^:
Biting/scraping the breast when cutting new teeth sometimes happens. It does not mean you have to wean or eliminate bedtime nursing.
link, scroll down to scraping:
^_^:
She's been nursing this way for 6 or 7 months. I can't see structurally how she can nurse without the front teeth digging in.
Anyone have ideas about sleep? I'm tired of being told that I can fix the nursing when I really feel like I've tried.
^_^:
I feel like I've just been slapped for trying to help.
You said:
Do I need to eliminate all bedtime nursing?
I said, perhaps not, and you rejected my honest attempt to help.
see ya.
^_^:
I can't see structurally how she can nurse without the front teeth digging in. Yes, toddlers nurse WITHOUT the mom having pain.....I do it!!! There are no tooth marks on my breast after nursing...I feel NO PAIN.
It sounds like you want to wean, but you want it to because you cant nurse anymore or that its your dd that is forcing you out of bf. Thats NOT the case and if you leave it up to your dd she will continue to nurse. It IS okay to stop nursing because you just dont want to anymore.
But like DaryLLL ......I feel like your post was not as honest as it should have been to get the advice you where looking for. I too feel like Ive been slapped in the face for trying to help.
Last post to this thread.......:confused:
^_^:
I've been crying. Didn't mean to be rude. Didn't think I'd get yelled at. I'm not trying to wean. Maybe I'll post latter to try to explain. Or maybe I don't feel trusting enough anymore.
^_^:
I'm so sorry that night nursing is hard on you. Although my dd has only bottom teeth and hasn't chewed on me, I still know what it's like to not feel like I can night nurse anymore. Sometimes she nurses so long at night that my nipples itch really badly and I start feeling very nauseated. My poor dp looks at me with pity -- he wishes he could help me out. I try to explain to him that it's like having someone poke you in one spot over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over.... You might really love that person and want them to get whatever they need from that, but physically it will eventually become very uncomfortable. I'm convinced that sleeping with a nipple in her mouth has become a habit for my dd. It's been really hard on all of us.
I'm really sorry that I don't have any suggestions for you. I just want you to know that I think I know how you're feeling.
:hug
^_^:
The No Cry Sleep Solution book deals with switching from nursing to sleep to getting to sleep other ways. (But I read it and am still nursing to sleep. :o I was able to stop the chewing, though. I totally get why you don't want to do this anymore!)
What is your bedtime routine? Do you do the same things each night? Does your baby have a "lovey" toy that she takes to bed with her? Do you give a bath, change into pajamas, sing a lullabye, say prayers? Do you have a nighttime story book?
It's important to have something you do the same way or almost the same way, each night. Then she knows she is going to sleep, and even if she's a little uncomfortable to start out, she will trust you that she will really be able to mellow out. Even without nursing, is the thing!
More Topical:
Any advice would be welcome.
^_^:
If you are not ready to wean than you dont need to talk about no milk. If you want to wean gently I sugest reading "How Weaning Happens" or contact your local LLL. You may want to tell her to keep her mouth open wide and when she starts to chew take you nipple out of her mouth and tell her it hurts you when she nurses like that. When my ds got his top teeth he chewed while nursing. I simple did not let him chew. He cried every time I told him it hurt me and we would try to nurse again. Now months later I cant hardly remember the chewing phase. Thats what it was a phase... good luck... You may want to post in the extended bfing board also.
^_^:
I've been working on changing how she nurses for a while. I've come to the conclusion that I need to limit or eliminate bedtime nursing. My question is how to get her used to the idea that nursing is not how to go to sleep. Maybe this is a partial weaning, but it seemed like nursing til she was sleepy then lying down together was almost working.
^_^:
Biting/scraping the breast when cutting new teeth sometimes happens. It does not mean you have to wean or eliminate bedtime nursing.
link, scroll down to scraping:
^_^:
She's been nursing this way for 6 or 7 months. I can't see structurally how she can nurse without the front teeth digging in.
Anyone have ideas about sleep? I'm tired of being told that I can fix the nursing when I really feel like I've tried.
^_^:
I feel like I've just been slapped for trying to help.
You said:
Do I need to eliminate all bedtime nursing?
I said, perhaps not, and you rejected my honest attempt to help.
see ya.
^_^:
I can't see structurally how she can nurse without the front teeth digging in. Yes, toddlers nurse WITHOUT the mom having pain.....I do it!!! There are no tooth marks on my breast after nursing...I feel NO PAIN.
It sounds like you want to wean, but you want it to because you cant nurse anymore or that its your dd that is forcing you out of bf. Thats NOT the case and if you leave it up to your dd she will continue to nurse. It IS okay to stop nursing because you just dont want to anymore.
But like DaryLLL ......I feel like your post was not as honest as it should have been to get the advice you where looking for. I too feel like Ive been slapped in the face for trying to help.
Last post to this thread.......:confused:
^_^:
I've been crying. Didn't mean to be rude. Didn't think I'd get yelled at. I'm not trying to wean. Maybe I'll post latter to try to explain. Or maybe I don't feel trusting enough anymore.
^_^:
I'm so sorry that night nursing is hard on you. Although my dd has only bottom teeth and hasn't chewed on me, I still know what it's like to not feel like I can night nurse anymore. Sometimes she nurses so long at night that my nipples itch really badly and I start feeling very nauseated. My poor dp looks at me with pity -- he wishes he could help me out. I try to explain to him that it's like having someone poke you in one spot over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over.... You might really love that person and want them to get whatever they need from that, but physically it will eventually become very uncomfortable. I'm convinced that sleeping with a nipple in her mouth has become a habit for my dd. It's been really hard on all of us.
I'm really sorry that I don't have any suggestions for you. I just want you to know that I think I know how you're feeling.
:hug
^_^:
The No Cry Sleep Solution book deals with switching from nursing to sleep to getting to sleep other ways. (But I read it and am still nursing to sleep. :o I was able to stop the chewing, though. I totally get why you don't want to do this anymore!)
What is your bedtime routine? Do you do the same things each night? Does your baby have a "lovey" toy that she takes to bed with her? Do you give a bath, change into pajamas, sing a lullabye, say prayers? Do you have a nighttime story book?
It's important to have something you do the same way or almost the same way, each night. Then she knows she is going to sleep, and even if she's a little uncomfortable to start out, she will trust you that she will really be able to mellow out. Even without nursing, is the thing!
More Topical: