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[rebbyribs]

I'm so frustrated with nursing Neil that I almost don't want to breastfeed the next baby. (I will though, of course. Also, nursing newborns has been much easier for me than nursing toddlers.) He just screamed and screamed at me this morning - didn't want snuggling, didn't want a blueberry muffin, didn't want milk in a cup, didn't want to listen

Comments

[kryscat]

Your needs matter as well, especially since you're pregnant (though they certainly matter anyway! :). Additional stress and exhaustion while pregnant could be counted as "a pressing reason". Making it two years nursing twins is a pretty major accomplishment, and if it's causing you lots of extra stress and lost sleep to nurse them

[rebbyribs]

I did stop with Iris on her birthday (3), but she seemed able to understand what was going to happen and be okay with it. I don't think Neil is there yet.
I feel like I'd be okay with nursing Neil & Zinnia 2-3 x per day after the next baby arrives, assuming it's a singleton. (That would be a lot like what happened w/ Iris when N & Z were born.) But I'm not sure about breastfeeding 2 sets of twins. I guess this is going to get harder before it gets easier and that at some point I'm just going to need to bite the bullet.

[chimerically]

Wow, I didn't realize that the minimum recommendation these days was two years! (I haven't really read up on the subject generally, and from hearsay was under the impression that it was one year.) And I agree with Krys, not otherwise having much of an informed opinion on the matter. But thank you for posting -- I really appreciate how open you and other bab5 moms (and sometimes dads) have been about posting about the experience of parenthood.

[rebbyribs]

How long should a mother breastfeed?
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that breastfeeding continue for at least 12 months, and thereafter for as long as mother and baby desire. The World Health Organization recommends continued breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond.

In my experience, whenever anyone mentions weaning on an Internet forum, someone drags out the WHO standard of 2 years to point out that the mother hasn't yet fulfilled even the minimum requirement for nursing and that it's ridiculous to even consider abusing her precious baby by weaning so prematurely. In real life, everyone says that 1-year-olds are too big to nurse and that breastfeeding a toddler is disgusting. So really, you can't win.

[anemone]

Also, the WHO and the AAP are addressing different audiences--for much of the world, malnutrition can result when toddlers stop breastfeeding, but that's not a problem in the US

[jexia]

Finn's nursing sounds much like Zinnia. He responds really well to "Pop off- big mouth!" and generally improves his latch.

[rebbyribs]

Hmm - I've tried that a couple times and she'll pop off, open her mouth big and then go right back to how she was doing it before. I thought it might be something to do with the shape of her mouth changing as she gets older and gains teeth (just normal development - I'd had the same issue with Iris after 2 years).

[jexia]

P.S. I nursed Xander till he was 4, and I'm not pregnant, and I'm still thinking hard about booting the twins off the second they turn 2!

[rebbyribs]

:-) I figured you'd understand.

[rebbyribs]

Good luck! We're not nursing to sleep at nights, so that is already taken care of (although they do nurse a little before bed).

What did you do to day wean?