My daughter just turned 1 yr last week and I decided along time ago that I was going to stop feeding at one year, but I am REALLY having a hard time with it,even though I weaned her VERY slowly up to this point taking away one feeding every 3-4 weeks at a time. It has been 3 nights and I have cried everyday and everynight, not crying but balling!! I think the hardest thing is that she is dealing with it like it is no big deal and she is a mama's girl. The only reason that I am quiting is I feel like it is time for me to be a wife. The past 4 yrs I have either been pregnant or breastfeeding and I feel for my husband I know he wants me back so we can go on dates again and our kids can stay with grandma. Has anyone else gone through this? It is so bad I go into her room at night and poke at her hoping to wake her up so that I can feed her. Help me!!!!!!!!
I wanted to tell everyone I went back to feeding at night, I couldn't take it anymore. I did wean VERY slowly though. I took away one feeding about every 3-4 weeks or so that I could get used to it and she could get used to it she only got used to it and I couldn't. My husband is being wonderful and so patient so I will feed for maybe another month or two then see where I am with my feelings. Thank you all for all your input and support.
It sounds like you may have been weaning your daughter a bit too quickly. You could nurse her a couple times a day for a while and see how that goes. You should still be able to go out.
T.,
Don't worry, you are not alone. I was the same way with my 1st one. I weaned him cold turkey at 9 months because he was biting me and a few times it really hurt. I just couldn't take it anymore, but I cried when he was screaming for me and he wouldn't take a bottle of formula. I gave in finally after a long hard day of not feeding him, but after that one feeding my milk had dried up so I had no choice but to feed him formula after that. One year of breastfeeding is GREAT and you should not feel bad at all. There are other ways you can cuddle with your little one. I know how you feel about being a wife because I too have been pregnant or nursing for most of my marriage. I have bee married 5 1/2 years and my oldest just turned 5. I got pregnant the night we got engaged! Then we had another and then another. Right now I am finally starting to feel like a wife again. I have my sex drive back and I have lost almost all of the baby weight. I just weaned my youngest son at 8 months. If you honestly don't want to wean your daughter yet than don't. I felt ready to wean all 3 of my kids, I just felt bad with my 1st because he did not want formula at first and I had to struggle with getting him to take it. My second took the formula at 8 months no prob..while my 3rd gave me a bid of a hard time so I SLOWLY weaned him until he was totally happy taking the formula. Good Luck! Go with how you feel. I am sure your husband can wait a little longer, but if you FEEL that its time than DON"T feel bad! You did great for a whole YEAR! :)
When a mother is nursing, her body is producing a "love hormone" called oxytocin. Some women produce or are affected by it more than others. Your crying bouts may be less about your missing of the nursing experience and more about the sudden drop in oxytocin production in your body. It doesn't sound like you were quite ready to cut things off cold turkey.
T.,
I totally understand. I was going to stop with my youngest at 1yr but found it so difficult for me and him. I found myself wanting to nurse just as much as he wanted to. I basically wanted to stop for social reasons. I started just breast feeding him at night. This made me still feel connected yet if he missed a night, he was use to not having me also. I did finally stop when he was almost two. LOL I found this difficult to but knew it was time.
Good luck
R.
i tp had a real bad time when i stopped nursing my daughter that it took me in till she was over two year old because it made me so sad that i went on doing it for a while if you feal the need to keep feading your daughter go right a head you can still be a wife and do that maybe limit your feading till the morning then you can still go on date well good luck
I nursed one of my sons until he was two, and I understand what you mean. There is a sense of loss when you move on to another stage in their life. I have a 17 year old, 10 year old, and a 2 month old, and I know from experience that there are tears at every milestone: first tooth, braces, first kiss, and now (gulp) graduation from high school! But every stage is so beautiful that we shouldn't mourn the loss but embrace the gain of a new chapter in their lives! Here's a question: why can't you go out if the baby is still nursing? Is it because she needs the comfort to fall asleep?
