Breastfeeding aversion I am 28 and a half weeks pregnant and I am still nursing my 2.5 year old 3…
Breastfeeding aversion
I am 28 and a half weeks pregnant and I am still nursing my 2.5 year old 3 timed a day. I have always loved breastfeeding, but lately it has become almost unbearable to me! I have been getting so irritated/angry/anxious while she nurses and I hate it! It makes me feel so bad because I get snippy and impatient with her while she's nursing even though she isn't doing anything wrong. Is anyone else going through something similar? I'm wondering if this means it's time to wean. I always wanted to wean her whenever she decided she was ready, but I didn't anticipate feeling this way; it makes my skin crawl lately. This weekend I'm going on a women's retreat with my church and it will be the first time that I've been away from her for even one night. I'll be gone all weekend, so she obviously won't be able to nurse the whole time. It seems like if I were going to try to wean her, now would be the time. I just feel so torn about it. She loves nursing and I don't want to feel like I'm taking something away from her that she loves. Especially since her whole world is about to change when the new baby comes ): Ugh, I don't know what to do.
deleted-user·
I weaned my first when she was 22months, so not quite as long as you, but at around 6months preggo with #2. Similarly, I was starting to hate it. She wouldn't nap or go to bed without it though & I didn't want to destroy that attachment with a new baby on the way. But, she got the flu & went on a nursing/food strike for a few days. I didn't pump & in those 48hrs completely stopped production. And, she didn't even notice when we cuddled instead of nursed to bed on the 3rd night. In retrospect I think weaning was much harder on me than her & our bond was not at all broken.
crunchytxmomma88_bb·
That is soooo reassuring to hear, I'm relieved to know that I'm not the only one who has felt this way! I am so afraid of our bond getting weakened if we wean, especially if she isn't ready. Thinking about weaning makes me so sad, but maybe my body is telling me that it's time. I have heard about nursing aversion before, when one of my best friends went through it while pregnant with her second. I honestly never thought it would happen to me, but here I am!
deleted-user·
I think you are also faced with the decision whether you are going to tandem, and I knew I did not want to. Having a bit of time between weaning & nursing the new baby also allowed her to adjust without it being taken away & given to someone else. She did ask to nurse a few times after the baby arrived (I think out of curiosity) and instead of letting her latch I allowed pumped milk in a sippy. It happened only a handful of times. I also sewed her a tiny nursing cover & she would nurse her baby the same time I would. It was a pretty sweet experience in the end.
crunchytxmomma88_bb·
Aww, that is so sweet (: I never really had a plan as far as tandem nursing went. I was never opposed to it, but if these feelings toward nursing don't change I will definitely have to wean her before the new baby gets here. I was really hoping that she would decide to wean on her own so I didn't feel like I was forcing it to happen.
deleted-user·
I weaned my son at 15months, 3 months into my pregnancy not because I wanted to but I was starting to get irritable whenever I breastfed him. I had been planning on weaning him at 2years but when I found out I was pregnant with baby number 2 I felt like I needed a mental and physical break between breastfeeding both babies. It was a heartbreaking decision and it took me over two weeks to realise I'd made a good decision but now I'm happy I went through with it. My son got over it within a month which surprised me because he seemed to take it a lot better than me. If you decide to go through with it, I wish you all the best and hope you feel better afterwards.
crunchytxmomma88_bb·
Thank you so much for your kind words and for sharing your story!