Limited breastfeeding
Aug. 22nd, 2011 09:23 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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plan_surviveMy son is 19 months old and still breastfeeds a lot, anything up to 20 times in 24 hours, most commonly 8–12 times. And this is now too much for me. I don't want to finish weaning him, but I want to reduce feeding. And I want feeds to so often stop ending in one of us howling, either him because I was firm and didn't let him have an hour long on-and-off welcome-to-the-new-day feed, or me because he's dry-nursing and I feel like my skin is being flipped inside out and gently and horribly tickled. It's almost impossible to avoid shouting when I feel like that, because I'm just barely suppressing an urge to push him away and run instead.
He's eating relatively well, and we use daycare 3 days a week (soon, unfortunately, 4, while I finish my PhD, 4 is past my personal desire to be apart from him) so he's also used to extended periods without nursing, just not with me around as well.
So, specific question: what kind of favourite thing did your toddler take to after breastfeeding, be it toy or activity or game? Because nursing is for sure his favourite thing: it comforts him, amuses him, and gives him something to do when bored or shy. I don't mind at all nursing after a fall or hurt, or in fact for reunions and bonding. But I do mind boredom nursing a lot and the shyness thing (he's about middle of the road for a child his age I think, so shy-ish) is leading to a lot of public nursing requests. Again not totally averse, but I could have lived without being "that woman who gave the keynote address and had that perma-attached baby" at the tech conference on the weekend, frankly.
He does of course like other things, but unfortunately the two other activities he adores are bathtime and playgrounds. I don't want to transition him to 8–12 baths or playground visits a day, so it would be nice to find or help him find a substitute that's a little less energy intensive for me.
He's eating relatively well, and we use daycare 3 days a week (soon, unfortunately, 4, while I finish my PhD, 4 is past my personal desire to be apart from him) so he's also used to extended periods without nursing, just not with me around as well.
So, specific question: what kind of favourite thing did your toddler take to after breastfeeding, be it toy or activity or game? Because nursing is for sure his favourite thing: it comforts him, amuses him, and gives him something to do when bored or shy. I don't mind at all nursing after a fall or hurt, or in fact for reunions and bonding. But I do mind boredom nursing a lot and the shyness thing (he's about middle of the road for a child his age I think, so shy-ish) is leading to a lot of public nursing requests. Again not totally averse, but I could have lived without being "that woman who gave the keynote address and had that perma-attached baby" at the tech conference on the weekend, frankly.
He does of course like other things, but unfortunately the two other activities he adores are bathtime and playgrounds. I don't want to transition him to 8–12 baths or playground visits a day, so it would be nice to find or help him find a substitute that's a little less energy intensive for me.
