Beginning to hate breastfeeding

[AnneD]

Because the little bugger has started pulling on my nipples and chewing. It hurts. And she isold enough to know better. I'm not keen on all the pawing either. I think it's time to stop, I just don't know how.

 

[misspriss]

How old is babe?

When mine started biting I'd cry "OW!" and unlatch them, having to stop breastfeeding was enough to deter their behavior.

The pawing, on the other hand, still persists....DD is 24 months and she still paws, and she knows better.

 

[AnneD]

Nearly 4.5 (years). I don't know what's got into her. She's only been doing it the last couple of weeks. When I unlatch her she's very apologetic. Sometimes I can hear by the breathing that she's either falling or fallen asleep, and then she either clamps her teeth down, or bites down and pulls.

 

[misspriss]

Oh, that ia different! By now, it may just no longer be mutually desired. DS would do that too falling asleep.

 

[misspriss]

I thought it was just because I was pregnant, but he was probably doing it before. We switched from nursing to sleep, to nursing for 5-10 minutes, then unlatching and going to sleep without milk. This helped the sleep-biting and also trained him to sleep without milk for weaning.

 

[noon_child]

Ive heard this before about toddlers when falling asleep. I don't know if it is a reflex if letdown occurs to stop them choking when they are asleep but I've certainly heard it before.

 

[happynewmom1]

My 15 month old does this now. The only time she nurses is at night now so I have to really try to unlatch her before this happens. Usually I'm half asleep and then she clamps haha it reeeaaaalllyyy hurts.

 

[AnneD]

Ive heard this before about toddlers when falling asleep. I don't know if it is a reflex if letdown occurs to stop them choking when they are asleep but I've certainly heard it before.

I'm not sure if I'm still producing any milk at all. I've asked her but get random responses, so don't know really.

 

[Zephram]

Since breastfeeding is a mutual relationship, if you're not enjoying it any longer, it is okay to stop. At 4.5 your LO is old enough to have a sit down discussion about it and hopefully she'll be able to articulate whether she is still enjoying it or if there is any milk. It definitely could be that she's starting to self-wean.

My DS1 started biting me when I got pregnant with DS2 because my milk dried up so he got nothing out of it anymore. That was basically our impetus to stop as it stopped working for us as a unit.

 

[AnneD]

These last two days, the have been no problems at all.

Zephram, she has said on more than one occasion that she loves it and never wants to stop (ack), ever. She has also said that she isn't ready and can't go to sleep without it. As long as she stops biting and pulling, I don't mind, but I do feel sometimes that we should perhaps think about stopping. I don't offer and I tend to refuse in the middle of the night unless she is ill or really upset.