Persistent dry nursing - toddler

[minties]

Over the last few months, Emma has been drastically reducing her nursing frequency and length. It is to the point now where no matter what I try, she just briefly dry nurses then gives up and runs off.

This would be fine, but her latch sucks! It's never been super great, but now it gets painful and she doesn't try hard to latch on right. She's also still trying to nurse at night and even though there is no letdown, she keeps at it.

My left side is pretty dried up and just has a few drops of salty milk (she says eewww so I tried it haha!). The right has more normal taste and consistency but not even to get a drink and she won't stay on long enough anyway. She just flutter sucks and cuddles in for comfort.

This is the further eat I've made it with breastfeeding, but I don't feel like I AM feeding so feel like a phoney! Ideally I'd either like to wean her, or actually get her to nurse and get something out.

Has anyone else had a similar experience, what did you end up doing?

 

[_Meep_]

My oldest did this when I was pregnant with her sister and my milk dried up. I let her try when she wanted and eventually she just stopped bothering. I think that's all you can do really - as she already seems to be weaning herself and it's quite a gradual process, she'll just stop for good in the end.

Mine did go back to breastfeeding in the end when the colostrum came, though she didn't like it and said it tasted 'too salty and sour'!

When the mature milk came in, she was delighted and has been nursing once a day ever since. Ideally, I'd like her to stop as unfortunately makes me feel sick since I had the baby, but I can't bring myself to reject her advances!

I think if you stick it out, she will probably get bored eventually. If you try to take control of the issue, you always run the risk of increasing the behaviour, as they hate feeling like they are not in control!?

 

[BunnyN]

Toddlers often get lazy with their latch. You can train them to have a good latch again but it might be a bit late seeing as she isn't very serious about feeding anymore. You could try telling her to open her mouth wide while she latches.

If you want to work toward weaning maybe just don't offer and when she is likely to feed try and distract her. Eventually the less she feeds the less she will ask. Or you can go with the cold turkey approach and say mummy doesn't have any milk left. She will cry some but you will likely be done in two days. When I was pregnant I carried on feeding DD but night weaned because I couldn't cope with it. OH got up in the night with her instead for a while and offered her water.