How did weaning affect bedtime?

[hurricanerek]

I feel like I need help with this. C has always been nursed and cuddled right before bed. We still have this as part of our routine, but my milk dried up this week. She's still dry nursing but she's not going down for naps as well as she used to. I'm beginning to think that maybe she's missing that bit of breastmilk in her tummy to help her go to sleep?

Did anyone else experience something like this? How did you overcome it?

[isolemnlyswear]

C will drink a cup of milk while we are reading bedtime stories. So we do pjs, milk, and stories. Then she brushes her teeth and gets into bed for prayers and her song.

[liziz]

We have slowly been replacing evening nursing with books and snuggling. We would do a cup of milk if DD liked that.

For quite some time, the routine has been (bath) nursing, diaper/pjs/sleepsack, "Daddy Read Books", and then she goes in her crib. We're weaning the nighttime session right now, so as it's getting shorter and shorter I've been reading one longer picture book, and just snuggling and talking and singing for the time where we would have nursed before. We'll see how it goes tonight with no milk (usually that only happens when I'm out of the house). When I told her that there was no milk before bed tomorrow night, she started in with a huge fake cry.

[hurricanerek]

May 9, 2016 10:56:03 GMT -5 @zerozeroone said:

If she's a good eater I'm guessing maybe she's not hungry. DS doesn't have anything after dinner and sleeps through the night fine but he's a good eater. Maybe it's the change in routine that has her off?

If it were me I think I would try to establish a routine that includes lots of cuddles and hopefully after a few days she will start to get used to it. For us we read, then he likes to be held like a baby for a few minutes, and then I sing to him and put him in the crib.

I think you are right; it's more the change in routine than anything else. Today before nap, I let her pick out an animal to bring into bed with her and she didn't fight going down. I like the idea of singing a song while putting her in the crib. I think she may respond well to that!

The good news is, my colostrum should come in within a month or two, and then she can have her milk back :-)

[jnnfrrose6]

It's been awhile for us, but I agree it's more the change in routine that's the issue. DD gets a cup of milk with dinner and she hangs on to it until bedtime. Just decide on your new routine and stick with it. After a few days she'll get the hang of it.

[honeybee434]

May 9, 2016 8:13:38 GMT -5 isolemnlyswear said:

C will drink a cup of milk while we are reading bedtime stories. So we do pjs, milk, and stories. Then she brushes her teeth and gets into bed for prayers and her song.

This is what we do. As soon as she put her pj's on she asks for her milk and runs to the kitchen for her cup. We usually have 10-20 minutes between pj's and books, and she gets to hang on to her cup until we brush her teeth.

[gingergrant]

I'm glad to see that there is another nurser still out there. We are still nursing but I would like to stop so that SO and I can get working on number 2. I'm afraid to stop though because LO always nurses to sleep and it still works wonders to calm him down when he's upset.

[hurricanerek]

May 23, 2016 19:50:22 GMT -5 gingergrant said:

I'm glad to see that there is another nurser still out there. We are still nursing but I would like to stop so that SO and I can get working on number 2. I'm afraid to stop though because LO always nurses to sleep and it still works wonders to calm him down when he's upset.

There are a few of us still! liziz, soon2bmrsn, and I think Leapinglizards are still going. My fears are similar because nursing to sleep has always been a huge comfort. Are you still waiting for your pp AF? I've been able to nurse this entire pregnancy so far and the supply drop has definitely helped reduce the amount of nursing sessions. Of course, I think my colostrum has returned already so DD is enjoying that new delight.

[liziz]

May 24, 2016 7:53:42 GMT -5 hurricanerek said:

May 23, 2016 19:50:22 GMT -5 gingergrant said:

I'm glad to see that there is another nurser still out there. We are still nursing but I would like to stop so that SO and I can get working on number 2. I'm afraid to stop though because LO always nurses to sleep and it still works wonders to calm him down when he's upset.

There are a few of us still! liziz , soon2bmrsn , and I think Leapinglizards are still going. My fears are similar because nursing to sleep has always been a huge comfort. Are you still waiting for your pp AF? I've been able to nurse this entire pregnancy so far and the supply drop has definitely helped reduce the amount of nursing sessions. Of course, I think my colostrum has returned already so DD is enjoying that new delight.

Yep (and there's a good extended breastfeeding check in on Thursdays on the Breastfeeding board). I'm here for now, down to only once/day (mornings) but working on weaning before her bday.

ETA: it relieved a lot of my anxiety about weaning when we stopped nursing to sleep right after her first bday.

[gingergrant]

I just had my first pp af two weeks ago, so we got right down to trying for number two for reals. We'll see how that goes! DS still nurses a lot but I think I will cut him off just after his second birthday.