Breastfeeding a toddler

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  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    My daughter self-weaned so I don't have direct experience. But I remember that when I was first going back to work and she needed to learn to take a bottle I had to leave the room or house for her to take one. If I was around she would refuse. Could somebody else in your household give him a drink (milk or something else. I'm not sure what toddlers drink if they don't drink milk and don't want water.)
  • RBracken34
    RBracken34 Posts: 90 Member
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    My son self-weaned at 42 months. I personally felt that tantrums (for him) was a sign that he wasn't ready. Extended nursing had benefits beyond antibodies for us... opportunities for discipline and helping him calm down during temper tantrums. I know it's not for everyone. Just trust your gut and know you'll do the right thing for you both. Honestly, whether or not to wean and how to wean is so intensely personal.
  • Pinkranger626
    Pinkranger626 Posts: 460 Member
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    I remember reading somewhere that women need to maintain a higher level of body fat in order to produce breast milk, so maybe you're at your ideal body fat to keep producing milk. From what i've heard, once women stop breastfeeding their weight loss will all of a sudden start up again. I don't have any kids so I haven't done a huge amount of research into it myself, but that study i read popped into my head when I read your post. I don't remember where I saw it though, so you can take it with a grain of salt
  • SparklySarah412
    SparklySarah412 Posts: 74 Member
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    At 14 months it wouldn't be the end of the world if he didn't want to drink milk as long as he gets a good balanced diet with plenty of calcium from other sources. My son is 14 months now and only has a small beaker of milk twice a day. I weaned him at 11 months and he took the change fine. However I'd say it'll be the nursing for comfort part that you may have the most difficulty with and I don't have any advice about that because my boy was never much of a comfort nurser.

    I always struggled with weight loss whilst breastfeeding too. I think it's as one of the PPs have said, you tend to crave more when you're breastfeeding. Possibly a bit of a hormonal thing too. I lost virtually nothing the whole 11 months I was breastfeeding, but about a month after I weaned him it suddenly started shifting and I lost 10lbs in about 6 weeks.

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