My second nursling is two-and-a-half now and I’m surprised to find myself with a bit of breastfeeding burnout. I happily nursed my first through this age, but I’m having a harder time this go around.
What’s the difference this time? For one, I’ve been nursing for a lot longer than just the two and a half years. It’s been five years total now and as much as I have been an avid supporter of breastfeeding, it’s not surprising I’m having these feelings. Plus, my second nursling never nursed as frequently (or voraciously LOL) as my first, so my supply is not what it used to be, and nursing has started to become uncomfortable. Add to that the fact that to get more milk my daughter likes to switch sides frequently, and I’m starting to find myself resisting nursing.
I suspect this happens to most nursing mothers at some point–no matter the age of the nursling. At any rate, the burnout marks a turning point, and I can either (a) work through it with renewed resolve, (b) begin weaning in earnest, or (c) find some middle ground. Time for me to break out my copy of How Weaning Happens
my son is 15 months old and he is breastfeeding about 3 times a day and I am ready to wean him off completely. He only had breast milk for 12 months and now drinks cow milk some of the time okay in a cup. I don’t know how to wean him and he gets very frustrated and agitated if i don’t breastfeeding and I have loved the experience and I hate seeing his frustration and is so easy to just breastfeed him that I do that. Any suggestions.
[...] for your thoughtful comments on my breastfeeding burnout. I took what was written to heart and instituted the following [...]
Angela, I agree that a lot of nursing mothers hit that wall; I always called it “being touched out.” For me, it always led to a thoughtful examination of what was really going on – was it physical discomfort, did I need to set a limit of some kind, were we just having a bad week, etc. I think it’s important for women to recognize and honor their own feelings in the breastfeeding relationship, particularly when you’re talking about extended nursing. So many moms will tell me they feel guilty about wanting to set limits with their nursing toddlers, but it doesn’t do either of them any good to have mum seething with resentment!
Angela, thanks for being so honest. I’m not feeling burnout yet at 9 months, but there are times when I feel suddenly very anxious while nursing. Like, the baby needs to pop off NOW– and I need some personal space. I usually take some deep breaths and get through it, or wiggle around enough that she soon lets go on her own. These little bouts of claustrophobia don’t happen very often, but really shake me when they do!
Ha! I’m having the same side switching situation with my almost-23 month old. He likes to announce “wish sides” and lately he wants to switch 5-6 times during a nursing session. Any attempts at weaning that I have introduced have been met with strong resistance. I figure, If he feels this strongly about it and it doesn’t bother me, then why turn it into a power struggle? I would hate for him to ever associate nursing with hurt feelings or rejection. Then again, I’m not quite burned out yet, as he is my first baby.
I’m actually thinking of bringing this up at my next LLL meeting…
When I experienced the Breastfeeding Burnout I was newly pregnant with my second daughter. I found a solution that worked great for us: I gently night weaned my daughter (she was 15 months old) and I taught her that sometimes she will have to wait until after I’ve had my coffee and read the paper before I will nurse her. She ended up happily agreeing to these compromises and nursed for another five months before she fully self weaned. Good luck!