Dd (8 months) still constantly breastfeeds

[BornToBeAPrincess]

My 8 month old Dd2 wants breastfeeding every 2 hours day and night with the exception of when I?m at work. I?m pretty sure its for comfort rather than hunger.
She gets up at 6:30 after been fed at least every 2 hours throughout the night and has 3 feeds in the morning before I take her to nursery at 8am. At nursery she eats some solids but takes very little liquid and no formula/ebm at all. Quite often I am feeding her on the way into nursery too.
I pick her up at 2:45 and she immediately wants feeding which I do on the way out to the car.
I offer solid food at home but she takes very little and again refuses most drinks offered.

I know this is all my own fault for using breastfeeding whenever she is hungry, tired, upset, poorly etc. But I really need to break this habit.
I work in a physically demanding job, am doing an open university course (most of which is done with a baby attached to my boob), looking after a 3 year old and doing all the housework as my partner works long hours.
To top it off I?m pregnant (about 8/9 weeks) and the lack of sleep is starting to affect me at work.

I?d rather not stop breastfeeding just yet but I?m not sure how to break the habit and cut down. When she screams its just so easy to give her what she wants than to consider the alternatives.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for listening, no one in real life seems to understand.

[MissGolightly]

Oh god poor you. DS also fed every 2 hours day and night so I well know how demanding it can be. He didn't start significantly cutting down his feeds until about 9 months (which was also when he got interested in solids) and didn't sleep through until 11 months. He still doesn't drink much water but I don't worry as he has plenty of wet nappies and doesn't seem dehydrated.

I did consciously cut down during the day - I started cutting down around 8 months, at first by making sure I didn't breast-feed him until after a solids meal, by about 10 months I had got it down to a feed in the morning, feed after lunch before nap, and feed in the evening before bed, plus one in the night. For some reason, cutting down in the day seemed to co-incide with DS starting to sleep through.

If you can, send your partner in during the night as she may go down for him without a feed.

Good luck.

[MissGolightly]

Oh and I should have said in my original message that IMO 8 months is still quite young, she is probably still getting used to solids and probably still needs quite a lot of milk for nutrition. You might find that she naturally cuts down as she gets more into solids.

[BornToBeAPrincess]

Thanks for your reply. Its good to hear I'm not on my own!
She also sleeps in our bed although she starts off in the cot and if she starts crying I just do anything to calm her down.
I'll try and get him to have a go on Saturday night while I sleep on the sofa!

I'd do anything to have an unbroken nights sleep!

[MissGolightly]

I wish I had the answer! I almost cried with relief the first night DS slept through - I had forgotten what it felt like NOT to be tired. To be totally honest, I don't think it was anything I did that caused him to sleep through. I think he was just big enough and tired enough to want to. It happened after he started crawling and I think he was just so much more physically knackered.

He still wakes occasionally, but I am more strict about sending DP in first. If he really won't go down for DP then I get the big guns out but it's a last resort now, rather than first.

[BornToBeAPrincess]

Thanks, I need to get past the idea that breastmilk solves everything and try other things first.
I'm glad your ds sleeps through now, there is light at the end of the tunnel

[BornToBeAPrincess]

Totally agree!
Dd1 is 3 and if I ask her to do something she doesn't want to she gets her doll and says 'not now mummy, I'm breastfeeding'

[nappyaddict]

it could take up to 12 months for them to be interested in food. its not always a breastfeeding thing. ds is 10 months and on formula now and he still prefers milk to foods. i always offer solids but if he doesnt want them then he has milk instead.

btw borntobearpincess, i am organising a meet up you might be interested in here