My 14 month old just sucks…

[TwoGirlsAndOneDog]

… and sucks and sucks. I love her to bits and she obviously loves my boobs to bits too! She was EBF until 6 months when we started weaning and most of her milk has been BF since. Whilst she will take a bottle or cup of cows/oat/pumped milk if I’m not there and has managed with me being away for work for 3 nights, she often won’t let go of me (sometimes biting to stay on!) when I am there. I’m almost certain that she’s not feeding the whole time and is hanging on for comfort. And I want to give that to her, I really do, but sometimes I just can’t be a human dummy! She still feeds once or twice a night too and it can be really hard to get her to finish then too. She’s small (17th centile) but always has been (so no worries from HV) and she eats shedloads. She’s very active and has been crawling since 6 months and walking since 10 months so I know she’s burning calories and I just don’t know how to sustain it. Do I give up on BF (it will be traumatic given her attachment!) or is there something/anything else I can do?

You just stop. It might be upsetting but it's not going to be traumatic, every single breastfed child goes through it.

You are entitled to want your body and your time back.

To add - my son was exactly like your daughter. We bed shared as well, and by 14 months I was back at work full time and exhausted because he just hung onto me like a dummy meaning I never got any meaningful sleep.

I took a week off work, weaned him off the boob and got him sleeping in his own room in a cot. Drastic, but I'm SO glad I did it.

To put your mind at rest, he's 12 now and pulls a face at the mere mention of breastfeeding so while he didn't like it at the time, he's fine now!

That would do my fruitin, you need your bodily autonomy back. I would just stop, he will get over it they all do.

She's too old for this now. Just go cold turkey you arnt a dummy

Do you want to stop completely or just get it to a more manageable level OP?

You can’t be a human dummy. It sounds like it’s time to move her on to other methods of comfort to allow you some rest.
You’ve done a great job breastfeeding. I did 9 months and 14 months with mine. Don’t feel guilty for a second.

Ideally, get it it to a more manageable level. Fed my eldest until she was 18 months so a tiny bit of it is wanting them to have the same. But also knowing long term benefits of extended BF etc.

Too old for BF?!

I know what point you’re making but it really wasn’t traumatic with my eldest. Fed until she was 18 months old, but had dropped naturally to one bedtime and one morning feed. I then went away for one night, she had milk in a cup and didn’t ask for boob again. So, no upset/trauma. My youngest has a meltdown if I try not to give milk when she wants it and is stubborn so would last literally hours if I let it.