Need help with weaning 15 month old off my open wound... i mean breast!!!

[iamusuallybeingunreasonable]

Hi ladies

I need some advice, and I am hoping that someone, one of you, has the answer to all my problems!

My DD is 15 months old, and has been exclusively breastfed, I have been back at work full time since she was 6 months, and in all that time she has never once taken a bottle at nursery, she simply either goes without or has a bit of cow?s milk from a sippy cup. She feeds probably 2 times a day, most often it is a little bit when I get in from work at 7pm, then again at 11pm (when i get in bed ? we also co-sleep), sometimes she will want a bit in the night, sometimes a tiny bit at 7am ? but it is all minimal, and short feeds, not sure if it is more for comfort than anything else now, and I don?t mind...

...or I didn?t until i got 2 bouts of mastitis in a row, a blocked duct, then thrush, she cut her molars (mainly on me i think (feel!) and now I have a gaping big hole (open wound) on my areola, just where she latches on, getting continually rubbed by her teeth, and killing me, it?s not infected, but after 6 weeks of it, many courses of antibiotics, I have resolved that it will not clear up until we stop feeding. I am pretty hardcore in terms of pain barrier, but this is toe curling pain, and not sure how much longer I can go on with it. If it were not for the pain I would just continue to feed her until it ran its course and she gave up of her own accord.

She has never had a bottle, and I do not know where to begin in getting her off the breast/into her cot with the least upset to her, its really distressing her when I cry out in pain when she latches!

What I would really like to know is does she need milk at all now, and I know she is going to give me a run for my money where cow?s milk is concerned? I have always found breastfeeding to be a mystery, I have never known what she was getting/whether it was enough, I managed to put all these doubts to one side, she is growing, healthy, happy, but what age do they stop wanting milk altogether?

I would be really grateful for any advice you can give me x

God poor you! Sounds like you have done an amazing job with the BF so far. My DSs would never take bottles either. I BF till 12 and 18 months. DS1 weaned himself off at 12 months. No tantrums, just one or two days of looking for a boob, then he gave up bothering. He was already drinking water from a beaker by then and on plenty of proper food. DS2 was a bit more insistent. In the end, when he was just on a bed time feed, we went cold turkey. We had a couple of days of yelling about it but he soon got the message. I was hardly producing any milk by then so my boobs didn't hurt at all.
Can't really help you with the cot issue. Mine both slept in their own rooms from tiny.

Good luck and if you decide to stop the BF then make it a final decision and be firm. At such a young age your baby will very soon get the message.

Oh Marge that is reassuring, as I assume your boys were perfectly well without the milk at all at 12 and 18 months, I think I am just worrying too much, its pointless me pushing the cow's milk issue, if she doesnt want it, she doesnt want it - she is a bit of a fussy eater, and I guess this worries me too

Well they did have some cows milk, but also plenty of cheese, yoghurt etc. Apparently lots of greens are rich in calcium too. There are plenty of ways to get calcium into the diet without cows milk, allthough that is the most obvious. Both boys were and still are huge and healthy. Don't give up with the milk thing though. Just cos she doesn't think she likes it at 15 momths doesn't mean she will not love it at 18 months, when there's no boob alternative. Kids change their minds all the time about what they will and will not eat/ drink. DS2 was horrifically fussy as a baby /toddler, but I am a horrible mean Mum and I forced encouraged him to try everything. He is now 6 and eats a really healthy broad diet. including all the veg etc he hated when he was tiny