Weaning 2 year old while pregnant

[SylvanianFrenemies]

DD2 is nearly 2 and a half. I'd like to wean her from BF, not least because I'm 11 weeks pregnant and don't want to tandem feed. Plus, my nipples are agony.

She just loves BF so much, and still feeds to sleep every night. Any advice on how to make it as painless as possible? DD1 weaned overnight at the same age when I was ill, she just stopped. But I can't see DD2 giving in so easily.

If she’s feeding to sleep every night and you want to stop, is DH home? If so, get him to put her to bed with a beaker of milk and just go out for a few evenings. I did this with both of mine when I was ready to drop that feed and it worked for us.

In the daytime, only BF in one chair, then never sit it if you can help it. Some people have success with the don’t offer/don’t refuse technique too.

If you call one of the BFing Helplines a BFC should have sone more suggestions.

Congratulations on your PG too

I got pregnant when enthusiastically bfing DS was 2.5. Things that worked for me:

• don’t offer, don’t refuse
• suggest alternatives. Cuddles and milk from a cup or in my case growing my hair longer than I usually would so that he could stroke it (always found that super comforting)
• reduce time at the breast by feeding as long as a short nursery rhyme or counting until 10

With this, I kept on feeding 1-2 times a day until I was in my third trimester when the milk basically dried up. He then continued to dry feed or get the little that was left once every 3-4 days. When his DS2 was born, I let DS1 back on the breast when he asked. Interestingly, by that time he has forgotten how to do it a bit.

I had set out not wanting to tandem feed. But I could tell that it the early days, he needed it emotionally. DS2 is 3 months now, and DS 1 has a 10 sec feed every two weeks and then says: the milk is gone, because he can’t do it anymore basically.

Allowing him access to the breast has i think contributed to the fact that we have had literally no jealousy issues and that he is very, very sweet with his brother