6 month old doesn't want to let go of breast

[BumblebeeQueen]

My 6 month old ds has been exclusively bf up to now (we're just starting weaning). All has been going well, we've had no bf problems at all.

For the last couple of weeks or so, though, I've noticed that he doesn't want to let go of my breast, even if he's finished actually drinking. This only happens in the evening / at night, not during the day, so I'm guessing it's more to do with comfort rather than the need for food. Sometimes it takes an hour to "feed" him in the evenings, and when he wakes at night I usually bring him into our bed to feed, which he does on and off for a couple of hours (I usually doze!). If I try and take him off the breast he gets very upset and insists on taking it back!He's also now stopped sleeping through the night (he was going from 6.30pm until about 5am).

I just want some reassurance that this is all normal and probably to do with weaning / growth spurt and that I will get my boobs back eventually!!

sorry no experience, but does he have a dummy?
My ds sometimes finishes feeding but still wants to suck.

We're pretty similar. My baby is nearly 6 months and just starting on solids but the solids are definitely in addition to bf. She seems to have a more voracious appetite than ever and I am feeding her loads. Although she doesn't wake at night until 4am and then is usually in our bed from then on, feeding again at 6am and 7am, then solids at 8am, bf again at 9am followed by an hour's nap and bf again at 10am.

The afternoons are a bit easier as she doesn't seem to need feeding quite so regularly but her last feed in the evening goes on forever.

I thought a dummy might help but he won't have it, just spits it out with an "ugh, what's that supposed to be?" expression on his face
It's not the frequency of the feeds, which I understand is a varying thing, so much as the astonishing length of time that he's on there for, and he's not actually drinking for most of that. I guess it must just be very comforting to fall asleep with a nipple in your mouth!

sorry to keep going on about the dummy but they do naturally spit it out, you have to hold it in gently for a few seconds till they start sucking.
OTOH if you've got to 6 months without one you probably don't want to start now!

We did try a dummy when he was younger as it seemed to me he would have enjoyed just having something to suck on, but now at 6 months he's having none of it, and I don't really want to force him into it.
Just as a matter of interest, how long do yours bf for? We've always been a bit on the slow side (40 mins was standard - I've been able to do a hell of a lot of reading whilst bfing!), but really it's getting to well over an hour now.

He's 21 weeks and now feeds for anywhere between 10 mins and about 25 or 30 I think.
I don't really pay attention unless I need to go somewhere but I never feel as though it's been ages iyswim.
So do you think they feed longer when they get older as they take longer to fill?

Well, I'm really hoping this is just a stage he's going through! During the day he gets so distracted that unless I take him off into a quiet room he only takes about 10mins to feed (but then isn't really getting enough). But come the evening, he's happily on there for AT LEAST an hour, and at night he's practically asleep on there.

He just seems to be very attached to my boobs !

I just had to do well over an hour's feed at lunchtime (only just eating myself now). She wouldn't be prised off although she looked fast asleep. I'm sure there is nothing to worry about.

Went on holiday a couple of weeks ago and she barely fed at all during the day (a few minutes here and there) but was on the boob basically all night long.

It seems to go in phases, but I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. We'll get our boobs back eventually.