It happened tonight.....

[foxytocin]

DD1, who will be 4 in exactly 13 days has gone to sleep tonight without asking to be fed.

TBH i have been gently encouraging her in the last week and a half that she doesn't really need to feed before bedtime anymore and has more often than not, not fed.

But tonight, very sweetly she cuddled her 'dog' and settled to sleep.

Now what do I do with aching boobs? Will chocolate take my mind off them?

I'd go with a glass of red wine... Well done you!

May I suggest two ibuprofen for the swelling and pain and I big bloody well done to you for graduating the 'optimum child nurturing programme'

oh thanks. feeling a little emotional now.

wmmc, I am tandem feeding like you too btw. i have a 27 weeker on board too.

Oh, big well done, and little un MNy ((Hug)).
I was gutted when DD1 went on strike at 13 months when I was pregnant and I couldn't convince her otherwise.

Oh gawd, I do feel for you. It's so hard isn't it? I'm both sad and delighted to think that DD might want to wean soon.

I am desperate for her to! But she just says 'I want to be a baby' etc. She's only two and a half though.

Mind you, DS is now only five pounds less than her (at eight months) so obviously I'm making a lot of milk (which DD says tastes like 'chocolate and ice cream').

It'd be lovely to have 'finished' feeding DD. It sounds awful but it's just yet another thing that I know I have to do and I'm just so worn out with being a constant feeding machine

I think anyone who tandem feeds is fantastic, I am knackered just feeding the one.

A huge well done and pat on the back for you, think of all those wonderful antibodies she has had in the last 4 years.

wow! Now please just share the secret with the rest of us .

(another tandem feeder here - I enjoy it but it is tiring and I am ready whenever DS1 decides to wean)

WMMC - I tandem fed for about 2 years, DD1 was 2.3 when DD2 was born. It can be v hard indeed. I got touched out sometimes but in retrospect I am very glad I did it.

DD weaned at about 4, with encouragement but still mentions it and did have another go a few weeks after weaning. She had lost the knack though and was quite sad about it.

She was musing on it recently and mentioned that the best thing about "milkies" was that they were alwyas the perfect temp, not like cow milk which is either too hot or too cold .

Hurrah for FOxytocin's weaned DD!

I must admit though dd2 is now 2.7 and I am quite ready for her to wean . NOt sure we will manage to go on for as long this time.

foxy and metatron - can I ask how you went about offering "encouragement"?

I am thinking I would like to "encourage" DS1 a bit as well but not really sure what to say and how to make it positive iyswim?

hey wait! I honestly don't think she's weaned. just having fewer feeds. yhis child may be awake st 2 am and ask for a feed and i will put money on it that she'll ask by 7am.

she lloooves her milk. seeing she has pretty bad eczema and allergies to dairy and egg, how can i say 'no' for long. i am just celebrating this tiny, sort of bitter sweet step of hers. all happening without tears from either of us.

'encouragement' has been to find a little something currently in her life that you can make a part of an on going dialogue - not just at bed time. it has been her birthday coming up - haw she is a biggish girl unlike her baby sister, and when she is pretending to ignore me i remind her that maybe tonight she may not think it is cute if mummy pretends she can't hear her. but also tickling her to keep this 'threat' non-threatening.

oh, my hat is offto anyone who can tandem feed 2 under say, 30 months. in fact, hats off to all mummies of 2 under 3s. yhat would drive me round the bend. i know my limits.

don't worry - I wasn't imagining you were all done and dusted

but it is a big milestone and well done to both of you.

um,

Night weaning happened first, then again and finally made it stick!

I think she v rarely had a daytime feed after about 2.6 ish. She had been pretty much night and morning before dd2 was born but then it all went tits up for a while before I was comfortable putting restrictions in place.

I started by not feeding her to sleep at night ( I know I know!) and getting her to hop into bed to settle off. We then introduced Daddy doing a bedtime story before bedtime feed then eventually she started dropping off without it.

Morning was easier, I just started being up before her coming through or getting up sharpish. I never refused though if she got upset and distraction didn't work.

Eventually we just talked about how people do stop having BM and she thought she would stop at 4. We then bought her a weaning gift (gold ring for big girls) and after a couple of false starts that was it. Bittersweet though. I suspect it is easier to wean if you don't have another one feeding.

OMG: Metatron, i just realised because of you post that today was the first day she didn't have a morning or an evening feed either. i got out of bed before her. it is the first time she's gone more than 24 hrs without her milk. shock.

NO feeds at ALL today? That is a weird day.

Aw foxy! You rock!

ah chippers, do you mean i [am] a rock or i rock [like shakira] [hopeful]

"It'd be lovely to have 'finished' feeding DD. It sounds awful but it's just yet another thing that I know I have to do and I'm just so worn out with being a constant feeding machine"

yes but wmmc even if you don't feel like it, you are her star - The light of her life.

Congratulations Foxy

Gentle and gradual is the best way ime. DD weaned recently but at only 2.4yrs. I can't imagine how strange it must be at nearly 4yrs.

Eat more chocolate and feed DC2 a bit more

Foxy - thanks. I think it's the staying up all night with DS which tires me out more than feeding DD at most twice a day!

Why don't you take your DD out today for a 'big girl picnic' (with lots of chocolate for mummy too)?