15 month old feeding CONSTANTLY help before I go mad

[KiwiPanda]

Hello

My 15 month old just wants to nurse CONSTANTLY. She's distractable in the sense that if I put her in the pushchair and go for a walk, she won't scream for it unless it's been a reasonably long time or she's hungry (fair enough) but if we are at home/ on a seat/ she can SEE me she just wants to be surgically attached to me. At nursery she's absolutely fine so I'm sure it's not a hunger issue, but I just wondered if anyone knew if this is a known phase? If there is anything I can do other than ride it out?

We just went away for a weekend and she nursed SO much that I am now really sore, which I never was when she was a newborn. She never fed that much then!

Just after some top tips and support I guess.

Hi Kiwi

Just responded to you on another thread but wanted to offer support here too.

My 14mo has recently had phases that sound similar to your DD but perhaps not so prolonged. Looking back I think it was linked to illness/teething/me going back to work but I can't be sure. She still has 24-48hr periods of wanting to constantly nurse too.

Has anything changed in her routine at all that could be making her want to have this closeness to you - I'm thinking is it since she started at nursery or have you stopped co sleeping or something? Just ideas...

I am trying to wean at the moment and reading advice on that has made me realise that the boundaries with my DD have become blurred.

What I mean is that I sometimes am happy to let her use bf as a comfort and other times am not which must be hard for her to understand.I am totally in favour of useing bf to its full advantage which includes feeding to sleep/settle/calm etc its just I am realising that having done that it is now quite hard to go back and re-establish some boundaries and to begin weaning gently.

Sorry, didn't mean to go on about me! What I meant to say is good luck and I hope the situation improves.

Thanks gruffalomum! Sympathy much appreciated. I think you are right - although this constant feeding did start before I went back to work, now that I think about it it's probably intensified since then and is definitely worse when she's teething or ill. She's still only got 3 teeth so for all I know there are lots coming through/moving now and she might be in a lot of discomfort.

It's funny, I realised reading your post that I do tend not to be able to think of it from her point of view. Why wouldn't she feed all the time when I let her - how would she know the difference between an "oh god just stop screaming!!" feed and an "Oo I fancy putting my feet up for 5 minutes" feed...! For some reason I have got into the habit of imposing quite adult though-processes on her and forgetting that at 15 months a lot of life is strange and incomprehensible and Mummy Milk is clearly the solution to all ills ...

Hope you had a better night Kiwi and your DD backed off a bit to let you heal up?

There definitely could be something in it with the teething etc I think. For what its worth my DD went through a big feeding phase when she learnt to walk - maybe it helps them process the developmental stuff. Who knows.

After I posted to you yesterday I realised how much I have been giving mixed signals about feeding - not saying you are doing this at all but I definitely have - like offering milk before I go to work so she will last without it etc which is I realise unecessary!!

I managed only to feed twice yesterday first and last thing (with a tiny go to sleep feed at 4am ) and have so far managed the same today - just the one feed so far...

Its been quite easy as I have mostly been at work which I know is cheating, the real test will be tomorrow. I have just been really firm with distraction and explaining that DD is a big girl now so only has mummy milk in the morning and at bedtime. She isn't happy about it but is seeming to handle it better this time around as I am not making a big fuss and am trying hard to act like its all fine and hunky dory. I don't mean that to sound smug at all, just that there might be light at the end of the tunnel for you too.

Will have to see how it goes I guess. I have only managed it this week as have had a couple of good nights, have just been too shattered to consider it upto now.

Anyway good luck, will be thinking of you!