Breastfeeding Burnout Update

Thanks for your thoughtful comments on my breastfeeding burnout. I took what was written to heart and instituted the following steps:

1. I night-weaned my 2.5-year old, again. A few months ago when she contracted rotavirus and started to get dehydrated, I nursed her unrestricted around the clock. Then we went on vacation, and I knew she needed the comfort and security of night-nursing in the various hotel rooms and guest rooms (plus I’m sure the other vacationers appreciated the instant quieting of any night-waking!) After night-weaning again, my getting more sleep has definitely helped improve how I feel about nursing during the day.

2. I started to introduce some limits on switching sides. With my diminishing supply, my daughter had taken to switching sides often — back and forth, back and forth — in an effort to get more milk (smart girl, she is). Now I make sure to tell her the number of “sides” she can have, and I make sure to warn her when it’s “the last side.”

3. I remembered what I did when I cut back on nursing my other daughter right around this age. I found that she could not handle a reduction in the number of nursing sessions, but she could tolerate a reduction in the length of each nursing session. It’s a lot easier for a nursling to hear, “Yes, for a little while” than “no, not right now.”

I feel a lot better simply having a plan, too. Having taken some control measures makes me feel happier to oblige when my toddler asks to nurse.