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amyable
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| Posted: March 28 2007 at 10:40am | IP Logged
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Has anyone ever tandem nursed at night? Did you get any sleep?  I see this in my future, and am in a panic (I find it mentally hard enough nursing one...). I'd like to prepare myself if this is a good option (i.e. not a "I did it only because I had to but wouldn't do it again" kind of option  )
My youngest is 22 months, and showing no signs of slowing down at night, in fact, I'd say over the last month or two, she has picked up her night nursing considerably.  (<---that's just me with no sleep, lol) I've been trying to gently do other things at night to get her to nurse less, but she wants no part of it. I am not against forcefully night weaning, per se, but would like to avoid the confrontation if I can!
I know I'm not due until September, and a lot could change by then (the toddler will be 2 years 4 months when the baby's born) ... but if I'm going to have to night wean, I'd like to do it in a month or two, when there is the possibility of dh helping.
Any stories to share? Thanks!
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Elizabeth
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| Posted: March 28 2007 at 11:18am | IP Logged
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Amy,
I've tandem nursed several times but I wean the nighttime before the infant arrives. It is never very hard because they are always right aroun 20 months or so and they understand when I tell them that we aren't going to nurse at night. I nurse them to sleep and then they are welcome to come into my bed, but not to nurse.
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Lisbet
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I've done it quite a few times. I was doing up until about 6 months ago. I will be honest and tell ya, it's not my favorite thing to do, and if it seems like it won't be too much of a struggle, we do work on night weaning.
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SaraP
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| Posted: March 28 2007 at 1:06pm | IP Logged
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Yes, I have done it and no, I didn't get nearly enough sleep.
Eventually my DH started going in to sleep with the toddler in his room (rather than bringing him into our room) when he woke up and after a few weeks of that we were able to all be back in the same bed without a problem. And I did continue to tandem nurse during the day for about another two years.
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Angie Mc
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| Posted: March 28 2007 at 2:16pm | IP Logged
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Amy, I do think that you will see changes before September that will work for you and your situation. I found that the bigger my belly got, the more I needed to protect my sleep, and was able to help the toddler to know that we would nurse to sleep then nurse again only "when the sun comes up." Often, I couldn't even make it through a long "nursing to sleep" so would tell the toddler, "We will be done nursing when I count to 10." From there I would hold their hand and sing lullubies until they fell asleep. Once the baby came, often we three would go to sleep together and while I nursed the baby, I would hold the toddler's hand and sing them to sleep.
On a sweet note, every so often my older children will still as me to hold their hand and sing them to sleep  .
Love,
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jdostalik
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| Posted: March 28 2007 at 5:38pm | IP Logged
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Hi Amy,
I have been tandem nursing consistently for nine years and have done it at night with most of my nurslings.  That much said, it shouldn't be hard to lovingly wean your 22 month old when your milk supply dwindles in your middle trimester. Mine usually begins dwindling and turning to colostrum somewhere around 20 weeks. Since there isn't much milk to nurse, nighttime nursing is really just for comfort anyway and we just cuddle and occasionally I offer a sippie cup with water. Pretty soon, they are sleeping through the night...But I have had their interest in nursing at night pick up once the baby arrives and that yummy milk is backt! In fact, that's where we are right now. But, amazingly I am not sleep-deprived! 
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Dawnie
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| Posted: March 29 2007 at 1:31am | IP Logged
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Well, with my oldest 3 babies, I have night-weaned them once I became pregnant. With some of them, there were some tears, but I offered other forms of comfort, like a back rub. I also started bringing a sippy cup of water to bed at that point. After a few nights, they accepted that there would be no more nursing at night. It was kind of sad, but I REALLY need more rest when I'm pregnant and I cannot doze and nurse during pregnancy.
Limiting the duration of day nursings worked very well for my oldest daughter (she was 2yrs, 3mo when I became pregnant with my 2nd). I would count to ten or sing a song to sigal the end of a nursing. As my pregnancy went on, I would tell her *before* a nursing that we would only nurse "a little bit." It wasn't long before she started asking "Can I nurse *a little bit*?"
Dawn
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4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: Tandem nursing at night vs. night weaning
