I guess I am just looking for support/encouragement. My DD is 14 months and nurses to sleep each night, sometimes for up to an hour. I don't have time most days to exercise while she is awake, so as I lay down with her I say to myself "when she falls asleep I will get up and do my pilates or go for a run", but half the time I also fall asleep! (darn those nursing/sleepy hormones) When I wake back up even 15 minutes later I feel so disoriented and tired I just get ready and go to bed myself.
A couple of thoughts.... I don't know if you are planning on weaning her anytime soon? My dd's weaned at about that age. That would solve the problem once you did it.
I think you should try to restrict her nursing to a shorter period of time as well (less than an hour). I know, easier said than done......I don't know how hard she is to get to sleep or if you have alternative ways.....
Can you exercise before her bedtime? Going for walks with her or another exercise?
I have to say.....I truly miss my girls nursing......they are now 17 and 13...
Count me in as another one who misses nursing. Some of my favorite times were spent laying around nursing and doing the most important thing on the planet: mothering.
I can tell you it is a phase and she will grow out of it and be in high school before you know it, but that won't solve your immediate problem.
If you can exercise during the day (trade kid-watching with another mom?), that would be lovely. If after bedtime is the only time you can do it, get dressed in your exercise clothes---shoes too!---before you lay down with her. Let your feet dangle off the bed if shoes on the bed are weird for you. Once you get up, make yourself do it for 10 or 15 minutes. You will just have to make yourself---but for me, getting my shoes on is half the battle. Once they are on, don't let yourself take them off until you have worked out.
Good luck! It is HARD to do this with little ones. I know you will find a way.
Last edited by midwife; 04-01-2008 at 08:25 PM.
Reason: typo
I'm a firm believer in letting the kiddos set the time frame for nursing, so I think you're doing a wonderful thing for her! You are providing a comfort for her when she most needs it, and great nutrition and immunity to boot! Way to go, Mama!
Can you get up and exercise in the morning before she wakes for the day? It totally stinks, but that's what I do. My nursling is 22 months and just started sleeping through the night a couple months ago, so there were many days I was dog tired, but I always set my alarm anyway.
You should keep nursing her. It is recommended to breastfeed until 2 years of age. Think of all the calories your body is still burning by lactation.
Could you take a walk with her in her stroller during the daytime as your exercise?
I think the idea of putting on your workout clothes & shoes is also a great idea.
Don't be discouraged. You are doing what is best for your family. If that means you wait a few more months to do more exercise then let it be.
Savor every minute with your little one. They grow up so quickly.
Karla
It was so encouraging to check back in tonight and see support and suggestions. DD won't take a bottle, AT ALL, never has, so beyond the fact that I do enjoy cuddling and nursing with her, I honestly don't know how I would even wean her . I work full time (get up usually at 5 or 5:30am) and have in the past made grand plans to get up an extra half an hour early to work out...but...for some reason it is 10 times harder for me to see 4:30 or 5 on that alarm clock just doesn't seem worth it, and I always go back to sleep.
I do go for walks with the kids, this time of the year here is hard, we are in the middle of break-up, slush every where. Kind of in between sled and stroller weather. I guess I really want that run because I just feel so much better with the increase of cardio I get. More proud of myself too, especially since I used to HATE running and now I am starting to "gasp" enjoy it.
On a side note, DH is a SAHD during the winter (I teach) and I have a hard time asking him to put off his "stuff" to watch the kids an extra half an hour so I can exercise...I don't know...seems silly to write down, but by the time I get home he just really needs a break.
I love the idea of wearing my running shoes to bed to nurse DD . Then it will be almost harder to not exercise than it will be to do it, one more step in the right direction already completed.
I wanted to add that I was so frustrated from not exercising all week that I made myself go for my run tonight, and spend the first 7/10 of a mile yawning. it's hard to run while you yawn! Feel great now though.
Thanks again for the ideas and for reminding me how short this cuddly time really is. I doubt she will want to spend as much time with me as much when she is 16!
I miss nursing too, I nursed my son until he was 24 months, even now that he is almost 3 whenever he sees my breast he giggles and gets a cute smile on his face.
You mentioned that she won't take a bottle, and that is fine-but is she taking a cup at this age? At 14 months, she should be taking in some other fluids other than breastmilk, even if it is just a few sips here and there of water or juice.
You can breastfeed as long as you and your child both want, but the baby is old enough for you to set *some* limits on it, as in, not comfort nursing for an hour every night. I wouldn't suggest limiting nursing times obviously to a 6 month old baby, but it can be good at this age to start incorporating some other soothing methods or bedtime routines as well. Saber likes his bath with the nighttime lavendar (relaxing) baby wash in it, and he has his "silkie" that he goes to bed with. (One of those tiny little mini blankets, that are about the size of a burp cloth-with the satiny trim around the edge.)
Obviously it would have to be something that is eased into over a week or so, maybe trying to unlatch her after 30 minutes, and then staying with her to "cuddle" for a few minutes to get her to sleep, etc. As I said before, I am not trying to get you to stop nursing-but a 14 month old toddler is old enough to have limits set a little here and there, so you aren't comfort nursing for an hour every single night.
Does she nap at all during the day? There are many dvds out there like the QuickFix series or 10 Minute Solution series-that all have mini 10 minute workouts on them. You might find that if you can sneak one of them in during a daytime nap, and another one in during the evening, that you have successfully snuck in 20 minutes during your day. Another option for walking if the weather isn't nice, is going to the mall and walking there with the stroller.
DD will take a sippy, I went back to work when she was 4 months old. Since she refused the bottle, we started working on a sippy. She does great eating solids and drinking from a cup, she also refuses a pacifier, so when she wants to suck, it's mama she wants...
She sleeps for DH during the day (1-2 hr) without nursing, but it takes a LONG time to get her to settle, sometimes up to an hour. When I nurse her to sleep she will pop off, roll around, smile, coo, snuggle, nurse, roll around, giggle...repeat. It is actually very cute, and I know that because she isn't just nursing continuously that she is getting more used to falling asleep without the nipple in her mouth. She just like having mama lay there while she does her cute little sleep ritual. I have recently started massaging her with some baby lotion after her bath to try and help her relax, it seems to help a little. I think they have lotion with that nighttime lavender in it, I will try some of that this weekend.
On limits...When I am off work for the summer I am going to try to night wean her, I don't like to restrict right now since I am gone all day anyway. She has a hard enough time missing her mama without taking away her soothing options.
I am going to renew my efforts to get up early and run in the morning. It is about 30 degrees in the am right now (nice running temp) and is getting light enough to see. It may be hard, but I CAN do it! And I'm sure it will give me more energy throughout the day.
Thanks again for the support and ideas. It gives me more faith in myself during the rough times.
nursing to sleep wipes me out!
: Nursing mamas make me happy!
. I work full time (get up usually at 5 or 5:30am) and have in the past made grand plans to get up an extra half an hour early to work out...but...for some reason it is 10 times harder for me to see 4:30 or 5 on that alarm clock 
just doesn't seem worth it, and I always go back to sleep. 
More proud of myself too, especially since I used to HATE running and now I am starting to "gasp" enjoy it. 
it's hard to run while you yawn! Feel great now though. 
