:) I am happy to see this thread too! I figured everyone over here would think I was a freak! My dd self-weaned at 22 months. I was trying to get pg again so I didnt discourage her weaning then. I had pre-term labor with her the entire pg so even in the nursing group they said I shouldn't nurse while pg so it was nice she picked that time to stop.

Good to see there will be somebody around who understands me for the next 2 years!

I definitely understand that feeling, ennay, I had preterm labor with my son and that was scary! Luckily my pregnancy with DD went just fine, she was born a healthy 10 lbs. :)

Heh, I was nursing Linda like mad the last few days of my pregnancy with Esther, trying to kick that blasted prodromal labor into gear. ;) It didn't work, naturally.

it only works when you dont want it to.

Did you see today's Oprah? 99% of women in Norway nurse their babies.

Still going...
 

I am nursing my 18 month old son. Trying to keep it to three times a day, but sometimes he is very persistent about "this" (the word he uses for nursing). He gets on my lap and tugs at my shirt and says "this." We are PCSing in a month and I feel I cannot even think about weaning him at this moment. This will be a huge move for us and I think he is going to need atleast the familiarity of nursing. I am also on a weight loss program and lost 16 pounds in six weeks and have lost nothing since, that was eight weeks ago. I work out three times a week and do cardio three times a week. I have to wonder if my body is holding on to the fat due to my nursing. Any one else with issues of a plateau? I am baffled, I am currently 237 and see no other tangible reason for me not to have continued losing. Any wisdom would be appreciated.

Hollie

Hello!

My younger is almost 2 and I did the tandem nursing thing too, for a bit.
I don't know what it would be like to stop nursing and whether it would make
weight loss (and future maintenance) easier or harder. I'm not going to
make nursing decisions based on my weight, but I want to guide
in the direction that's to my benefit, and I'm not even sure which that is.

So I'd love to hear more about other people's experiences with weight loss and toddler nursing. How does nursing affect your weight loss, your
cravings, your "set-point" and maintenance, etc.

I reduced my % bodyfat during both pregnancies (in other words,
I didn't gain so much) and I gained weight really easily during nursing.
(I got carb cravings or low blood sugar at the start of each feed.)
Anybody else experience similar patterns?
The effects of nursing seem pretty minor now, but it was more
significant when I was nursing more.

How did your appetite, weight and "metabolism" change
when you stopped nursing?
Can you tell if nursing made it easier to get a lower setpoint?
Can you tell if it made your cravings more or less?
Has anybody done fast weight loss (2lbs / week) while nursing?
Had any feedback from your child about changes to the milk?

Lisa

I'm breastfeeding my toddler (right now, actually) who is 26 months and I have nursing twins who are 5 months. I wish my toddler wasn't asking so much (every time the babies nurse, she wants to, or anytime she sits in my lap, etc) but such is life.

I've been dropping weight like mad recently,, so I think I need to up my calories.

I also am happy to see this thread here! I'm a baby wearer, myself, and I know others here are too.

Does my baby count? She just started walking! That makes her a toddler, right?

My first nursed to 21 months before he "self weaned with encouragement" (he stopped asking and I didn't offer). My second self weaned at 16 months when I was 5 months pregnant. Avery's still going strong, although she just in the last two weeks has been nursing more at night than during the day. Some days she goes all day just on solids and then nurses only at night. She's still waking at least twice a night to nurse. Joy...

Kara

Wow, it's been a while since I have been on this site and boy am I glad I checked in today!! I have a 15 mo old that isn't even close to weaning and it is so nice to know that there are others out there. Thank you! I taught her the sign for milk so she is constantly at my shirt smiling signing saying nuh nuh. Also I have a question...my close to 3 year old (who weaned at 15 mo) is now asking to nurse. I don't think she would like the milk should I let her try??

She's probably just curious. I'd let her try. If you're uncomfortable with her actually nursing, you could express some in a cup for her.

Your kids are so adorable in their sunglasses!

Kara

Up to you if you want the three-year-old to unwean. I've been telling my five-year-old no on the rare occasions she asks; I'm just not comfortable with it. (And she nursed until a week shy of her third birthday, so it's not like she was shorted anyhow.)

Hi...I'm new to this forum, but am a member od MDC also :) I am currently nursing my 38 month old Zoe :) She shows no signs of stopping so I am praying for the CLW to kick in soon :)

Hi, I'm a lurker, my babe is 8 months old so not a toddler yet :)

Just wanted to say I'm also on MDC, I'm njbeachgirl over there!

I would be happy to nurse dd into toddlerhood, but I have a feeling she won't be a very extended nurser. But if she is, see you all over here :)

What is MDC? I want to check it out. I went 6 months with my son, most of the last 3 months was exclusively pumping since he preferred the speed of the bottle. My 2 month old really seems to like nursing a lot more, so I'm planning on going at least a year with her.

MDC is MotheringDotCommune, the message boards at Mothering.com (you may have come across the magazine Mothering in the book store, but probably not as they tend to hide it ;)). It is a very pro-breastfeeding, attachment parenting site. They have a very definite vibe to them (there are some parts of the site I don't go into).

This is their intro on their forum page, which will give you a good deal of info about the community: