Time to Wean? Nursing a Teething Toddler

Well let me just say that I am still a fighter and I am continuing to nurse my little one, despite her shark teeth and "mean-girl" behavior.  I have no doubt that this is the point many mothers decide it's time to wean their babes from the boob and it's probably due to pressure from family or friends more than the pain itself. Don't get me wrong, the pain from a true bite HURTS! Especially when you continue to nurse on that side to prevent another uncomfortable problem, engorgement! Ugh! Motherhood during the infant-toddler-hood definitely get its credit but mothers really do deserve a Medal of Honor. I know some days I'd love to be acknowledged for the hard work I put in most days. But the fact of the matter is, it goes mostly unnoticed and the one person you truly want a 'Thank You' from is the one person who can't even comprehend what that means yet, your little babe. The precious bundle of innocent joy that has now turned into a feisty, irritated, and demanding little shit, whom you love dearly with all your heart and have no idea how it got this way. Let me tell you right now that it is very very common for our babes to be this way and it will one day pass, hopefully sooner than later for most of us!  It makes sense that they are this way, I mean they can't yet communicate with words how they feel nor have they learned ways to cope or manage the instant frustration they feel when they can't get what they want.  Not only that, but the pain they must feel as their entire mouth is swelling up since about 4 months and these hard, sharp, bony spears are piercing through their sensitive gums every few weeks or months. I would be frustrated too if my mommy wasn't making the pain go away fast enough!

That leads me into nursing. There are so many benefits to breastfeeding from the moment they're born through much of their early years.  One most important to me is how breast milk provides antibodies and immune support for their little bodies, preventing most allergies and illnesses from developing. Another amazing benefit is the proteins that help your babe's physical and neurological development... GENIUS! Okay, maybe not genius, but close. 

But it's the COMFORT of being closely nestled next to the one person who is always there for you. This beautiful and biological reason is what keeps me trucking along through the pain. Your breast becomes a safe-haven for your little babe when they are tired, frightened, upset, sad, overwhelmed, uncomfortable, sick, and in pain. Personally, the pain I feel every so often when she has to bite down for whatever reason, seems minor compared to the pain she feels all the time while she's teething. So I don't mind (and I say this now after I've just woken up from getting a few hours sleep) her night-wakings when she wakes up, 2-3 times a night, from the annoying and irritating ache of her gums and all she wants is to suckle the pain to a more tolerable level and she goes back to sleep for a little longer.  I don't mind the occasional, though recently more frequent, chomps like an alligator, to relieve some achy tension, because I know that by allowing her to nurse, she is getting all that she needs from me and that's the best I can offer her.  

Now I do mind, but have to keep reminding myself that it'll one day end, when she grabs my face and almost tears my skin off when she's frustrated. I'm still working on my reaction to that, but a firm NO and some un-attention for a moment hopefully gets the point across that this behavior is not acceptable.  I can only hope that as she learns to communicate through words, that we come to a point where I can "rationalize" with her.

What have your experiences been as a first-time mom? Did you continue to nurse through it all? Did you wean?