Human Pacifier

Let me start this post off with a disclaimer: I love breastfeeding. It's rewarding, it's a great time for bonding, it's so incredibly good for Brooke, and I wouldn't have it any other way. HOWEVER, Brooke is a huge comfort nurser and lately it's been frustrating me. I'm not really sure how to correct this problem and it's continuing to get worse and worse.

Whenever Brooke gets hurt, frustrated, mad, or sleepy she insists on nursing. If I don't feel that she should be hungry I try to distract her with a cup of water, snacks, or toys. She outright refuses to accept anything else from me but the breast. I know that she's doing this for comfort and comfort only because 1, if I'm not home or I leave her with her grandparents, she never even seems to miss nursing. Even if we're out and about she never, ever nurses. It's when we're in the comfort of our own home that she insists on nursing. 2Nd, if she wakes in her sleep and I tell her to go back to bed she screams because she wants me to nurse her. On the other hand, if John goes upstairs to settle her down, she's out in seconds. Lastly, I know that Brooke is nursing for comfort because she'll take little sips to calm herself down and then act totally disinterested. Ya know? It's not like she's gulping out of hunger.

Brooke has always been prone to nurse for comfort and while she was sick I allowed her to nurse all she wanted to soothe her. I really think that I did myself a disservice because she thinks that that is the norm now. When she was tiny it didn't bother me as much because I thought that small babies needed that. Now that she's a year old, I'm very concerned that she won't EVER grow out of her dependency on the breast for comfort. I'm trying to teach her that it's for eating and not a pacifier but it's so much easier to cave in and let her nurse a million times a day.

She also is now refusing any and all solid foods. EVERY SINGLE THING I give her she spits out. While I'm hoping to let her self-wean, I do want to encourage her to fill her diet with other things than breast milk. I know that breast milk is great stuff and it's so healthy for her, but she's going to need some additional nutrients in her diet.

This is really hard for me because nursing also carries a sentimental value for me too. It's hard for me to refuse Brooke of it because I love breastfeeding and I think that it's so special that we share this bond with one another. The one thing in the world that calms my daughter down and reassures her is the one thing that I'm trying to teach her not to depend on as much. Am I a bad, selfish mom for feeling this way? I'm starting to wonder if I'M the problem and not her.

I am running out of ideas on this! I feel like if I don't fix this problem then she'll be breastfeeding forever. While I know that's not true, this situation does seem a tad bit hopeless to me. I want to do what's best for her and I don't think think that her having the breast as a crutch is doing her any good. Has anyone been her before? How do I fix this????????