Breastfeeding and Aspergers - Hard Time Weaning?

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I was wondering if other mothers to Aspie kids had a hard time weaning them?

My son was flat out addicted to nursing. It went past food and became comfort.

Never in a million years did I imagine we'd nurse so long (he's my first).

I just wondered if this boob-bond was common in Aspie kids.

All of my friend w/ NT children ... their kids lost interest eventually.

For my son, I think it was a coping mechanism to tune out the world and go into a comfort zone.

My aspie dd was my longest nursling so far. She finally weaned herself at 4 years 7 months. She comfort nursed for a long time. (including through two other pregnancies) In contrast, her two younger siblings have weaned at 3 yrs 3 months, and 15 months. (the youngest being my only boy)

My aspie dd used nursing as a means of calming herself down when she was overstimulated. In some ways I miss that. It was so easy for her to regroup when she was nursing. But I'm oh so glad she finally found other ways as she grew up.

My sons both weaned themselves completely between 2 and 3 years with no difficulty. I had stopped offering it to them at a certain point, and they were both so busy (constantly on the go and passionately focused on anything to do with trains) that they transitioned to only 1 nursing at bedtime very quickly. That 1 bedtime nursing stuck around for quite awhile, but again, I didn't offer or remind, and after awhile they remembered to ask for it less and less often, until they stopped. So it was an easy transition for us. They were just so "busy" with learning, exploring and experimenting with anything they could get their hands on as toddlers, they just didn't have time to lie around and nurse.

My oldest nursed for 26 months. He was very orally defensive and didn't start to really EAT until he was two, so nursing was a lifesaver. He did it both for food and comfort. He's my autie. My younger son was finished at 15 months. He's always been an on the to kind of kid and never wanted anything more than food out of it!

I nursed my AS son, my first, for 24 months. The plan had been to wean at 12 months, but that pretty clearly was not going to work with him, so we held off. At 24 months it was difficult, but he accepted it.

My NT daughter weaned a little later. I didn't try to wean her at 12 months, basically to be fair, so I don't know if that would have gone better with her. At 24 months, however, she was much, much more difficult than my AS son was.

So ...

I have no idea what it all means.

With my oldest I had no lactation consult what so ever, and he had trouble latching on. So I pumped for four weeks feeding him with a bottle, then switched entirely to formula because I was drying up.

With my middle child I had tons of support both before leaving the hospital, and from my husband when we brought him home. I had originally planned to wean at 12 months, but stopped at 10 because I was already pregnant again by six months and couldn't keep up the milk production. It actually worked out very well so I plan to do the same with our youngest. I never tried to quit cold turkey. I went from on demand, to three times a day, to twice, then just at bed time. There was about two weeks where our middle boy was really upset when it was time to go to bed, but then almost magically he just got over it.

My younger two are not on the spectrum, but the oldest never officially breastfed, he was bottle fed breast milk. He willingly and eagerly switched to sippy cups and then regular cups as was age appropriate. IE no bottles past one year, and could drink out of a normal cup or glass by age three.

I nursed my son for three and a half years. In this country it's considered weird, but it's actually the norm in parts of the world where they don't expect children to drink another species milk.

Past three or four is getting obsessive compulsive, but most children still suckle, thumbs or bottles, into their toddling years, so I wouldn't think nursing for longer than the Western norm is really strange, or symptomatic of anything.

I think I will nurse my child as long as he or she wants to be nursed but I won't be doing it out in public when the child reaches two maybe.

Last edited by Spokane_Girl on 31 Jul 2009, 11:43 am, edited 1 time in total.

I think It's fine to nurse as long as your child need to as long as your not poping your boob out <I'm not talking under a blanket or the kid sticking his head under your top> at a play group or in the market or some place other then in a nursing room or at home. I know it sounds nutty but I've seen it boob fully out in full view of everyone kids and grow-ups alike.

My opinion on that is more "meh, its a boob."

However, bare in mind that if you live in a place where extended nursing is thought of as odd (basically everywhere civilized) then of course you will get strange looks. And unfortunately some people feel they have a right to comment on it if they see it even if they do not know you.

Personally I cannot imagine nursing longer than a year. If a child can eat solid food, and is old enough to ask for a boob by name... I do not see the point in continuing. That is just me. People have to do what they need to do for their own comfort and the comfort of their child.

The World Health Organization recommends, "Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended up to 6 months of age, with continued breastfeeding along with appropriate complementary foods up to two years of age or beyond."

There are many benefits to a child's health and development from extended breastfeeding. Whether or not they are old enough to ask for it, has nothing to do with how much benefit a toddler could derive from it, if the mother is able/willing.

The American Pediatrics disagree with that citing that our milk does not produce enough iron and other things past six months. Besides which if a child is eating actual table foods, not pureed over processed stuff in a jar, they are receiving a varied and healthy diet. Provided that you have that at the table.

When my kids were born the American Pediatrics recommendation was one year; great if its more. We're not talking about EXCLUSIVELY breastfeeding past 6 months; just including it as part of the overall feeding plan.

The American Academy of Pediatrics states:

"Increased duration of breastfeeding confers significant health and developmental benefits for the child and the mother, especially in delaying return of fertility (thereby promoting optimal intervals between births).
There is no upper limit to the duration of breastfeeding and no evidence of psychologic or developmental harm from breastfeeding into the third year of life or longer."

The recommendation regarding iron, is to introduce iron rich foods or supplements after 6 months (possibly earlier for supplements in babies at risk for iron deprivation), but not to discontinue breastfeeding.

For a full list of the AAP's breasfeeding recommendations:
http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cg ... ;115/2/496

My firstborn who has AS never successfully nursed. He could not latch on and lost a dramatic amount of weight in the hospital so we had to bottle feed him. I still pumped as much as I could, but the supply dried up at about 2 months. Now my second child is 1 and and I'm having a very difficult time weaning her. I was hoping to switch her to milk during the day and only breastfeed her first thing in the morning and before bed. Unfortunately, she will not drink milk. I can get her to drink water if she's really thirsty, but not milk - she seems to hate it. I've tried warming it and putting it in all different kinds of cups, but she's having none of it. She has never drank from a bottle (I was always available) so I'd rather not regress her to that. I'm also hesitant to add flavor to it because I don't want to start an unhealthy cycle. So, for now, I'm still nursing her about 4 times/day. Anyone have any suggestions?

I hated milk to as a child because it made me sick as a child I thought it did it to everyone it wasn't until I was much older that I discovered that I'm lasoste intolerant. You might want to try some lasoste free milk or even some soy it's not as thick and might be easier for her to deal with.