Need support - have I failed?

[swampermom]

Since the birth of my son, my dd has started sucking her thumb and wanting a pacifier. I know it has something to do with the fact that he is nursing and she is not (she is 26 mo). I had stopped nursing her around 19-20 months frequently becuase I would start to feel so agitated when she would nurse. I don't know if it was hormones, or a new way of latching on her part - but it would just get to the point of not being "standable" when she was nursing - It would be the point of tears on my part to please hurry and finish nursing, I would let her nurse, but bite my lip to try to distract myself from the way it agitated me.

I feel embarrassed to say how her nursing agitated me, because I never had an issue with her nursing before - nor do I ahve an issue with my son nursing - what happened to me - or her latch do you think that makes it so intolerable?

I don't know what to do - I feel like I have failed her to a certain extent, (i.e. stopping nursing when she might still have needed me).

Can anyone lend some helpful advice, support for this? Especially for how to handle the thumb sucking and/or pacifier.

RIght now I just say very pleasently that "someday Alayna will be a big girl and she will be like Aerial, Princess Jasmine and Cinderella and won't need her thumb anymore, but right now she needs her thumb because she is little" - that seems to work a little, I don't want to nag her, just kinda remind her that it isn't somethng "big" girls do.

Should I replace the thumb with a pacifier? They are a bit easier to throw out than a  thumb.

Should I start to nurse her again for a period of time to help her through this time?

Thank you in advance!

[swampermom]