I’ve been scaling back nursing with my 15-month old for several months: about a month ago, I moved to just nursing morning and evening. And it seems to coincide with a pretty unhappy baby

Of course, there are many things that could make a baby unhappy, but we can’t come up with another physical explanation and the following things are making me think it’s the weaning/nursing:
-she often wakes as early as 4:30AM and does not fall back asleep without nursing, despite seeming tired. (We generally leave her in her crib—and I do not nurse her—until 5:15-5:30, but she will just wimper in her crib the whole time. This has been happening for 1 month.) The tiredness definitely makes her more unhappy over the course of the day, but we can’t get her to nap more when she wakes early.
-she is most unhappy when I am around. She is clingy and wimper-y throughout the day when I am with her. (Of course, could just be some kind of separation anxiety.)
-After nursing, she is at her most content.

Although we both enjoy the actual nursing, I’m wondering whether weaning completely might make her (and the rest of the family) happier. Has anyone had a similar experience? What was the outcome? (Did you wean completely? Just keep going? Find some other source of unhappiness/discomfort? How/when did your child’s demeanor change?)