Breastfeeding Weaning

My daughter and I were in Advance for Nurses magazine about the same topic "Weaning From Breastfeeding"- May 19, 2008 Southeastern States.
I weaned my daughter from the bottle by introducing her to the breast milk through the bottle. Then i moved to formula and converted over. I was back the work a month later and she was fully weaned in a month.

Hi K.,
I am a teacher too and have weaned all but the nighttime feed. I am actually going to keep it for at least a month into school. I decided to do that so I still am connected to my son and also to keep that stable time for him until he adjusts to my being gone all day. I also hope that dropping this last nursing will go as well as the other ones.
Hope that helps...
kim

We had my husband start doing bed time. That way nursing was not an option and now it is a time both of them look forward to. My DD is almost 2 now I only put her to bed once a week.

Hi K.,

There's no need to eliminate the night time nursing if you don't want to. Once a baby gets to be around 9 months, you can often breastfeed when you're with the baby and have the caregiver feed formula if you can't or wont' pump during the day. That nighttime nursing is often about comfort and his nutrition shouldn't be compromised even if your milk supply is reduced.
If you do go ahead with cutting out the bedtime nursing, my suggestion would be, if you have a husband or partner, have this person do the bedtime routine - maybe a bottle, tooth brushing, rocking, a song or story and into bed. Your baby may be distracted by something fun and different if it's not you, with the reminder of nursing that isn't being offered.
Good luck!

I introduced a special teddy bear and gave her blanket to her which she enjoyed holding the tag. I would sing her a song while holding her in front of her crib. What I am saying is just come up with a special bedtime routine. Good luck!!!

Hi K.,

I was wondering whether you'd considered keeping the nighttime feeding--it's such a lovely bonding time, especially if you teach all day. Many think it's an all or nothing proposition, but it's not--your body will adjust very quickly and only make enough for that feeding (ie, you won't be running around swollen and uncomfortable all day).
If you want to give up that feeding, I would suggest having dad do bed time for a little while (or whoever got her started on the bottles during the daytime).
Good luck whatever you decide!

this was sent to me from someone from the LLL when i was weaning my baby last year... hope it helps. also the government has a help line for breastfeeding 1-800-994-9662

First of all, congratulations on providing your child with the precious gift of your milk. She will benefit from this in many ways. You did not say how quickly you want to wean. Some mothers contact La Leche League with questions about weaning, but they are really seeking "permission" to continue breastfeeding. If you're not ready to wean and your child wants to continue breastfeeding, you should know that many mothers choose to wean naturally, and allow the child to outgrow the need on his own. La Leche League can offer you support if that is what you really want to do. On the other hand, if you have decided that weaning is the right choice for your family, I can offer some suggestions that may help. I can't remember from when we spoke if your child sleeps with you. (I do remember talking about the Elizabeth Pantley book that has many ideas for co-sleeping but nighttime weaning.) Some mothers encourage weaning by moving toddler into his own bed or into bed with an older sibling. If you try this and she resists, she might actually increase breastfeeding in order to preserve his feeling of closeness with you. Here is a list of weaning techniques which many mothers have found to be useful to encourage weaning. Not all of them will work for every mother and child, and I encourage you to experiment to find out which works best for you and your child.
Breastfeed the child when he asks, and don't offer when he doesn't. This simple technique may help accelerate the weaning process when used with other methods.
Change daily routines. Instead of heading home after picking him up from daycare, head to the grocery store or elsewhere instead. Try to avoid the "nursing chair" or other usual "nursing station" in your home as much as possible at the times when he usually would ask to nurse. Stand up as much as possible!
If possible, get help from other family and household members. If he usually nurses upon waking, try getting up before him and have the child's father or someone else do all the morning routine.
Anticipate nursings and offer substitutions and distractions. If he nurses at certain times of the day, try offering a snack or drink at that time. . Take him to his favorite place at the usual nursing time. Other distractions to try are reading, bike rides, visits from friends, a new toy, walking/singing to the child.
Shorten the length of nursings or see if he accepts a postponed nursing. If he doesn't understand the concept of waiting or of time, this may not be helpful. If often works for older nurslings. I know a mother who would count or another singing songs for the time of nursing. (They might not understand song or numbers, but learn the routine.)
Generally, these strategies work best for daytime nursing. The nap and bedtime nursings are often the last to go. Again, other family members could help by taking over sleep-time routines, if possible. Some mothers decide to allow breastfeeding to continue at these times, even when daytime weaning is complete. If weaning is going too quickly for the child, he'll usually let you know by his behavior. Increased tantrums, regressive behaviors, anxiety, increase in nightwaking, new fear of separation, and clinginess are all possible signs that weaning is going too quickly for your child. Your child may be old enough for you to simply explain to him that you feel it is time to wean. Many children his age or older can understand the concept of stopping nursing. Some mothers let the child pick a date, or choose one themselves, and call that the "weaning day" after which he will no longer nurse. Some mothers will then give the child a "weaning party" with supportive family and understanding friends to help celebrate the milestone. Perhaps the child will receive a special "weaning present." Some mothers allow the child to choose a coveted toy and buy it after weaning, or buy it before weaning and wrap it up on to be put on a shelf for when the weaning day or weaning party comes. Obviously, these techniques will not work if the child is extremely resistant to weaning, but many mothers have used them with success. How they handle the "weaned" child who wants to breastfeed again differs. Some mothers give a gentle reminder that "we're all done" and remain firm. Others allow breastfeeding "one last time" if the child really seems to need it. One thing to remember is that he will have a continued, perhaps even deepened, need for closeness with you. In fact, some mothers have had success with weaning older children through the "smother mother" technique. Mom can either offer to nurse at every opportunity, every time the child looks at her, every time one of them sits down, until the child finds himself saying "no" to nursing all the time. Once a child realizes that mom is willing to let him breastfeed whenever he wants, some children simply let go of the need. Or, mom can anticipate the child's need for closeness and spend as much of her day as possible having "special time" with the child. Sometimes filling the need for closeness during non-breastfeeding times can decrease the child's need to breastfeed. There are several books that might be useful to you. "Mothering Your Nursing Toddler" by Norma Jane Bumgarner offers tips for life with an older nursling. "The Nursing Mother's Guide To Weaning" by Kathleen Huggins and Linda Ziedrich is very informative. "How Weaning Happens" by Diane Bengson includes the personal experiences of mothers who have weaned in a variety of ways. You can buy them through our Online Store at: http://store.llli.org. You may also find them in bookstores or libraries in your area. As I mentioned we have a couple of these in our LLL lending library

Hi K., Sounds like you are doing fine. If baby is already taking a bottle and your body is accustomed to nursing only once (at night) you can take your time and try to hold her close to your breast(same position as usual) but put the bottle nipple in her mouth. If you are anything like me you will miss nursing as much as your little peanut. Try to make the transition as slowly as possible and savor the time together. My best, Grandma Mary

K.,

Did you know that you can stop daytime feedings, yet still nurse at bedtime for as long as you want? Personally, if I was teaching, I would nurse the baby when I got home from work, then again at bedtime, and maybe even in the morning before work. That is what I did when I was a working mother. Your body can adjust to whatever schedule you have, and you won't have to worry about engorgement...your body will get used to it. It doesn't sound to me like you want to wean, but are doing it out of necessity, so that is what I would do..at least keep one feeding, but possibly add two others as well.

D.

In case you don't use the other's comments on continuing BFing in the evening, here is what we did. At 13 months, I tried eliminating the last nursing which was in the morning for us. My daughter screamed and cried when I tried giving her a bottle, despite the fact that I was giving her bottles at other times of the day. I waited until I knew my husband would be around for several mornings and he gave her the bottle instead. There was abolutely no problem with that. She took it like nothing new was happening.

K. -- I'm in favor of keeping one nighttime feeding (at bedtime). You've been successful in eliminating the other feedings and your body must be adjusted to that. My son "weaned himself" but that bedtime feeding was the last to go. And, it may become a "not every day" thing, too. It certainly would be less traumatic for both of you. Good luck!! B.

you don't have to wean completely; both your body and your childs will get used to one feeding a day, and you will both continue to get the benefits.