Help! Need to Wean 16-Month Old!

I had some clients in a similar situation when I was a lactation consultant. Here is what they did.

First they did pump and express milk and saved it and gave it to their baby in a cup, they did not know if baby would take a bottle, just that they did not want nipple confusion.

Then for the time baby could not have her milk she pumped and dumped and then after the alloted time just simply resumed nursing like always. They did have a rough two days , but alot less rough than a weaning they did not want and difficulites with allergies and so on.

Babies will wean when they are ready, so unlikely baby will be ready just because of a medical proceedure. I have also had a client who had to go to rehab for 2 weeks that resumed after coming back and when my child was close to this age. 18 months with the 2nd child. I often attended birth where I had to be gone for 2 full days or more, I pumped while gone, they fed her my milk and food and I returned to nursing when I got back.

I had an MRI (and a bone scan, for that matter) a few of months ago but didn't have to stop nursing. I nursed right before the appointment and did "pump and dump" the milk I produced immediately after the appointment just to be on the ultra safe side. (Especially after the bone scan because it involves nuclear medicine.)

I was assured by multiple medical professionals that there is no risk in breast feeding after an MRI or a bone scan - and actually learned that even bone scans are routinely performed on infants - so the medication is not found to be harmful to infants or toddlers. (I still chose to err on the side of caution and dumped the milk I produced immediately after the appointment.)

It is highly unlikely you have to wean because of an MRI. Please call a IBCLC Lactation Consultant so you can be informed correctly. Often DRs and lab techs have incorrect info. Call The Beyond Birth Consultants at ###-###-####. Leave a message with the name of the contrast dye and one of the ladies will get back to you quickly. They are happy to give free advise and are very helpful. If you want to wean or have to wean, they can probably give you advise on that too. Because breastfeeding is medical/nutritional, best to get an experienced consultant to give you the up to date, accurate info you deserve.

D.,

Get Dad involved. Babies can smell their mother from around 20 feet away. Have your husband try giving him some milk while you are either at the other end of the house, or gone altogether. Both my my kids weaned themselves at around 8 months. Good luck!

Hope this helps,
Melissa

Poly-vi-sol vitamins will help you through this transition. Heating up the milk abit will help. You can also add flavor or try using the vanilla milk instead of regular. Also, give him some closeness. A sippy cup of warm, sweet, rice milk snuggled next to you or hubby skin to skin should cover everything he is craving.