How Do I Go About Weaning Breastfeeding?

T.,

Unless you need to stop breastfeeding becasue of undue circumstances (you're away from your baby quite a lot), I'd reccomend breastfeeding for at least a year. Here's some reasons why:

1. Your baby will start transitioning to solid foods soon; because of that she will naturally start weaning herself. By one year old, your baby will most likely only be brestfeeding first thing in the morning and at night.

2. Once you stop breastfeeding you will not be passing on beneficial immunities to your baby and she will start getting sick, especially if she is in daycare. Personaly, my son ended up with several ear infactions in a row form 18 -24 months -- this correlated exactly with when I stopped breastfeeding him. I thought I was going to get fired from my job because I missed so much work due to him being sick.

3. IQ. The longer you breastfeed, the higher IQ your baby will have. Most studies indicate that a full year of breastfeeding = an average increase of 8 IQ points once she is grown.

4. Food Likes & Dislikes. Your breastmilk flavor changes every day because of what you eat. You are training your baby to enjoy all kinds of flavors. If you switch to formula you will be training your baby to like only one flavor. Studies have shown that breastfed babies eat wider varieties of foods as adults than do children who were bottle fed.

5. Possible lactose intolerance. If you stop breastfeeding now, before your baby is ready for whole milk (usually at about 1 year), you may find out she is allergic lactose when you switch to formula. If you find this out too late, then you will not be able to switch back to breastfeeding. It is quite costly to purchase the special formulas.

6. Breast milk is the best thing nutritionally for you baby. This also goes back to the IQ issue. Breastmilk is very fatty -- but it has the right kinds of fat your growing baby needs for growth. In particular, the fats in breastmilk aid the development of brain cells and the central nervous system. Formula makers keep trying, but they've never been able to replicate these types of fats.

7. Your health. Whenever your breastfeed, your body produces pitocin and other great hormones that are still aiding the healing process of your body from childbirth. It takes about a full year for your body to get back to normal and breastfeeding aid that.

Hope this helps!!!!

PS. I just read all the posts and saw that some people experienced what they felt to be harassment about stopping breastfeeeding and others said they had experienced harassment about not stopping. When I was breastfeeding I definitely "heard from" all kinds of people about what was right and what was not. But, my biggest source of great information was my pediatrician's office who had a full-time lactation consultant and midwife employeed there. She was able to give me many of the facts that I posted above. They helped me make the decision to begin weaning at 16 months (It took me about 2 months total so my son was completely done weaning at 18 months). Only you can decide what is right for you and your baby. Hopefully people aren't harassing you either way about it, it should be a very private decision. No judgement -- life is hard enough. Good Luck!

T.; it's so great that you are nursing your baby! congratulations to you! what a great mom.

how about waiting at least 6 more months before weaning? first and foremost, weaning is usually a painful, stressful, arduous process that no one should have to endure too soon or, frankly, ever if possible. and you don't have to do it if you move gently from nursing to solid foods and the use of a sippy or straw cup when your baby is ready for water.

more over, if you look at the World Health Organization website and many other infant nutrition resources you will see that breast milk is really the optimum food for your baby for at least the first year of life. it reduces by leaps and bounds the risk of childhood diabetes and obesity and allergies as well as all kinds of health problems well into adult life. formula is not even a close second as far as your child's health is concerned. if you stick with nursing, and pumping if you have to be away from the baby, you don't have to use any formula ever; you can nurse her right into readiness for solid food, get her onto good dairy and protien and vegetables and fruits after 6 months into the 1st year, and then you're off and running!

formula is really not good for babies, T.. i know it's the norm but so are many unhealthful and even dangerous iinfant care practices. pediatricians get kickbacks from formula companies and also the use of formula is part of how the mother-child bonding process is undermined. you have such a wonderful and special relationship with your child T., please don't jeapordize it with this 3rd rate excuse for food, which will really be a disservice to her in the long run.

you can easily rent a hospital grade Medela Classic breastpump at any surgical supply store and it will come with clear instructions on how to put it together and use it. it's a really reliable way to make sure your supply doesn't drop if you have to go back to work and also asyou start to introduce a little food to the baby. you could also buy a Medela Pump-In-Style, but i don't know much about these.

try accessing the La Leche League Intl. website and find a group in your area; you don't even have to go to a meeting, just call the chapter leader for more information on successful pumping and good infant nutrition.

good luck to you, and if you would like to chat more about this you can send me a message directly and we can email.

J.

T.,
I weaned my first son when he was 5 months, that was fourteen years ago. I was then in my mid-twenties and working full time(although I did have the fortune of day care on premises, but I didn't take full advantage of this to continue the nursing longer) but I think that I was too preoccupied with 'learning the ropes' of motherhood, and doing whatever the other women around me told me to do (ie my mother, co-workers) to really know what was right for my son! I really can't remember what caused me to make the decision, but it probably had something to do with my fear of his biting me again (once he realized he could get a reaction), as well as my own lack of patience at the time. I didn't understand the concept of a mother's 'sacrifice' at the time. That's all I knew from my own mother who was a 'professional' and a workaholic while raising me. I had to learn this concept of 'sacrifice' on my own. So when I had my second son, I nursed him for two whole years, and my bond with him was stronger because of it. My second one is now 11 years old, and he has a much easier time connecting to the world, friends, people in general and I will always attribute this to the bond that we had those first two years while he nursed, my older son, on the other hand, still struggles with bonding. This 'wisdom' only comes with experience. I am now still nursing my youngest (2 years old) but getting ready to wean. Although I was ready to wean a few months ago, I decided to wait until after he had surgery, which happened a few days ago, it was my 'sacrifice' to help in his recovery. Nursing is comforting, aside from healthy...Whatever you decide to do, do it with love and some amount of 'sacrifice', and it will be alright...

I just want to give you a little encouragement--I have no idea what your situation is, but if you feel that it is time to stop breastfeeding, you need to stop. Breastfeeding is a wonderful thing and is best for your baby--but it also shouldn't be a source of guilt for you. I had an awful experience: because of the nature of my job and my work schedule, I weaned my son early by some people's standards and was completely badgered and harassed by other moms who thought I was doing the wrong thing. I went through weeks of guilt and shame, feeling like I was being selfish or doing the wrong thing for my child. But once we went through the switch, it was just fine and I was much happier and more relaxed knowing that I am a good mom despite what others thought. He switched to formula just fine and is now a healthy and happy 1 1/2 year old who drinks whole milk and water.

As for how to do it, I did what a lot of the other moms here suggested--slowly phased out breastfeeding sessions by giving him a bottle instead. Soon we were down to just one (breastfeeding) at night and one in the morning, and we switched the morning one first, then the night one. It worked for us. Good luck!

Replace one feeding at a time, at the same time of day consistently. Wait at least three days in between replacing the 2nd, 3rd, 4th etc feedings so that your breasts can adjust. It's horribly painful and highly emotional to the mom to wean too quickly. Perhaps the baby is ready to replace one of the breastfeeds with cereal. That will help too. When offerring a bottle for the first few times, try to do it just before the baby's scheduled feeding so they are not screaming in hunger. Pay careful attention to the nipple flow so they do not get frustrated that it is too slow or choke on it being too fast. Good Luck!

Unless you have no choice but to return to work full-time do not wean your daughter yet. I worked part-time (about 15 hours per week and continued to breastfeed) It is MUCH TOO early to wean your daughter if it is not absolutely necessary. Breastfeed her until age 1 AT LEAST; if at all possible. Of course I had to continue to make sacrifices like consuming very little alcohol and next to no meds when I was feeling ill. I breastfed my son until age 2. At 5 1/2 months I began cereal which I mixed with pumped breastmilk and reduced breastfeeding times accordingly. Your breastmilk is so vital to an infants current and future health, not to mention the breastfeeding experience to their psychological wellbeing. Don't remove this beautiful bonding, nurturing and comforting experience from your daughters life prematurely unless it is absolutely necessary....not to mention your life as it is an irreplaceable experience for you. In the end we never used formula, at about one year I started to transition him slowly to organic goatmilk and organic cows milk over time. I would send him to his part-time daycare with either expressed breastmilk or organic goatsmilk. You can get organic goatmilk at good health food stores, like Fountain of Vitality in Hillsborough, Warren, etc.
If you allow things to happen naturally you will see weaning is not such a big deal, because it happens naturally between you and the infant. By age 2 my son was down to 1 feeding every other day, and slowly we just faded out. He started biting now and then and once we worked that out we slowly and cooperatively stopped breastfeeding. I could tell he was ready and I was definately ready! To this day (he is now 29 months) he looks at my breasts and can remember he used to take milk from them, but say's "the milk is all done".
Best Wishes,
N.

Kara Y, this is exactly what I did and it worked like a charm. I had no painful engorgement.
And BF isn't a wonderful comforting experience for everyone. I did it for 3 1/2 months with my second son and was miserable every single time. I would dread just thinking about it. So I made the decision on my own to stop (I did it for 4 1/2 months with my first son-who was actually much harder to BF). It wasn't just a little sacrifice for me (freedom, etc). It was really a horrible experience for me and everyone around me. I'm a million times happier now that I stopped, although bottle feeding isn't the answer for everyone, it was for me. BF isn't for everyone either. I also pumped every day too, and got a good stockpile in the freezer, so he'll be getting some BM until he is about 5 1/2 months old. Good luck, if you want to stop, don't let anyone tell you that you're wrong. Its your decision

I wrote this paragraph before adding this word of encouragement, too. Only you know how to balance your life and if you need to move to the next step in liberating yourself and your baby from breastfeeding that is your decision. No one can tell you when to stop but yourself, so if you feel the time is right, dont let anyone make you feel bad about your decision. It is hard. Have someone film you a few times breast feeding so that you can remember how precious it is. Then move forward.

I would suggest that you take your time with the process so that you and your baby get used to it together. Start your baby on a bottle of formula (which they usually love) and alternate with breast milk if you have to pump and avoid engorgement. Sadly enough babies usually prefer bottles of formula to mommy's breast as long as they have enough cuddling. The formula is richer, sweeter and easier for the babies to drink as it comes out of a bottle faster than milk comes out of mom; point being babies are often ready to wean before moms are:). It is hard to do so spend a little extra time cuddling with your baby each day.
Exercise, hot showers and advil will help you with the initial engorgement which actually goes away within a week or so. Good luck.

I am a 28 year old woman with 3 children, amir asheed and sahmira and i have breastfed all my children and actually am still nursing my 20 month old daughter. I am going to wean my daughter off soon because i am going back to work soon so here is what i have done with the boys. Cut down on the feedings and substitute with the bottle so that she is getting both and not completley missing what she is used to. Do this gradually and soon enough when she gets the taste of the formula(enfamil is the closest to breastmilk)she will be fine.if you are in a rush and want to cut her off cold turkey rub a little lemon juice on your nipples and let her get the taste of it and she will definately not want it any more. Sounds cruel but i took that approach with my oldest and it worked great but then again he was 2 years old so i don't know about 6 months! Well good luck! Hope this helps you.

First of all don't let anyone tell you that you should feel guilty about weaning. Do what feels right for you and your family. Like others said just replace a feeding with formula every couple of days and in a couple of weeks to a month you should be good. This helps with engorgement too, you'll start producing less milk the less feedings you are giving. I went back to work part-time when my son was 3 months and after a while he wouldn't take what I pumped from the bottle when I was at work but would take formula so at 6 months when he was feeding less anyway I started slowly weaning and by the time he was 7 months he was only on formula. I know every baby is different but my son didn't seem to mind. I felt more sad about stopping than he did it seemed. :)

Hi T.,
Going through the same thing My son is 6 months also. Instead of offering him the breast during feedings I would give him bottles instead and breast feed at night or in the morning. Now he is used to the bottle I don't give him the breast anymore nor does he seem to go after it anymore. Or I'm thinking this is what I should have done if you want to contnue givng her breast milk then you should pump it and give it to her. I really only stopped because of his teeth! ouch....

If you haven't already, start giving her one bottle a day. Try to give the formula right away. If she resists, then pump and give breast milk, just to get her used to the bottle format. Then start giving less and less breast each day until you are only doing bottles. This is a really great way for both the baby and you. This way your breasts will regulate themselves according to the demand for milk and you won't go through painful engorgement, etc... Good Luck!

If you love breastfeeding, why are you weaning? If weaning isn't a necessity, I would recommend continuing to breastfeed until she is much older and/or ready to wean herself.
As for myself, I found that the two children I weaned at 13mo were definitely too early for them. One of them went back to the breast a couple of month later and stayed until he was ready at 18mo. Those weaned in the 15-18 month range did much better than those younger. I think my oldest nursling was 21mo. By many standards this is short, but it worked for me and I think for them.

R.

Hi T.,

I'm just curious why you are stopping breastfeeding? If you enjoy doing it, why not continue?

Hugs,
L.

Starting with alternating breastfeeding with bottle feeding worked best for me. Gradually reduce the breastfeeding sessions from there. IF your baby has trouble transitioning to a bottle/nipple... you might need to pump breast milk into a bottle. Good Luck!

If you love breastfeeding so much, then why stop? You must enjoy the bonding time, the ease of it, plus all of the health benefits to the baby, but yourself as well! Personally, if it were me, I wouldnt wean my baby. Formula is unnecessary and you're putting your baby at risk of so many health issues by introducing it. Take it from someone who weaned her first 2 by 6 months. Never again. My 3rd hasnt ever had a drop of formula, just turned 1 last month and will wean when he's ready. Granted this is your baby and ultimately your decision. Perhaps there is an outside issue that you didnt mention that makes it difficult to continue. Wahtever the case, I would do everything in my power to continue to provide breastmilk so formula would never have to be a necessary evil.

Don't.....the benefits for both mother and baby until
at least 1 yr. of age are monumental....from immune
response...to diabetes and breast cancer issues for mom...
enjoy the upcoming months as a successful breastfeeding
mom.....in 20 yrs. I PROMISE you, you would give your
left arm for another moment of breastfeeding your precious
baby. Besides formula really isn't a healthy subsitute.

I nursed my three each until they were 14 mos. I wean very slowly and just drop a feeding every couple of weeks as they are becoming more interested in their "sippy" cups. It was a very easy process and because it was so slow I really didn't suffer from engorgement. I don't think they noticed a change. I drop the night feeding last.
A.