Weaning Advice - Provo,UT

When I weaned, I just dropped one daily feeding each week. That gave my body time to get used to the dropped feeding. Once I was down to one feeding a day, I skipped that feeding (it was the morning feeding) and when I got uncomfortable, I would pump off just enough to be comfortable and then go as long as I could again before it was uncomfortable. It didn't take long until my body gave up on producing milk. If you're down to just pumping anyway, I would just give up pumping on a schedule & I would only pump when it gets a little uncomfortable & only pump off enough to relieve the pressure. Your body will adjust. Good luck!

Teeth and biting don't have to mean weaning. My son bit when a tooth was coming in. I would yell out and tell him it hurt and stop feeding. I would put a teether into his mouth, or my finger. When he seemed to want milk again, or had stopped chomping down, I would try again. This lasted, maybe a day. Granted, when another tooth came in, it might happen again, but only once or twice. Just make sure that it doesn't become a game. Sometimes the "OUCH" is fun for them. If that is the case, unlatch and put him down for a minute. Still tell him that biting hurts mommy.

If you still want to wean, slowly drop feedings. For your last, you can decrease the time, but I think this just slows the inevitable. I was fine for the first 5 days, then got sore and full. The "solutions" didn't work for me, so I just toughed it out, and it lasted about 10 days. Good luck.

Cabbage in your bra will dry you up in days. It works like a charm.Just put a few leaves in your bra till they wilt then replace. I know it sounds crazy but it is great.

If you are truly ready to wean, only drop one feeding every 4 days or so, that way your body can adjust. If it is just because of biting but you wish to continue breastfeeding, please know that almost all babies go through a biting phase- you are not alone! The best tip I was given: as soon as baby bites, push his face into your breast (preferably without a big emotional reaction from you, since they can get excited by that). By doing that baby can't breathe and has to pop off. They don't like that sensation (not to mention they stop getting milk), and because they start to associate that with biting the biting stops.

Also, if you go to the La Leche League website they have a 1-800 number you can call for support and links so you can find a local leader. They always have great ideas and are willing to help.

Best wishes,
J.

If he wasn't biting, would you still be ready to wean him? Biting is normal, and it's usually fairly easy to deal with. Both of my older girls went through short biting phases. I told them "NO!" firmly and put them down for a minute or two. For other tips about preventing/dealing with biting, I would recommend checking out Kellymom.com (http://www.picosearch.com/cgi-bin/ts.pl). There are several things you might consider before you wean, First, did you know that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends nursing until at least a year? Second, we are in the middle of a very serious flu season. The antibodies your son is receiving from your milk is very important to keep him from getting sick and to help him heal quickly if he does get sick. You might consider trying to get him through this flu season. At that point, he should be about a year old, and then you can revisit the idea of weaning him. Finally, you said your husband is currently unemployed. If you do wean your son, you are going to need to start buying him formula. At only 7 months, he isn't old enough to go straight to solids for his nutritional needs. This could be a fairly significant cost for you, depending on your family budget.

Once you consider all the factors, you absolutely need to do what is best for you, your son, and your family as a whole. When you do decide to wean, you can find some great articles at Kellymom.org (http://www.picosearch.com/cgi-bin/ts.pl) or La Leche League's website (http://www.llli.org/NB/NBweaning.html).

Best of luck to you and your son,
S. L

I'm wondering, too, if you could get him to stop biting, would you still want to wean. Babies like to test things out- including biting. When my daughter bit me, I would firmly say "no", take her off of the boob, set her on the floor and walk away. This made her so upset she got the idea that biting wasn't OK. We continued our nursing until she was 2 1/2. If you are ready to wean, no matter, put cold cabbage leaves in your bra and switch out a new leaf every few hours. This will usually dry up your milk in about 24 hours. Plus, the cold leaf feels really good on an engorged breast. Good luck!

Eat Parley and it drys up your milk and makes it not taste as good for the baby! It works like a charm.You can eat it fresh or in capsules.
I'm a mother of 5 nursing babies!
Also you can take "activate" and it helps to keep your immune system strong so you won"t get an infection.

Hi R.,

That could be a tough one... I understand how you feel, both of my kiddos never wanted to stop nursing.
I am guessing that you may already have heard advice like this or tried my recomendations, but just incase here it is:

I did not really understand why my kiddos had such a need to nurse so long, but might have just figured it out.
We as Mothers especially with more then one kiddo maybe multi tasking so much that the nursing becomes the main source for them to get all of the attention & for us to slow down..

We as Moms are so keyed into our babies eyes, needs, wants etc while we nurse.. That's not to say we arn't when we're not, but the child feels it the most at that time. If you could slowly cut out nursings to replace with another activity like reading a story on your lap to him, interacting while he eats smiling, singing,talking, dancing with him to music & giving lots of smiles & eye contact as much as you can throughout the day. Any kind of behavior good or bad such as biting is just a way for him to let you know he's uncomfortable or senses that something is happening.

Probably right now he's uncomfortable with teeth coming in & feels that he needs you more then ever, but yet he may sense your need to stop nursing so he's trying his best to let you know his frustration / his need. I know how hard it is to nurse for a long time, but I wish you the strength & ability to stop if you feel you must or continue on if you discover that is most beneficial for your little guy at this time.

As for the Mastitis I am so sorry to hear & hope that situtation clears up. I've had the mastitis and know how painful it is. When I tried to wean my first, it happend cause I'd only let him nurse for a short time on one side at a time. Maybe if you could let him nurse longer? If he's not interested in nursing longer then??
Have you talked to your pediatrician & regular family doctor? I am not sure how helpful that'll be advice is easy to give and take, but when it comes to weaning it's so tough on both Mom & baby.

I wish you the best and hope that things get better quickly for both of you! What ever you do make sure your at peace with it too cause once you stop nursing it is very final.. Enjoy this time as much as you can before you know it he'll have outgrown it anyway and may not be into the cuddling. The biting maybe something that you'll need to tap his lip w/your index finger, pull back & say no.
Sincerely,
K.

sudafed.... benadryl... anything that will dry your sinuses will also dry up your milk. Just make sure its safe for baby if you are still pumping to feed to him. Sudafed is fine and so is benadryl, but I would use them after you pump.

S.