Weaning/breastfeeding Year Olds

Congratulations on breastfeeding your twins! Thats incredible!

Since you pump, I would take those 'feedings' out first. Stop pumping one session a day for a week. The next week, stop another pumping session, and then the third week, stop that last one. If its too painful, go two weeks before dropping another pumping session. Basically at this point your body will easily adjust to milk intake, its an 'expert' at regulating now, so dropping one pumping session a week will allow your body to adjust slowly, decreasing milk without you becoming engorged.

Then, go ahead and continue nursing them in the morning for as long as you all desire. My boys nursed well beyond a year, but after around 15/16 months they only nursed in the AM and at bedtime. Around 18 months they were waking up not interested in nursing so we just stopped that one too unless they asked for it, and only nursed at bedtime for a loooong time after that. :)

If you want to cut the morning nursing too, then do the same thing with cutting out that morning session.

Also, I would just get rid of the bottle at this time too, or they will use that as a replacement comfort object. Stick with a sippy cup, straw cup, etc and ditch teh bottle.

My son weaned from me, frankly, right before a year. I went back to work when he was 6 mo. old and pumped, but it got too painful, but we just nursed in the AM and them in the PM (augmented with formula or milk). I think I eventually just got too "flat" from lack of hard core nursing b/c I remember laying in the bed with him and he poking my deflated breat with a look like "what is this? is this all? ah, nevermind!" Eventually I just nursed him in the morning, but then just stopped all about 1 year. I think at some point it was more for me then him (I enjoyed the closeness). You sound like your nursing is "stronger" so I guess maybe stop pumping and eventually reducing the nuring episodes over a few weeks. You'll produce less, and they'll get more nutrients from their food. And you'll get your boobs back! ;-)

First off congrats on BF w/o formula as long as you have. That's awesome. I would knock the afternoon feeding out. My DD was too distracted to feed at lunch so that was my first to go. I went to daycare like 3 out of the 5 days to feed her and the next week I went 2 days and then I just stopped going. I still BF am, nap, pm but if you want to wean from am and pm I'd just take out a feeding a few times a week while you maintain the other feeding. Eventually you'll do away with the am feeding lets say and then you can work on the pm feedings. It's best on both of you to gradually do it over time. Good luck to you:)

Wow A.,
Way to go on the nursing! You are dedicated and that's awesome! When I weaned my son, I did it really slowly. I'd take out a feeding and wait another week or 2 before I took out another feeding. Eventually I was down to just mornings, and then every other morning for a few weeks, then every 3rd morning... then I finally remember going on a trip and when I came back I wasn't going to nurse. I think I nursed 3 more times over the course of 2 weeks and decided it was enough. He was over a year and it was getting harder for me emotionally to deal with stopping, so I just made the decision. I was also dealing with some partially plugged milk ducts, so that's why I weaned so slowly.
I remember for him, I mixed breastmilk with whole milk for awhile so he would have a good transition to drinking whole. That seemed to help his taste buds adjust. Good luck and again, great job- with twins even! :)
N