WEANING thread #2... Come share experiences and offer support

[Gypsymom]

Oops, that posted somehow.

1. Teeth
2. Bath and jammies
3. Into sleep sack and then 2-3 stories in rocking chair in his room (I used to nurse in mine so this was a key change)
4. DS turns lights out and then I rock him in the dark while I sing a lullabye (nice cuddly time for both of us!!)
5. Tuck into crib with lovey, walk away
6. DS babbles etc until falling asleep on own

This is still working beautifully for us many months later.

In the morning, I offer a cuddle and stories (DS asks for magazines since they have so many realistic photos in all those ads!) and then we go to breakfast. I give him a bowl of cereal and then give the sippy of milk. My choice has to been make milk a meals-only option and not try to make it a substitute for nursing at all.

[Squiggles Mom]

Hi Everyone!  Great posts.  I think I know what to do but, I'm not 100% sure.  My DD has mostly weaned herself now that I've figured out what foods she loves.  I have really only had to wean her off one daytime feed and the night feedings.  I started beginning of Dec because I go back to work part time mid Feb.  Unfortunately she got diarrhea (spelled wrong I'm sure) and the doctor said give her fluids especially breast milk.  Then the end of Dec beginning of Jan she got her first illness with fever    and again I was told to give her the breast.  So now I am at 4 feeds a day - one at each nap time, one close to bedtime and one early morning.  I need to get rid of the daytime feeds and fast!  I used to BF her to sleep and have just used PU/PD to get her to sleep on her own but the feed is part of her wind-down ritual.  I don't think she is really getting much from the feed as my breast are not producing like they used to. I've had to increase her snacks because she wouldn't go to sleep because she was hungry even with a BF close to nap time.
I admit I haven't been as commited to the weaning as I should be. The thought of stopping BF all together makes me want to cry   It's such a special bond and I love her so much that I hate to let it go.  Now I am crying!   Uh oh, someones waking up from nap. Gotta go!

[~Jen~]

Hi, Just need a shoulder as I"m going to start weaning and I'm feeling really sad about it. I've loved nursing my DS and was so happy when we finally got it established. I feel it has given us such a strong bond. But I've been back to work full time for 4 months now and expressing 2x a day every day.  It is starting to wear on me and getting too difficult to manage during my work day.  DS is also getting less interested in BFing during the day. I notice on the weekends, he is only nursing about 5 mins. My plan is to wean the day feeds over the next month and then see how I feel when he is 1 year old. Maybe I'll keep hte morning and bedtime feeds a bit longer.... 

As I start the process, should i just start pumping less and less for each daytime feed? 

[campbellchick]

Hi Jen, I really sympathise with you.  I was in the same boat just over a year ago.  I had been expressing for 4 months at work and gradually it wore me down.  I was sad to give up feeding dd, but it was a bit of a relief not to have to express at work anymore (especially since I travelled so often and had such little time to express during the day).  I hope you get through it okay, you have done a wonderful thing feeding him for so long already.  I had to start supplementing my dd with a bit of formula around 9 months because she was always so hungy - it seemed to fill her tummy and she started sttn when I did that (which was fantastic since I was exhausted getting up to both her and ds since he wasn't sttn then either, and working full-time).  Even though I kept up my expressing full-time at work and feeding dd whenever I was with her, my milk had dropped dramatically and like you, she wasn't feeding for long from me by the end either.  I did as you mentioned and pumped less at each pump session for a few days.  I had such little milk left though, it only took a few days, then I stopped completely and I was fine, it was all over and done with!  Best of luck with it, let us know how it goes for you.... 

[bovi]

Hello everyone, I am ready to wean too (with some melancholic feelings) My Ds is 16,5 mo and we are down to morning and evening feed for two months now. Today it was DH who went to him when he wake up and gave him the bottle. I got all dressed up and after(I know it is easier for hi when I dont flesh anything)He cried some 5 mins crying but then he was okay.

 I decided to break our earlier morning routine to make the transition easier. So now I will not go into him room in the morning and daddy dresses him.
Since it went quite okay today I am wondering whether actually it would be easier for him to wean both feeds now. Originally I was planning to only wean the morning one and then the evening one in a while (2 wks, 1 mo?) but it might be actually just prolonging the issue of weaning for him. Please tell me what you think? what would be easier for him?

TX!

[Gypsymom]

Hard to say, Viktoria,  but my instinct would be to wait and wind down the last feed in a couple of weeks or so. My first priority would be to keep sleep going well and too much change (even if he's more or less ready for nursing to be over) too quickly might throw you off.

BTW, you've had a great run. Well done you!

[bovi]

Thank you, I see your point, it migh look not too difficult at the moment but lets see what the following days bring. this morning, we had the same new routine, when he woke (he STTNed hurray!) I warmed milk and daddy went to get him. He was fussy and cried, did not want the milk at first. I went in the room and said. Good morning little bunny and kissed him. He wanted to grab my pullover with that faimilar move when he wants to nurse. I did not go closer just petted his head, and said, we dont nurse in the morning anymore you are a big boy now and came out of the room. He only fussed a bit more and drank the whole bottle while sitting with daddy. then he was calm I went in and brought him to the window as he loves to watch out of it. Then  all was good, I could dress him up and cuddled him to compensate. In ten minutes I was off as I had to go to work.

Please keep your fingers crossed for us that we have a  smooth transition. I ll keep with the evening feed for now.
thanks gypsymom!

[bovi]

Jen, I was also pumping in the office once a day for three months. I got less and less quantity, when I decided to stop the pumping my breasts had no strong reaction at all. What quantity you pump? If it is not too much I would not worry.
Does your lo get already formula or milk?

[~Jen~]

I had the same experience, i started getting less and less during the day and it wasn't too much trouble to stop all together.  I've decided to keep with the morning and bedtime BFs for now.  I'll probably wean the morning one in a few weeks and then the bedtime one a few weeks later.  It hasn't been easy for me, but he has been fine with it.  Now that I stopped pumping, he has been having frozen EBM topped up with a bit of formula.  Once my frozen supply is gone, I hope to introduce to cows milk.

[Riley&Avery'sMommy]

I had the same experience with pumping.  I pumped once a day at work from September to January.  I was barely getting an ounce total at the end.  I slowly started weaning from 4 BF's a day in January and just this Saturday, weaned from the bedtime feed.  I cried, DD was totally fine!  I can't believe the transition was so easy.

[CCCmom27]

Ready to start weaning DS who is almost 2.  Not sure how I'm feeling about it; I know it's time.  I've decided this morning was our last morning feed.  He nursed a couple minutes then ran off to play.  Hopefully he won't miss it tomorrow morning.  I know I will.

[Sarah72]

Cccmom27, how is it going? I have just stopped feeding my almost 2 year old and I am feeling sad.

[jenniewren]

Hi ladies, my BM supply is dropping loads as I'm 5 wks pg - my lo is 1 yr next week. He is drinking cows milk well & eating more solids so that side of things is going ok. He doesn't seem bothered by it..I think I'm far more concerned  I really don't want to finish feeding him but my body is not co-operating!

 I'm feeding 2-3 times in the day & x1 in the night - this is getting shorter & shorter. He goes back into his cot and straight to sleep til morning (most  of the time).

My concern is his bedtime routine. Up til now it's been bath, teeth, In the Night Garden, into sleepsack, BF, rock & sing then into his cot & I walk away. As long as he's tired enough he goes straight to sleep on his own. I'm worried that he won't be wound down enough without the BF. I'll have a read through the thread & see what experiences other mums have had - but does anyone have any suggestions for bedtime routine??

Jen x

[Sarah72]

Hi. My dswas a bit older so we just explained to him that he was a big boy now and was not going to have mummy milk. We bought him a special new cup and gave him cows milk in that instead. I could not work out how to change the routine so I am probably no help there!

[sentimentalgirl]

Hello ladies,

I'm new to the forum and I have to be honest...I didn't go through all the replies. The thread is so long!

I have a 13 months old girl and I cut down on breastfeeding when she was 12 months. I went back to work and I breastfeed now only twice a day - in the morning before I go to work (at 5:30am) and before bed time (at 7:15pm).  I feel like it's time to stop breastfeeding completely but I don't know how to go about it.  Here is why:

1. she used to sleep through the night (till 7-8pm) before I went to work because I used to breastfeed when she woke up.  Now I breastfeed at 5:30am and she automatically wakes up because she knows it's time to breastfeed.  How do I stop?  What do I do when she wakes up at 5:30am?

2. in the evening...I tried to give her cereal 2 days ago (hoping I would stop breastfeeding) but she wouldn't take it. I think she knows it's breastfeeding time...not cereal time. 

3. she HATES cow's milk.  I tried everything and she is not drinking milk at all.  She drinks only water and juices.  Right now, she is also little bit on a light size....doctor said she needs to gain weight.  I"m worried if I stop breastfeeding she won't get any MILK and she will loose more weight.

I hope anyone can help me...I just don't know what to do anymore....sometimes I"M thinking maybe I should continue breastfeeding?  other times...i feel like i want to stop because I"m getting tired of it and I want to have more freedom.