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

[badpixie]

thanks KM, thats pretty scary! OK back to the drawing board. Will talk to my dr ASAP

[Lewa2]

Thanks Fiver.  I seem to have had a cold for months (kids have started daycare and are sharing the germs!), but the spot isn't red.  It doesn't feel as tender today, so I'm hoping it was just some odd thing that resolved itself. 

[Fiver]

Are you using any hormonal contraceptives (mini pill, mirena coil)?  The lump could be hormone related.  That said, any breast lump is better checked out than ignored

[Mooches]

Hi ladies, this is my first post & I need your advice on a few things! My little lady Mollie is 8 mths old & I'm back to work in a month. I'll be working 9-3. I'd like to feed her in the morning & evening but am trying to decide whether to give the childminder an expressed bottle or formula for the middle of the day or push out that feed to after 3 so I can feed her. I've gotten very lazy with expressing & feel it would be another thing to do in an already busy day. At the moment Mollie feeds 3 or 4 times a day - morning, middle of the day & bedtime then I give her DF before I go to bed & she's been sleeping through for about a month (give or take a few unsettled nights). Sometimes she'll look for a feed mid morning & I give it to her. She still hasn't got any teeth but is on 3 meals of solids a day. The mid morning feed seems to be on the days when her teeth are at her or when she has a cold. I'm also worried that she's not getting enough milk (read it should be minimum 18-20oz a day) as she's into everything, gets very distracted & (apart from bedtime feed) has to be almost wrestled into position & then might feed for only 4-5 mins!!! Could this be self weaning? She loves her 'booby bainne' (Irish for booby milk) so I'm confused! Feel I need to fine tune her routine & have set booby bainne times. Any suggestions in how to go about it over the next month?
Thanks in advance!

[beckygatt]

I'm in a similar situation. Going back to work next week but just until 12.30. At the moment she feeds (BF) at about 7, 11/11.30, 3.30 and a bottle before bed. She also has 3 solid meals a day. So I'll be at work for the late morning BF. Not sure whether to leave a bottle of formula or tell babysitters to give her solids and see if she'll hold out till I'm back at 1 for a BF... Expressing isn't really an option at this stage as nothing comes out! Any ideas?

[Khalam's Mama]

Ds1 was a bit older when I went back to work but he was fine missing bf he usually has. As long as you get 4 feeds in 24hrs it is less important exactly what time I think. It is up to you if the pumping is too much. I would see hoe you feel when you are back and if pumping is too inconvenient drop it and do ff for that. We still did 4 feeds at weekends and 3 when at work.

[Shiv52]

I agree that it more about getting the feeds rather than timing at this age. 

Becky I think you'd be fine to do leave the BF to 1pm. 

Mooches...i would too push that feed out to 3pm and you may find she takes a better feed at that stage.

 

'booby bainne' (Irish for booby milk)

  LOL!  I have never heard that before and i'm from Ireland x

[Riley&Avery'sMommy]

Hi ladies, jumping in here to look for some advice on my plan to wean in the next few weeks. I still BF Avery but would like to wean in the next 2 weeks (DH has planned an overnight trip for us on April 12 during my vacation from work). I was planning to wean at about a year old anyway, as I did with DD1. Right now, I BF at w/u, she gets a bottle of formula after nap 2, and I BF before bed. She loves solids and has been a good eater so far. My ped said to start introducing cow's milk in a sippy cup at mealtimes and not in a bottle at the times she was normally BFing. She hasn't had much interest in the milk yet but eats yogurt & cheese daily so I'm not concerned. So I guess my question is, what do you think my plan should be as far as dropping the last 2 BFs & bottle of formula in the next few weeks? Even though this is my second time around, it's nice to get some ideas from others, thanks!

[*Ali*]

What about don't offer don't refuse? Or would she ask? I found distraction very good for weaning the morning feed. When do you BF he at BT? Is it right before bed after the rest of the BT routine? I found moving it before the BT routine made it less associated with BT and my ds1 lost interest when he had been so keen when it was the lat thing we did at night. I guess then it was a choice of BF or sleep. Whereas once we switched the order he was happy to go off and have stories etc.

[Fiver]

If you're on a tight schedule, don't offer don't refuse might be a bit too gradual for you.

You might want to consider some of the other options available (a really good guide at this website http://kellymom.com/ages/weaning/wean-how/weaning-techniques/)

[beckygatt]

I'll be weaning DD2 in the coming weeks too... She takes a BF morning and after lunch and a bottle at night, which I thought I'd keep for a while. I always found distraction to be a very good technique when weaning DD1; just going out or doing something at the time of the normal feed. My question is though, at what age will they not need the milk? And what age can they take cows milk, and how many times a day would they need it? She is eating loads but of course the milk is very substantial too.

[*Ali*]

Becky in the UK we are advised los can drink whole (full fat) cows milk instead of BF or formula from 12mo. Before that the WHO recommend 4 BFs a day. Ideally if you wean before 12mo in the UK you've be advised to substitute with formula rather than cows milk. Obviously there wouldn't be any of the immunity benefits they get from BFing from either the ff or the wcm. 1yo+ they need the equivalent of about 600ml of wcm but that can be in the form of other full fat dairy like yoghurt or cheese. It is mainly the calcium they need at this stage which can also be got from leafy veg and other solid foods too.

[badpixie]

In my recent research I've found that its the fat they need from the milk rather than the calcium. Apparently its actually pretty hard to absorb the calcium in cow's dairy, so they get that from veg (and tinned fish is a good source too). The reason whole milk is recommended is for the fat content, for the brain development.

[*Ali*]

Yes and I think also the fat soluble vitamins as well as just the fat itself. I've never heard that about the calcium being hard to absorb from cows milk. Do you remember where you read it Hayley? Sounds like I need to read up again.

[beckygatt]

I've read too that calcium isn't easily absorbed from milk, from more than one source. Can't remember where though!