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

[PaulsMom]

Hi,

I started the weaning process with my LO a few weeks back after ds turned 1 year.  Things seemed to have gone ok and today was my last "planned" breastfeed.  I managed to drop a feed every 5 days starting with the daytime feeds. I decided to drop the before bed feed before the morning feed because ds seems to drink more in the morning and would leave me "empty".  The before bed feeding was the hardest to drop so far.  On Tuesday he refused to take a bottle from me, didn't like the sippy and then refused to take a bottle from dh so he went to bed without his last milk feed.  Normally bottles aren't an issue but it's been many months since I've offered one to him (dh gives him at least one bottle per week).  Anyways, last night he managed to drink around 4-5 oz of cows milk from a sippy before his bath so I think we are (hopefully) on the right track. 

I'm worried that I'm going to get clogged ducts as I seem to be prone to this.  How long does it take for the milk to dry up if you have bf for 1 year or so?  (I've heard that it takes longer if you have bf for a shorter period of time e.g. 3 or 6 months).  Also does anyone have any advice on how to prevent clogged ducts? I'm already wearing a tight sports bra.

thanks in advance!

[Gypsymom]

Hi PaulsMom. Way to go on nursing your DS all the way through his first year. That's so terrific!

The rule of thumb here I think is to just express enough to remain comfortable, if needed. There were a few days when I needed to relieve the pressure (the shower is great for this, or a breastpump if you have one) but don't do too much as you are trying to 'tell' your ducts that no more milk is required. I think for most it only takes a few days of actual discomfort, but it could be much longer before you truly have zero milk. HTH!

[PaulsMom]

Hi Shannon,

thanks!  I didn't think that I would be able to feed for the 1st year.  The 1st 6 weeks were hellish and there were so many days that I just wanted to quit.  Anyways, we hung in there and I'm glad that we did. I'm glad to hear that it may only be a few days of discomfort.  I haven't hand expressed before but I'll give it a try rather than going back to my pump.

[Gypsymom]

How is it going, PaulsMom?

My little guy is refusing my 'weaker' side so I think the supply must be way down. Should I be taking herbs or something to try to increase it? Are they safe when pregnant? I told DH I might have to add a second feed to keep my milk but he would rather I just wrap it up entirely. 5 months of TTC with no BFP yet.

[PaulsMom]

Hi Shannon,

Well it's been 9 days since our last breastfeed.  DS is doing fine.  I think that he has forgotten about breastfeeding and is taking well to the sippy of milk 

Me on the other hand...  My right side is doing fine but my left side is not so great.  I have a milk blister (I had it while I was nursing) and I think that it is preventing me from clearing a duct on the underside of my left boob.  I was in the shower a long time today trying to hand express the milk out but not much came out    I even tried to pump but I didn't want to go too long for fear of stimulating more supply.  I'm going to the doctor's on Tuesday so hopefully I can hold out until then and maybe she can clear the pore. 

I think that the foods that increase supply will be fine.  As for herbs, some might be ok.  Check out this link:
http://www.breastfeeding.com/all_about/fenugreek/all_about_fenugreek_pregnant.html

I'm not familiar with this site but it sounds like there is some information out there so your doctor, a LC or pharmacist should know.  I've also called MotherRisk (I'm located in Ontario Canada), about what is safe to take.  They seem to have a huge database of information. 

Of course, your breastfeeding may be impeding your chances so I guess you may have to decide whether or not to continue or just let things wind down. 

HTH

[Gypsymom]

Glad to hear DS is transitioning so smoothly. My left side has always been my producer too. When I stopped night-nursing cold turkey, I got a plugged duct on that side (ouch!!). I have heard of moms popping their own milk blisters with a sterile needle but have to admit I don't know much about those. One thing I learned was although it was sore and I could feel a lump (actually quite high up, close to my collar bone!) it was a mistake to rub at it. You can only try to dislodge the blockage if you're also expressing or pumping at the same time. Otherwise you make it worse. I had an ultrasound of the lump to make sure it was nothing since it didn't go away on its own for a few days. The good news is that ultrasound itself is actually helpful for breaking it up.

Thanks for the link on the herbs. Have you tried any of the ones to 'dampen' supply now that you're trying to get milkless? http://kellymom.com/herbal/milksupply/herbs-oversupply.html

[PaulsMom]

I haven't tried to take any herbs to decrease supply although I was going to try cabbage as I had heard from a friend that it works well.  My left side is starting to absorb the milk as I'm less sore today than yesterday (yeah!).

I had also read on the net that you can remove the milk blister with a sterile needle however I don't have the guts to try this.  I'll see if the dr can remove it for me and hopefully that will clear things up.

How is the morning feed going?  Have you tried compressions?  I was able to get my LO to stay on my right (weaker) side longer if I did them. 

[Gypsymom]

Glad to hear your L side is improving. I don't blame you wanting to wait for 'professional help' - I can hardly remove my own wood splinters!

The morning feed is going okay, thanks for asking. I have found that if I sing to him, he'll stay latched longer. I put him to the weak side first, sing, and then switch him to the stronger side and let him gulp it down and be "all done!". Most days I can get him to stay with me for a good 15 minutes. Once in awhile it's more like 3 minutes and occasionally, he'll tuck in for 30. I am trying to memorize it all as I know that it's unlikely we'll go on this way for many months. It "feels" like goodbye, but very, very gentle.

I admitted to my DH last night that I am grieving the end of DS's babyhood. For a long time, I nursed and tucked him in every night. With that feed gone now, DH is mostly doing stories and tucking in. I miss the warm snugglies of a sleepy, dreamy baby nestled in my arms. Tonight though, DH is at a meeting so I did bedtime on my own -- it was lovely to rock my little guy in his darkened bedroom while I sang a quiet song (the routine that DH and I agreed on when I first dropped the feed - works great!). We still put him down awake but I got a small fix of that dozy, fresh 'n clean from the bath, snuggly boy. AHHHHH!

[PaulsMom]

Oh, I know what you mean about having a snuggly little baby to cuddle.  My guy is so busy that he no longer has time for cuddles during the day - especially now that he's weaned.  When I was breast feeding him, I think he was only drinking for around 10 mins but would snuggle in and suckle for another 20!  It was nice to have this special time.  It made it hard to completely wean him.  I had thought about keeping the morning feed but given my schedule once I start work, I figured it would be better to drop it.  Now at bedtime he sits on my lap with his sippy of milk but it's not really the same.  He is however starting to snuggle in when we are doing are bedtime wind down routine.

[Beata]

Looks like the last post was a while ago. Anyone actively weaning? We are down to 1 morning feed a day...formula in bottle the rest, and I am considering weaning...but have mixed feelings (guilt, saddness, but also looking forward to having my body back because she's been dairy intolerant). I started on formula so I would not have to pump if milk was needed (I have a 4.5 year old which sometimes made pumping difficult, but mostly because I felt it took time away from her, IYKWIM). The morning snuggles are nice and dd is a spirited child.

[Gypsymom]

We finished weaning (DS simply would not have it) at 16.5 months. Surprisingly, my spirited DS has become more cuddly (for reading, etc) than when we were still nursing.

You are doing a great job, Beata! I wonder if maybe you could have dairy now that you've just the one feed, if you had it after the feed and not for 12 hours before the next one? My DH can't do dairy, but my naturopath recommended that we might be able to use butter because it's all fat and therefore not milk protein (the usual culprit) and it does seem to be fine for him. If he has even a sniff of sour cream or something though, he will be very sick!

[Smookies_Mama]

Its been a while since the last post, but any advice would be great.

My dd is about 10.5mos old. She has weaned herself down to  2 feeds in 24hrs. One at bedtime, around 6pm and one at 2am (which doesn't bother me, because she's still just 15lbs). The minute she wakes up, she's busy busy busy--a true spirited child-- and has no time to sit and breastfeed. That being said, she doesn't like to sit and take a bottle either. She only feeds for 3 minutes at 2am and about 6 minutes at 6pm. So not long at all. And I can't pump anymore. She's been drinking soy formula for 2.5 months now because when she initially started to refuse to feed at 8 months, I was worried that she would drop wt. Cow's milk formula didn't sit well with her at that time. She's always had a sensitive stomach. I plan on trying to re-introduce cow's milk formula within the next few days to see if she can tolerate it. I think it will help her to gain more weight, as I assume its fattier than soy.

What I'm asking is how to cut the bedtime/through the night feeds...or even if I should. I'm all for breastfeeding and have loved everyminute of it...but I think I'm starting my period again (it's been 19months!!) and she keeps getting the hiccups from my milk. And I just think this would be a good time to stop. The bedtime one will be the hardest...as the minute she has her pj's on, she's crawling to me and grabbing at my chest. I don't get any help from my hubby at night (its an ongoing issue) so any advice on how to go it alone is wonderful.

[Gypsymom]

Cee, having your period back is no reason to quit (mine came back at only 4 months and I was nursing A LOT!!). Personally I would keep the bed time feed as long as you can, especially in this oh-so-chilly Canadian winter (for the antibodies). If you drop the 2am, she may respond by either lengthening the bedtime feed, or perhaps increasing her solids. It usually takes a few days for this to go well (or rather, nights!). My DH was pretty poor in the nightime department too, but I did manage to convince him to help for 2 or 3 nights to drop the overnight feed.

Good luck!

[Smookies_Mama]

Unfortunately, DD decided all on her own last night to skip the bedtime feed altogether. She did wake up alot, but I didn't want her to think that I'd breastfeed through the night (to try and cut that 2am feed), so I just gave her water from a bottle. She settled fine! Today she was more clingy than I've seen in a longtime, but I havent' nursed through the day for quite some time now...so she took a bottle of formula on my lap, facing inwards with her head on my chest. It was a lovely few moments. I personally think that's she's ready to stop breastfeeding and has been for a while...but wasn't ready to stop the attachment (does that make sense?). I'm not sure that I'm ready for it, tbh...but today wasn't bad. We snuggled quite a bit more and she ate an immense amount of food. Tonight, while bathing her, I wore a tank top, put her jammies on and hugged and kissed her goodnight, more than normal...thinking that she'd reach for a boob in the process...but she didn't even blink at them. I'm saddened by all of this, but she seems to be happy. We'll see how tonight goes...

[Riley&Avery'sMommy]

Hi there
My DD is 11 months and as her first birthday approaches (Jan. 30), I would like to begin actively weaning.  Currently, I BF her 4x a day (when I am at work, I miss one feed during which time I pump and she gets a bottle of part BM and mostly formula as I only get 1 oz. total if I'm lucky these days!) and solids are well established 3 times a day.  A few questions . . .

--I go back to work on Monday (Jan. 4) and I was wondering since I'm barely getting any BM during my pumping session anyway, if I should stop pumping at that time and continue to give her formula only until we see her pediatrician right after her first birthday to discuss cow's milk?  If I stop pumping at that feed during the week, what should I do on weekends?  Right now, I always BF her at that feeding on weekends.
--Once she turns one and I begin cow's milk, should I slowly start replacing all the feeds with it?  I'm thinking of starting with the second feed of the day, then the third, then the morning feed, and finally the bedtime feed.  Sound ok?  Should I get it down to 3 milk feeds?  I'm not sure how to do that with 2 naps a day.
--DD will take sips of water from her sippy cup quite well but do I start with bottles first then move to the sippy cups?  Or right to the sippy?  Also, how much cow's milk should be in each serving?

I'm so happy to have made it the full year as planned.  I have enjoyed it all along (except pumping!) and will be sad to stop but I'm ready to move on.  Any advice you ladies can give me is much appreciated!