WEANING thread...Come and share your experiences and offer support.

[Lizer3]

I just wanted to say thank you for your kind words.

Samuel doesn't seem to hate me!!! Yay!!! He has not BF'd in 4 days now.

Thank you again!!
Elizabeth

[Samuel's mum]

Yay indeed!!! Well done you.

[Aly Mac]

great news 

[h.antoinette]

Hi everybody!

I think I am officially done breastfeeding.
Our last nursing session was a week before Valentine's Day. I'm still kind of sad about it because sometimes, when I rock her to sleep, she suckles on my bicep a few seconds at a time...does she miss it too?
We started weaning when she was about 11 months. She was nursing betwen 8 to 10 times during the day. I started by giving her snacks in between meals instead of nursing. That went over well.
I was down to 4 nursing sessions around December, and I decided to give it a break for the Holidays and resumed with the weaning in January.
I was nervous about taking away these last 4 nursing session, since they were the most important for both of us (I nursed her first thing in the morning, for her  naps and to put her to sleep at night) since it made both of our lives to have a harmonic rhythm.
I took away the nursing session that put her to sleep for her first nap...big mistake, she would stay awake until the following nursing session and she wasn't happy about it at all. She started to wake up in the middle of the night too.
Then, instead, I went back to nursing and tries to stop associating nursing with following asleep - great idea from some ladies from this blog  - but that just made her even more miserable.
My child was a happy baby, and now she was crying constantly, extremely clingy, taking very irregular naps, and waking up four to five times at night.
So I went back to nursing to regain peace in my house and in my heart.
When things were getting better, I took away the first nursing session by having the TV on and offering breakfast right away. That worked!
Then, since I knew she could stay awake for six hours straight, I would take her new and exciting places to keep her awake and happy and I would only offer her to nurse for one nap a day. That worked too!
I got rid of the third nursing session easy too. I just would not nurse her nd started to rock her to put her to sleep. She protested it, but not for long, since she was just too tired and would fall asleep after a few minutes of rocking.
When my daughter started to look forward to the rocking for her only nap, that's when I decided to rock her at night too.
She did not protest. She went to sleep peacefully.
She is again happy, but her napping and sleeping schedule is all messed up. She wakes up constantly at night , and my husband and I are really tired. But at least, I have the memory of her sweet face nursing the last time we did.

To all the ladies trying to wean: courage, keep it up, and respect your feelings and your babies feelings too.

Take care!

[Molly2]

Hi Ladies

Just started weaning my little angel today.  She is 1 year and 1 week and normally only having 3 breastfeeds a day (an extra one if comfort needed).  She normally sleeps through but on the odd occasion if we are staying away from home and she wakes, I feed.

I'm not sure that I'm 100% ready to wean but I guess I'm getting there.  My main reason for weaning is that DD has been on the lowest curve on the growth chart since being slow to pass her birth weight in her first 6 weeks.  I tried everything to increase my milk supply, get her to drink more.  Now at a year, she eats 3 good meals a day and is still on the lowest curve so I feel the only sensible thing to do is to wean and hope her weight gain improves.  Another factor to me is that I didn't think I would be willing to let her self wean if she wanted to feed past say 2 and so I thought it would be unfair of me to continue when it might be traumatic for her later. 

I dropped her afternoon feed today and she had milk in a sippy cup 50% cows milk/50% formula.  Well I can honestly say, there wasn't a bother on her.  She really enjoyed her milk in a cup.  Interestingly enough, she drank in a similar pattern to how she breastfeeds ie gulped down for the first few minutes coming up for air gasping and then in a distracted/playful/comfort few sips every now and again afterwards.  The only noticable thing was that she was a bit clingy this afternoon but I've noticed that the dreaded SA seems to have only hit in the past week.

I thought that she might have a long bedtime feed, given her missed feed and me being fuller than usual but I was gutted that she was her usual speedy self.

Its a sad/happy time but I hope dropping the other two feeds go as smoothly.

Molly

[Aly Mac]

Molly, welcome to the thread. I know when I dropped the day times feeds I felt the same way...sad, but happy too.Sounds like your lo is doing just fine. I'm no expert but Ididn't think that dropping bf at this age would really increase their appetite for more calorie rich food.  I know it's not the case when they are younger, but no clue at this age!

[MomofCharlie]

Hi, Molly,
I read your post with interest. I'm also new to this thread, and have been absent for about a week, so not up to date on everyone's progress... My LO is 10.5 months, and I'd like to get him down to 3 BFs a day, with a view to weaning at about 14 months. When you give your LO the sippy cup with milk, do you hold her on your lap? Sitting or laying in  your arms? My LO didn't seem to want to take his sippy cup, and til now has only taken random sips of water from it, by biting the nipple rather than sucking. He's never had a bottle, so I'm kind of wondering what type of technique to use... Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Allison

[Molly2]

Hi Aleesa, I know you are probably right about the weight gain. I really thought that she would gain more weight when she started eating 3 decent meals a day.  I guess I have always had this lingering guilt/suspicion that if I'd had more milk, she would have gained more.  Anyway boy have I banged on about that enough on these boards!  Well we'll see how it goes now that she can have as much milk as she likes!

Hi Alisson, At around 6mths I started giving water in the sippy, one of the really basic ones where the water just spilled out.  I would say up until around 11months she only took a few small sips with her meals and more often that not would take a big mouthful of water, grin and dribble it out!  She has reflux and has to have gaviscon with her milk.  In the earlier months I used to give it to her in a bottle mixed with 1oz of formula/EBM.  From around 9/10mths I gave it to her in an open cup (do you know the doidy cup).  She loved drinking from the open cup but it was a bit messy!  I used to give it to her sitting on my knee sort of lying back against my chest.  The first time I tried to give her milk in the sippy cup/one with spout, she wouldn't take it as she thought is was water so I had to sort of spill some on her lips and when she realised it was milk, she took to it no problem and had 4oz.  She has only now at 12mths started having say 2oz of water with some meals/non with others.  I now realise that she takes it if she wants it/is thirsty and refuses otherwise.  I'd definately recommend cuddling while you give the cup and maybe try to introduce gradually with a little bit of milk

Best of luck and let us know how you get on.

Molly

[MomofCharlie]

Hi, Molly,
Thanks! I'm not aware of the Doidy cup, so went onto ebay, found one and ordered it! I'm in Canada, and it's coming from the UK, so won't have it for a while.
As it's the weekend and DH is home, I'm having him try to give Charlie formula in the sippy cup (as I write, in fact) as I retreat to the office to hide (and BW!).
DH just shouted up, and Charlie drank 2.5 of the 3oz we offered. Hopefully we can establish the habit a little bit this weekend, before DH has to return to work. I'm going to read back and see what other tips I can pick up.
Am I awful for wanting to start to wean him?? I feel badly, but really need some freedom...

Allison

[lyndsy_p]

Hi guys, I'd love to join in...as we are coming to a close of BFing my LO Graesha. I went back to work full time at 6.5 months and have continued BF, as she takes EBM from a bottle when I'm at work. I pumped A LOT in the beginning, especially on those 12hr days (5 times ). She is 11 months. We are down to 3 milkfeeds per day, and she is trying to drop her 1130 feed by decreasing her overall time at the breast and oz's in her bottle. I plan to wean that feed completely on the 15th/16th/17th of March when I am at work during the 1130 feed. I will get DH to just give her lunch when she wakes from her nap.

I'm sad but happy that we made it this long. I honestly thought that once I was back to work it would be done. Now that she is getting older it's hard to look at her as a baby, but more of a toddler and I think this is the right decision for us. Besides I am sooooo done with pumping.

Lyndsy

[lyndsy_p]

Oh jeeze, also meant to say that I am planning to wean the bedtime feed shortly after she turns 1yo. The morning feed I will hold onto for a few months longer...we'll see how it goes.

[Aly Mac]

in others experience, which is the easiest to wean if you are down to just morning and night?  the morning or the night feed. would be interested to hear which and why....

thanks

[nona]

hey aleesa,

 i quit nursing at night b/c cade was not hungry enough for it. it was more trouble that it was worth.  i had Dh put him down for the night and he used a bottle w/ water just in case but cade refused. it was pretty easy.  now, Dh always puts cade down for bed and does his bedtime routine. it is their special time together.

the morning can be easy too b/c you can offer solids instead of the breast. our morning feed was the last to go and it just happened one morning i offered and cade gave me a book instead to read! so, that was the end of that!

for me, i was ready to get rid of the night one. at the end of the day, i was ready for some "me" time so that is another reason i got rid of that one first. 

heather

[Aly Mac]

thanks Heather.xx 

[SiestaNoMore]

Hi Aleesa,
I had the opposite experience. I found it easier to "distract" my boy from the morning nurse. Instead of "cuddle time" in the morning, we just got up and started playing/eating etc.

Our nightime was tougher as nursing was part of our bedtime routine.
Guess it all depends on you and LO's routine.....

Hugs!