Pregnancy & Motherhood Forum

3 times · by **LaraE** » Sun Jul 29, 2012 10:21 am

For various reasons, i'm going to begin the weaning process. LO is almost 11 months. I anticipate by 12 mos she'll be weaned.

Anyway, was wondering the easiest way to do this ( easiest for her and for my breasts). She takes bottles during the week at daycare and also everynight at bedtime, so i dont anticipate a problem in that way

Just wondering how to gradually cut out BF sessions and replace those with bottle or sippy. At bedtime, she doesnt get boob. What should ve the next feeding to go? Does it matter? And should i wait a few days/a week after giving up a session, before cutting the next?

I obviously dont want to get engorged, etc

2 times · by **Kryssy** » Sun Jul 29, 2012 12:15 pm

I started weaning DS by cutting 1 session a week. I started with morning as he really liked eating oatmeal so I figured he wouldn't miss it as he was full from eating anyways. Then I waited a week for him to get used to that then cut another. It took a month and then I was down to the bedtime one which I didn't mind, I teach kindergarten and I liked the idea of him getting exposed to all the germs and antibodies through breastfeeding, so I continued with that one until he was 14 months old. Then we had to stop because I had 3 nights of Parent teacher interviews and they were right at his bedtime so daddy had to put him to bed.
My breasts never got engorged or anything, I was expecting them to but they seemed to make it through fine. lol

3 times · by **LaraE** » Sun Jul 29, 2012 1:36 pm

Thanks, good to know. Yesterday we were gone all day, i nursed her after breakfast alittle, then not again until about bedtime and my boobs were engorged all night cuz she fell
Asleep and didnt empty them.

13 times · by **fodla** » Sun Jul 29, 2012 1:55 pm

Just remember that if you are weaning before 1 year, it's recommended to switch to formula, not milk.

The more gradual the weaning process, the easier it will be on baby emotionally and you physically.

3 times · by **LaraE** » Sun Jul 29, 2012 1:58 pm

Oh yeah we're def switching to formula which we already sometimes supplement with

13 times · by **fodla** » Sun Jul 29, 2012 2:26 pm

Can I ask what made you decide to switch? You always seemed to be so pro-BFing, this announcement surprised me!

3 times · by **LaraE** » Sun Jul 29, 2012 2:51 pm

Oh i am pro BF, but i have never loved it and i always sort of planned to be done with it around 12 months. That plus a couple personal things are what's precipitating this.

3 times · by **kc12345** » Wed Aug 01, 2012 12:04 pm

Thank you for this advice too! I am just starting the process of weaning my 4 month old and I want to avoid engorgement too.

3 times · by **LaraE** » Tue Aug 07, 2012 3:23 pm

Update: we're down to nursing twice a day now, rest of the time she gets bottles. She's been fine with it. She's 11 months today. We'll probably hang on to the morning nursing session for a while. Thats when she nurses for the longest amt of time. I call it her morning coffee lol she needs it to fully wake up

7 times · by **jessm** » Wed Aug 08, 2012 9:10 am

Glad its going well!

3 times · by **LaraE** » Fri Aug 10, 2012 9:15 am

The best part about this is I have stopped pumping during the work day. Its glorious!

45 times · by **BeccaM** » Sat Aug 11, 2012 8:50 am

We didn't wean until 16 mos and it was more baby-led (he is always go-getter and was ready to wean earlier than some might). I just cut out naptime nursing at first, one at a time. Then he learned better how to self-comfort, and cut out his MOTN feeding on his own. After that, it just left the early morning feeding and bedtime. Early morning wasn't too hard to cut out (DH helped by going in and comforting him so he knew that he wasn't going to get any milk) and then the bedtime feeding he cut on his own. He just started falling asleep without it while we were on vacation so I didn't force i t.

This was over a period of months for us (I basically cut one feeding a month), so I had no engorgement.

7 times · by **jessm** » Mon Aug 13, 2012 10:25 am

Lara I can't wait to not have to pump at work. 4.5 more months LOL

3 times · by **LaraE** » Mon Aug 13, 2012 12:55 pm

Jess, it's the best.

Sometimes when my previous pump times arrive during the work day, i stop for a second and say "oh crap, i have to pump" but then I remember that i don't! lol

We're down to nursing just once per day now, first thing in the morning. Until this past Saturday, I was also doing an afternoon session, but she doesnt want to be bothered and would just bite me when I tried to nurse lol so we gave that one up too