Paula, perfect timing for this. You are awesome!
Yesterday my little girl turned one (hooray!). I have been nursing her and am now ready to wean her since she is a year. Let's face it, I'm ready to stop and be able to leave her with a sitter for a decent amount of time.
So, all you moms out there, what kind of advice do you have for weaning your child? I'm dying to know. (well, not really, but you get the idea).
Since every kid weans at a different time, it could take only a week or so or it could take much longer. My oldest weaned herself right before her birthday, so she is not a good reference. But my other daughter, I just gave her whole milk in a bottle/sippy cup during the day and slowly cut back on the frequency of nursing. Then it got to be once before bed and maybe in the morning... and the rest of the day was milk. Then no mornings. Night time is the hardest to drop for most kids, so we did milk until she didn't want it then I'd finish and nurse. Then there really was nothing left to give her and she was on her own. Your body will help you if you are diligent. Don't frustrate "Bromus" but make the new milk seem like she's getting the best thing! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI was on somewhat of a time constraint, as we had planned a vacation (without baby!) for shortly after her first birthday, but I was loving nursing so much that I put off weaning until the last minute. She was still eating 2x a night and 4x a day, so I stopped the nighttime feedings first, and had to utilize CIO (it worked for us, but I know it's not for everyone) and that made for some very uncomfortable mornings! It took about three days for my body to adjust, and then I took one of the afternoon feedings out. My body responded well, so after a few days I took out the other afternoon feeding, then the morning. The baby naturally took more sippy cups throughout the day, but wasn't interested in whole milk. I gave her lots of whole milk yogurt instead, and she drank water all day. Once the feedings were down to just once at bedtime, she seemed to lose interest and I could only get her to nurse for a few minutes on one side. After a couple of days like that, I figured I might as well stop altogether. She didn't seem to mind, but I sure did! I was in a lot of pain for about 5 days before I tried the cabbage trick (cold cabbage leaves tucked in your shirt). It really helped, and after another couple of days, I was comfortable again.
ReplyDeleteSo, my advice: take it slow! If baby doesn't cooperate, pump a little (less and less each day) to help your body adjust slowly. Otherwise, it can get quite painful!