weaning help please

My ds just turned one and I want to stop breastfeeding. I haved loved
it, but want and need to stop. I work and just can't take pumping
anymore. I just don't know how to wean. My older son never nursed so
this is my first experience with weaning. Right now he nurses, or
takes a bottle when I am at work (which I also want to get rid of) 4
times a day. When he wakes in the morning around 7-7:30am, around
11am, around 4pm and just before bed around 7-7:30pm. I have tried to
get him to take water from a cup for 6 months now and he won't do it.
I will be trying whole milk for the first time at lunch today since
I'll have to wean him to something other than breast milk. So...what
do I do to wean. Thanks!

basically he's going to have to have some nutrition that isn't breastmilk,
most people use cows milk, so instead of leaving bottles of pumped milk for
him, you can leave cups (not bottles) of cows milk. You may find you still
have to pump a little if you get engorged, but at age 1 found I could just
stop pumping at work without having to taper, but I was only doing it once
for a short time anyway. You may find that once you have stopped pumping,
that you are happy to continue to breastfeed, if you still want to stop,
then drop one feed at a time, the last one to go is likely to be first thing
in the morning, or before bed, just depending on you child.

Anne

"dana" wrote in message
oups.com...
My ds just turned one and I want to stop breastfeeding. I haved loved
it, but want and need to stop. I work and just can't take pumping
anymore.

FWIW, you can stop pumping at this point and still keep breastfeeding. If
wanting to stop pumping is the ONLY reason you're wanting to wean, then know
that you don't HAVE to pump at this stage. At a year postpartum, your milk
production is probably on a true supply-and-demand system, which means you
don't store much at all in the breast, and instead produce most of it on the
fly when you are nursing or pumping.

With both of my older kids, I was WOH and I stopped pumping at 11.5 months
for #1 and around 14 months for #2. I continued to breastfeed them when I
was home, however, without any problems whatsoever--no engorgement when I
was at work, no apparent lack of supply on weekends or other days when I was
home full-time, etc. My oldest nursed until he was 3y2m and my daughter
until she was about 2y3m, IIRC. It was absolutely a non-issue.

If you still want to wean knowing that you CAN stop pumping, then go ahead
and stop pumping and do pretty much what you are already trying to eliminate
the remaining nursing sessions. I'd recommend getting rid of nursing
sessions one at a time, and expect either the before bed or right after
waking up sessions to be the last to go.
--
Be well, Barbara

I'd urge you not to wean completely because the antibodies you'll give
him will be well worth it. Just stop pumping and give him cups or
sippy cups of cow's milk if he likes it. You can try soy milk as well.
Nursing in the morning and last thing at nite can be a sure way to
give him that little bit of reassurance he might still need at this
age.

dana writes:
: My ds just turned one and I want to stop breastfeeding. I haved loved
: it, but want and need to stop. I work and just can't take pumping
: anymore. I just don't know how to wean. My older son never nursed so
: this is my first experience with weaning. Right now he nurses, or
: takes a bottle when I am at work (which I also want to get rid of) 4
: times a day. When he wakes in the morning around 7-7:30am, around
: 11am, around 4pm and just before bed around 7-7:30pm. I have tried to
: get him to take water from a cup for 6 months now and he won't do it.
: I will be trying whole milk for the first time at lunch today since
: I'll have to wean him to something other than breast milk. So...what
: do I do to wean. Thanks!

In the first place, just because you stop pumping doesn't mean you
have to stop nursing. You could nurse once in the morning, when you
get home from work, and again at bedtime. You body will learn to
adjust, and just produce the amount of milk it needs to nurse on
this schedule.

That said, you will probably suffer some engorgement when you start
to cut down. I don't know how often you pump, but what you could
start doing is increasing the time between pumping sessions.
Over a period of a month or two, you will slowld be able to cut
down, and then out the pumping sessions.

Regarding his drinking something, if he is on solids, water would be
ok for between nursings. I would be surprised if his daycare
provides cannot get him to take a cup. Simply work with them to
make sure he gets plenty of oppurtunities to get a drink. At worst,
you can give him water from a bottle at daycare.

Good luck,
Larry

"dana" wrote in message
oups.com...
My ds just turned one and I want to stop breastfeeding. I haved loved
it, but want and need to stop. I work and just can't take pumping
anymore.

First of all, you've done a great job to keep up for a year, especially if
you didn't nurse your first. Secondly, I just want to say that very often,
12 months can be the hardest time to wean. You might want to consider just
stopping the pumping now and continue with cow's milk or formula (is that
recommended after age one?) at daycare and hold on to the few feeds that he
has at home. You might find that once you stop pumping you don't mind the
few feeds at home. FWIW, my 15 month old is down to nursing 3x/day. Morning,
nap and before bed and even the before bed one can be negotiable. I do plan
to continue though because I want her to have the immunities through her
second winter and mostly because it's just so easy now. If you want to wean
completely I would definitly consider dropping just one feed at a time and
give it a week or so between each one dropped. HTH

JennP.

Anne,
You mentioned not giving the cows milk in a bottle and I agree. He
only gets 6-7 bottles in an entire week so I am not looking to increase
that amount. However, he won't take the cup, sippy cup, straw cup
etc... It took months to get him on a bottle and I've been trying to
get him to take some kind of cup for 6 months. Any suggestions?

"dana" wrote in message
oups.com...
Anne,
You mentioned not giving the cows milk in a bottle and I agree. He
only gets 6-7 bottles in an entire week so I am not looking to increase
that amount. However, he won't take the cup, sippy cup, straw cup
etc... It took months to get him on a bottle and I've been trying to
get him to take some kind of cup for 6 months. Any suggestions?

We cheated, actually.

We went on a trip to a family event, forgot to pack bottles, but we had two
sippies packed. She was weaned onto sippies in four days.

Jess

"dana" wrote in message
ups.com...
I get dropping one nursing at a time and going slowly, but do I
substitute a cup/bottle/sippy at the time I used to nurse or give food
at that time? For example, he nurses or gets a bottle when he wakes up
around 7am, then has breakfast around 8am. He nurses or gets a bottle
again around 11am and lunch around noon. He nurses around 4pm, dinner
around 6pm, and then nurses again around 7pm. If I want to cut out the
11am nursing time first, do I substitute a cup of milk at that time? I
don't think he'll take the cup so then he just misses a nursing? Thank
you for all your information.


I really wouldn't worry about the clock, and feed him solid food when he's
hungry. You can offer a cup of milk but it's not really a big deal if he
takes it. He'll eat if he's hungry.

JennP.

You mentioned not giving the cows milk in a bottle and I agree. He
only gets 6-7 bottles in an entire week so I am not looking to increase
that amount. However, he won't take the cup, sippy cup, straw cup
etc... It took months to get him on a bottle and I've been trying to
get him to take some kind of cup for 6 months. Any suggestions?

send him to nursery without a bottle, they'll soon sort it out!

Anne