Weaning - Be honest - is it difficult?

Question

I'm not weaning my baby off the breast yet, but just want to be clear! Is weaning difficult? Nobody ever told me how painful and tiring breastfeeding was so I want to be informed on the weaning stage.

Any advice is welcome!

Thanks

Answer 1

Weaning is not at all diffiucult if you take your baby's lead. Go very slowly, dropping no more than one feeding every week or so. This will give your body a chance to adjust as well as not pushing your baby too far too fast. once you get down to few enough feedings then you can take the "don't offer, don't refuse aproach" Don't offer a nursing to your child, but don't refuse one either.
Also, you don't ever have to go to a bottle, or to formula. Once your baby is one year old you can give them whole milk in a sippy. My twins who are 14 months old drink both cows milk from a sippy and they nurse from me. If you switch to a bottle you only have to wean them from that eventually!

Sarah

Answer 2

I thought weaning my children was so difficult....not the physical part of weaning, that wasn't the issue...mine was the emotional attachment I had for nursing my kids;) I wanted to make sure they had everything they needed and that I was ready to give up something that naturally was best for my child. It was a hard decision to make. But all in all I am happy that I nursed each one of them and have that memory with each of them;) BTW, the whole thing with studies prove children are smarter and the brain development that they get from being has to be true!!!

11 year old has been on the honor roll since Kindergarten
(read before she was 4)

8 year old is gifted

6 year old is gifted and is currently in doing 2 and 3rd grade work

my soon to be 4 year old is so smart as well! She is more advanced than most her age.

Good luck and only you can make that decision no one else!

Answer 3

My friend weaned her child at 12 months she said that it was easy as she just swapped her over to cows milk.
My first child I could only breast feed for three months as my milk supply was to low, so I mixed the breast milk with made up formula and gradually he was weened. He was premi though.
To prevent engorgement keep on expressing but gradually space it out until you are only expressing once a day, I would say this would be the same as breastfeeding just gradually replace the feed with formula until you are down to one feed.

I am able to breast feed my daughter this time round and I know how hungry you get and tired. Just make sure you have enough water, eat low GI foods to keep your energy up. Plus have healthy snacks around when ever you feel hungry.
Lansonhr (sorry spelling) nipple balm is great either put on after each shower or after every feed.
Make yourself comfortable while you are feeding, I actually find it easier to feed her laying down. Use pillows if you have to.

Answer 4

How old is your baby? Breastfeeding does suck up a lot of energy, especially at first, when your supply is so wacky. Once your supply evens out, you should have no pain and your energy level should return.

If you want to be tired, trek down to the kitchen one night to wash, fill warm and feed baby a bottle. It's so much easier (and snugglier) to bring baby into bed, roll over and plug baby in. Then you go back to sleep. Baby will finish his meal and go back to sleep while you're sleeping.

Weaning should not be difficult. You really need to eliminate one feeding at a time, with days or weeks or months in between. You can even hold onto one or two special nursings a day. My two year old nurses at bedtime, in the morning and after nasty boo-boos. If you taper down slowly, then you'll avoid engorgement, which can lead to mastitis.

Answer 5

It depends on the child. Some children have a difficult time because they're just not ready for it or they've adopted breast feeding as a comfort technique. (They don't do it only when hungry, but when they're tired, etc.) These children will have a difficult time too.

If breastfeeding is painful you should contact a lactation consultant. By the time my son was 3 weeks old my nipples were so sore I'd nearly faint every time he latched on. I was so bruised, and had abrasions on them so badly that the lactation consultant I finally went to couldn't believe I was still breast feeding. After she helped me learn to help my son latch on, and told me to pick up some Lasinoh (WONDERFUL nipple cream) I was fine in a few days.

Answer 6

No its easy, as long as you wait til you know you're baby is ready. You WILL know! At first, give your baby a little of their milk feed first so they are not ravenous but not completely full, then start with just one or two spoons of something fairly bland and runny, like baby rice mixed with breast milk, so the flavour is familiar. As your baby gets used to taking something from the tip of a spoon, try giving different very well pureed foods. Just veg or fruit, steamed or cooked without salt or sugar and then passed through a sieve or pureed. You can make the food more runny if need be by adding some of the cooking water or breast milk.

I would just say don't try to change everything at once, like go from breast to bottle at the same time as introducing solids. Make sure baby is happy with one new thing before you start him on the next new thing.

Answer 7

It is difficult if your baby isn't ready. My son was 16 months when I weaned him, he only nursed 1 or 2 times a day at the time. It was terrible. He made me feel so bad, he cried and cried for my boobie, I just couldn't give it to him. This time I'm waiting until my youngest son is ready.

Answer 8

For us, it was quite easy. At 9 months, my daughter decided she didn't want to nurse anymore. The feedings slow down as they get older and eat, so your milk gradually slows as well. When she stopped I was only nursing once a day, so there was no engorgement. Women I have talked to that nursed later said the same thing-their feedings are so infrequent that your body doesn't really notice it. It's nothing like the beginnings of nursing, I promise, lol.

Answer 9

It will all depend on the child, mine made it easier for me. When you are getting close to wanting to stop breast feeding, pump some of your milk and save it. When the time comes, offer your child themilk in the bottle at least once a day, then the next day, offer him the bottle twice...keep increasing the amount of time you offer the bottle until they readily take it instead of the breast. This could take several days/weeks.


Best of luck

Answer 10

That all depends on how and when you do it. If you allow your child to self-wean it probably isn't difficult at all. Don't ask, don't refuse is often pretty easy with a toddler.

What specifically about breastfeeding do you find tiring? I think that is the bigger question?