How to Wean your Breastfed Baby
Weaning.....where do we start? It's complicated, but it isn't. Moms get judgement for weaning "too soon", yet also get judgement for nursing "too long." I am here to tell you that I could care less about when or why you are choosing to wean. It could be your baby doing it on their own terms, could be solely you as the mom needing to make this adjustment, or maybe a combination of the two. Life happens, and you should be proud of providing your baby with the liquid gold you have, regardless of the timeframe.
So how do you wean?
Gradually.
I understand that things happen and sometimes this isn't an option for many women. However, if it is at all possible, try your best to wean gradually. This will make it "easier" on both you and your baby.
Start by replacing one breastfeeding/breast milk bottle at a time.
***If your baby is less than 12 months old, replace the feeding with a bottle of infant formula. If your little is older than that, the CDC states that you can replace the feeding with a cup of whole cow's milk or even an unsweetened soy beverage that is fortified. ***
The goal is to allow your baby AND your body to adjust to this. Spend as much time as you both need with each feeding elimination. Do not express milk at this time unless you absolutely have to, and if you do, only express enough for comfort. When your body has adjusted to eliminating this feeding, move forward to another feeding.....and so on. Click here if you would like to read my post on foods you can eat to help promote weaning.
It is so important for you to take your time with this. You do not want to end up engorged, with clogged ducts or mastitis. And on a side note, you want to allow your baby time to adjust to this. Weaning can cause actual feelings of grief and loss for some kiddos...so consider some extra cuddles during this time as well.
If you are weaning a toddler, I wrote an entirely separate post for that. The process can be much different when weaning an infant vs weaning an older toddler.
Click here for my post if you want to read more specifically about weaning a toddler.
Are you exclusively breastfeeding and trying to wean, but your baby is refusing to take the bottle??
This can be tough and can make weaning harder for both of you. My daughter absolutely refused the bottle, and offering her one made it seem like we were torturing her. It took dedication, trial and error, and a lot of patience to get this to finally work out. And even then, she decided to starve herself for the first two nights that I had to return to work. Two 12-hour shifts later, she realized that I just could not physically be there to nurse her, so it wasn't worth it to stave. Ugh. Not our finest nights.
HERE is a link to my post for all of my tips and tricks on getting her to take a bottle. I hope you find this helpful.
Weaning can be very emotional for both mama and baby, so I hope this article finds you well. Be proud of yourself and remember that this bond you have created will last forever! xoxo