weaning from breastmilk

Julia - posted on 06/11/2009

I have the same questions...I'm going to talk to the pediatrician and get his advice at her 1 year check up. I probably have over a hundred ounces of breastmilk still saved up to use. I'm worried that once I introduce cow's milk that she will not want the breastmilk. I'd rather keep her on breastmilk for as long as I can (or at least until I use up what I have saved...I hate to throw out that liquid gold). I'll see what he has to say....

Koryn - posted on 06/11/2009

So glad for this question! I stay at home and probably nurse around 6-8 times a day. My son just turned one and I'm really trying to cut back. I'd like to just nurse in the mornings and at bedtime but he really gets upset every time I cut a feeding out - especially before naps - he just cries and will lay on the floor. If I pick him up and just try to hold him he goes limp! He's not super crazy about cow's milk, if I mix it with breast milk he'll drink it out of a bottle but not a sippy cup. I hate to get him hooked on bottles at this point but I'm at a loss! I never thought weaning would be this hard

Christy - posted on 06/07/2009

Thanks for this question... I had the exact same one. I am down to 2 pumpings at work and am hoping to phase them out and nurse just in the AM and bedtime, and he will get cows' milk at day care starting on June 19. I have the same concerns about supply...we'll see how it goes. I'll have to check back for an update to see how we are all doing at this big transition. Thanks!

Marcie - posted on 06/06/2009

I've been weaning my son by dropping one breast feeding session a week for the past few weeks. I'm a stay at home, so I'm with him all day and he doesn't seem to mind (though he does seem a bit grouchy and clingy for about a day after I drop another feeding). I'm now down to one feeding before bed and one feeding first thing in the morning. So far, I seem to have plenty of milk for those two sessions. I tried moving to formula for the other meals of the day, but he turned that down in 2 seconds flat. He did decide that he likes cow's milk though. I started introducing it a couple of ounces at a time during solid meals at about 11 months. He didn't like it much at first, but now he likes it almost as much as breast milk. My main concern with moving to cow's milk is making sure he's getting proper nutrition, I'm still trying to figure that one out.

Stephanie - posted on 06/06/2009

Well, my daughter turns 1 on the 11th and I am so tired if pumping as well!! I absolutely love breastfeeding, but pumping is just not fun! Anyways, a few months ago I was decreasing the amount of breast milk I was sending with my daughter to the sitter ( my mother-in-law) and was seeing if she could handle the cut back or if she was going to completely melt down. She was doing pretty well so I gradually sent less and less. (She would drink from a sippy while she was there.) And about 2-3 weeks ago I stopped sending her with milk completely and I feed her in the mornings, after I come home from work and at bedtime, She seems to be doing very well with the breastfeeding cutbacks. So just gradually make a switch and see how he reacts to it. Good luck!!

Erica - posted on 06/04/2009

I started weaning my son a month ago....just dropping one nursing a week. I gave him a sippy cup with formula to replace the feeding I was dropping. (Don't do a bottle, then you'll have to wean him from a bottle too!) Owen was confused when I dropped the first one. He kept pointing at my chest and looking at me like "what's going on?" But after a couple days he was fine. And he didn't have any issues with dropping the other feedings either...he's excited about the sippy cup. Now I'm down to just nursing at bedtime and that's it. My milk supply has dropped significantly for the daytime, but I have plenty when it's time to feed him at bedtime. Your body just adjusts to when it needs to have milk ready. Just drop one feeding per week so your body can adjust slowly.

Lindy - posted on 06/04/2009

Hi Kelly - I'm not much help because I have the same questions! My daughter turns one this weekend and I am going to attempt the same thing. I am SO over pumping! But we both love breastfeeding and plan to keep doing it in the morning and evening. How much cows milk do you give in the afternoon bottles? And do you give it in a bottle or a sippie cup? Do you warm it at all or give it straight out of the fridge? She drinks water from a sippie cup now (a little with each solid meal). I also worry about the weekends when she'll want to nurse all day.

Katie - posted on 06/03/2009

I had the same problem! I was exclusively pumping 5x a day and I was gettign tired of it! So I gradually cut out a pump session and now I am down to just pumping once a day. At about 11months I started introducing cow's milk, i just did a few ounces a day to see how she would handle it, she did well minus a few upset tummies and now in her morning bottle i am giving her half breastmilk and half cows milk then at lunch she gets cows milk and at night she gets half and half again. She seems not to mind it and my supply dropped as i gradually cut out pumpings but i didn't mind because i was stopping at a year anyways. I also had a lot of milk frozen.. Hope this helps!