Weaning...

F

FutureHKmom

Registered User
I've decided to wean my little one after 10.5 months of breastfeeding...I now only BF him twice a day - once in the morning and once at night (he gets formula in the afternoon). I don't think he will (or at least I hope he won't) have too many problems with it because he gets a top up bottle of formula at night anyways and sometimes if I have early morning meetings, he gets a bottle of formula in the morning. What is the best way to get my supply to decrease? Since I've never done it before, wanted to get advice on it....thanks!
 
In my opinion your supply might have decreased a lot already since you are feeding only twice a day. Start dropping the morning or evening feed whichever comfortable for you and your baby. If your breasts feel full just hand express little amount till you feel a bit lighter. Should take a week or two till the supply drops further.
 
Generally weaning as slowly as possible is recommended. The more slowly you wean the easier it is for your breasts to adjust.

But the principle of breastfeeding is the more milk you take out the more milk you make. So to reduce the amount you make out, reduce the amount you take out. Leaving your breasts full of milk is the quickest way to reduce your supply.

Unfortunately sometimes your breasts can't cope with this. If you become uncomfortable than take a small amount of milk out until you are comfortable again. Don't take a whole feed out or this will make your breasts produce more - just enough to be comfortable again.

I often suggest that you hand express to do this rather than using a pump. Sometimes with a pump you continue and take too much out but as hand expressing is a chore you are more likely to stop as soon as comfortable.

Another thing to think about is that as long as you are breastfeeding your baby I getting the benefits of being a breastfed baby - even if this is only one feed a day or one feed every couple of days.

Best wishes,
SARAH
 
my supply decreased once my bubba got introduced to solids when he was 6 months.

daily feeding schedule:
bottle (formula) at 9am - 8 ozs
organic rice cereal at 12pm
fruit puree and a bottle of water at 3pm
organic rice cereal at 5pm
breastfeed at 630pm (when i get home)
breastfeed when he wakes up once/twice during the night
 
You could always just do a week or so of one feed a day, then a week of once every 2nd day...

I weaned my daughter at 14 months (well she pretty much self weaned) and it went from twice a day, to once a day, to once every 2nd day... when I stopped completely I had no problems at all with engorgement or anything like that - I didn't notice ANYTHING at all. I've had friends who went from a few feeds a day to nothing - and it was a DIFFICULT process for them. I definitely recommend drawing it out a bit longer but ultimately it will make you more comfortable!!
 
It sounds like you`re naturally doing it the right way, dropping a feed here and there. Your supply is probably not very high at this point anyway.
I would keep doing what you`re doing, and just start to drop the morning feed, maybe not even every day, so it doesn`t look like you`re intentionally doing so:)
Your supply will naturally decrease, as you naturally decrease your sessions. I did it (unintentionally, just following my son) that way and I didn`t have any discomfort whatsoever.
 
Thanks ladies for all your helpful replies! One question - rather than dropping one full feed at a time, could I just feed shorter each time and top up with a bottle? I feel that may be easier than all of a sudden cutting out a meal altogether.....
 
Yeah, you`re right, that`s even more natural, I think. That`s actually what I did when it seemed like my son wasn`t getting enough from his final and only feed of the day. I just started topping up with a bottle. Then he just started giggling at me after taking a few sucks and went straight from the bottle. It was like he thought it was a big joke because there wasn`t much milk in there. And so that feed was dropped.
 
So I shortened last night's feed and this mornings feed....resulting in me being pretty full this afternoon. So I just hand expressed some out until I was comfortable. My question is if I continue to shorten the two feeds I give a day - at night and in the morning - won't I always end up being full in the afternoon and need to hand express? Or will one day magically the supply just drop so much that I won't be full anymore? Thanks again for any advice and tips!
 
Your supply will drop - as long as you're not hand expressing too much!! I never really "shortened" feeds though because I never supplemented with bottles... All the best for pain-free weaning!!
 
when you are shortening feeds and hand expressing just to feel comfy then your supply will decrease s...l..o..w..l...y! patience my dear.
 
Thanks girls for your replies....

nicolejoy - when you dropped one meal a day, the first time you did it weren't you really full in the 24 period between the feeds on each day as you had dropped a feed in between? That's what I was afraid of, if I dropped the morning feed altogether, I would be busting by mid-afternoon - I work, so I would be in the office. I just thought that by limiting the time of each feed, at least I continue to take a bit out at the regular times and it wouldn't be so sudden that I drop an entire feed.

Thanks again!
 
I dropped a feed every 2 weeks or so... when my daughter was 11 months, she was still on about 4 feeds a day. I think by 12 months it was 3 feeds, by 13 months it was just one feed, and at 14 months she was weaned completely. I never was full during that process (however I did have that feeling when she was younger if she would oversleep particularly first thing in the morning so I know what it's like!!)

I think if you have a set time frame that you want to wean him by, choose an approach and stick to it - whether you prefer going to one feed a day or just two shorter feeds - your supply WILL decrease if you're feeding him less... But if you're more flexible in your time frame, you can experiment a bit and see what works for you. The goal is just to decrease, decrease slowly (however you want to do it) - in a way that works for you...
 
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