Breastfeeding Weaning Stop Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding Weaning: Making it Easier for You and Your Baby
By Wendi Garcia
Just like with most things in this world, breastfeeding also ends at some point. As hard as it was for you to begin breastfeeding, you would find it even more difficult to say goodbye to this pleasant intimate bonding activity that has always made you feel close to your baby.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding for a full year. Extending up to two years is even better. However, many mothers choose to wean their babies off the breast any time before this recommended period for a number of reasons, which include but are not limited to baby’s age, career, cultural norms, new pregnancy, health issues, and so on.
Whatever your reason is for wanting to wean your baby off your breast, here are some practical tips to help make things easier for you and your child.
1. Wean gradually. The amount of weaning time varies from one child to another. It would largely depend on you and your baby’s needs. It is advised to start slowly and to increase gradually the number of bottle feedings given to your baby each day. Removing breastfeeding abruptly may be traumatic and devastating your little one. Aside from that, gradual transition also reduces breast engorgement and depression.
2. Let another family member give the bottle. Your baby has been so used to the routine of you feeding her with breast milk. If you give her a bottle, this may be confusing and upsetting for her. Having her dad or someone else in the family give her the first few bottles would make it easier for her to get over the familiar activity of breastfeeding.
3. Bond with your baby through other ways. One thing that you and your child would miss about breastfeeding is the physical intimate bonding moments. So that it would be easier for your child to cope with weaning, see to it that you cuddle your baby more often, make eye contact with her, coo at her, sing for her, and keep her close to you all the time. She would miss the breast, but at least she would not miss you. This would make the process less distressing for her.
4. Switch to an appropriate feeding routine. The switch from the breast to another type of feeding should be done according to the age of your child. If your child is still an infant, replace breast with a bottle of formula milk. If she is already a toddler, skip the bottle and substitute with a cup.
5. Change your baby’s bedtime routine. If you nurse your baby before sleeping, you may want to do some other activity like reading a book or singing to her a sweet lullaby before you give her milk from the bottle or cup. Instead of giving her a sponge bath before feeding, you can wait a few minutes and cuddle with her first before you give her milk. This way, she would not be able to associate a familiar routine with breastfeeding.
6. Make the transition fun. If your child is already a toddler, you can make the transition more exciting by giving her a fun and playful sippy cup that she would enjoy drinking from. She would be more delighted to make a switch if you give her something bright and colorful that instead of a plain boring one that she would want to use.
7. Don’t stress yourself. Accept the fact that this is a challenging process that cannot be achieved overnight. Gradual transition would help reduce stress not only for you but also for your precious one. Moreover, if you backslide occasionally, do not worry too much about it.
Breastfeed weaning can be a difficult time for both you and the baby. You and your child will both miss the wonderful bonding moments you shared during breastfeeding. However, you can console yourself by thinking that there are many more chances to bond your little one even after you stop feeding her with breast milk.