Weaning

[rooskie]

If I start dropping pumps will my supply be ok for the weekend? I have probably 90 bottles worth of milk frozen and I'm still adding 12-15oz every week. He can't take bottles to daycare after the 1 year mark and I'm guessing in about a month they will want to start spacing him out further. He is still taking 4.5oz every 3hrs at daycare, but goes 4hrs at home and even then I still feel like I need to pump through the day because I feel full on weekends. I pumped 5oz earlier today after he went down for his afternoon nap.

I'm pumping 3x at work and once at night. I'm not making his full amount just pumping the 3x at work by an ounce or two, so I'm thinking about going from every 3hrs to 4hrs and pump 2x at work and once at home or dropping my night pump. I have enough frozen to bridge the gap. If I don't use it I plan on donating what I have frozen.

I don't plan on night weaning him anytime soon. I might change my mind, but as of now I'm ok with nursing 1-2x per day through the winter and then weaning in the spring after germ season.

[cnf]

C is pretty much day weaned at this point. I nurse once or twice a day on the weekends but that's it for day time nursing. I still nurse her down to sleep and I cut her down to one overnight session at night. I'll feed her the first time she wakes, but anymore wakeups after that she's getting cuddles and a wubanub. It pissed her off pretty good at first, but she's adjusting. She just went down for a nap without nursing for the first time ever. And she STTN last night for the first time since she was 3m, so she seems ok. I am sad, especially after I failed so hard with breastfeeding E, but I'm ready and she is seeming to be ok with it. She's 11m now so I'll start introducing a bit of WCM this month before she makes the full switch.

[bazi]

I’m officially starting the weaning process. I’ve dropped to one pump a day, nursing once in the morning and once before bed. Although DS sleep regression is putting a wrinkle in my plans. He was sleeping through or at least until 5 am, and then would nurse quickly and sleep for another hour. The past week he’s been popping up at 330 or 4 and will not go back down without the boob. I think I need to just close the 24 hour diner, period.

My plan is to be down to one nurse before bed by his birthday.

[roloma]

I’m starting to wean N off his 9am daycare bottle this week. I’ll still nurse on the weekend as he wants but won’t make it a scheduled time anymore. I’m going to continue pumping at 9:30 at work though because that is my big pump. I’m still nursing him at noon at daycare but this will be the last week I go. He moved up rooms and they only do one nap a day right after lunch. It’s easier if he can have a bottle like the other kids right before he sleeps. I won’t pump to replace once we start that next week.

Once we’re comfortable with those changes, I’ll wean him off the 3pm bottle and not pump to replace. That will put me down to one pump a day. I’ll start weaning my last pump right around a year.

We’ll continue to nurse mornings and evenings and on the weekends as he wants for the foreseeable future. Probably at least until 14 months if he wants.

[cdnfarmgirl]

I don’t even know where to start to wean. Not sure I even want to yet. He nurses typically around 9-9:30, 1.00ish before nap, 6:00 and then before bed at 8. Then all freaking night long. 🙄 He also gets it if I think that’s what
He needs when he’s grouchy during the day. Lol. But those
Are usually more for the cuddles then anything.
He generally nurses to sleep for afternoon nap and about 50% of the time for bed. If not; then he gets laid down and/or rocked. Depending on other kids. lol

He won’t take a bottle or even a sippy cup with anything in it. Not sure what to do. So I’m not sure. My other 2 were weaned (or almost) by this point but that’s because I was going back to work. Since I’m not this time around, I’ll probably let him nurse a bit longer. I’d love to hit the 18
Month mark but won’t be upset if it doesn’t work out.

[cnf]

So this is my first experience with nursing a baby with teeth. I had quit with E before she cut any. My gosh, those two little things are ravaging my nipples. That alone is worth weaning. Ouch man. Is it normal for teeth to hurt your nipples so much? How does anyone nurse babies with teeth, my gosh.

[pootsen]

Oct 10, 2018 3:42:34 GMT -6 cnf said:

So this is my first experience with nursing a baby with teeth. I had quit with E before she cut any. My gosh, those two little things are ravaging my nipples. That alone is worth weaning. Ouch man. Is it normal for teeth to hurt your nipples so much? How does anyone nurse babies with teeth, my gosh.

Is her latch too shallow? I don’t even notice/feel C’s teeth unless he bites. He has 7.

[cdnfarmgirl]

Oct 10, 2018 3:42:34 GMT -6 cnf said:

So this is my first experience with nursing a baby with teeth. I had quit with E before she cut any. My gosh, those two little things are ravaging my nipples. That alone is worth weaning. Ouch man. Is it normal for teeth to hurt your nipples so much? How does anyone nurse babies with teeth, my gosh.

Weird. N has 7 teeth and has since he was 5 months old and I never feel his teeth unless he actively bites me. Which has been maybe three times.

[sarahandben108]

Oct 10, 2018 3:42:34 GMT -6 cnf said:

So this is my first experience with nursing a baby with teeth. I had quit with E before she cut any. My gosh, those two little things are ravaging my nipples. That alone is worth weaning. Ouch man. Is it normal for teeth to hurt your nipples so much? How does anyone nurse babies with teeth, my gosh.

It is possible that her latch has changed due to her teething.  Sometimes that does happen.  Usually, they will correct their latch after a few days.  If it has been longer than that you may want to work on getting her to latch deeper.  I never felt N's teeth unless he bit me.  Luckily, that only happened a couple of times. 

[cnf]

It doesn't feel like her latch has changed, but maybe. It's only on my left side I feel this, which is my better side. Especially now that my supply is dropping rapidly, she almost exclusively feeds off the left, but I dont have pain on the right when does nurse that side.

Less than a month to go then I'm done. I think I can, I think I can...

[sarahandben108]

Oct 11, 2018 0:54:56 GMT -6 cnf said:

It doesn't feel like her latch has changed, but maybe. It's only on my left side I feel this, which is my better side. Especially now that my supply is dropping rapidly, she almost exclusively feeds off the left, but I dont have pain on the right when does nurse that side.

Less than a month to go then I'm done. I think I can, I think I can..

  You could always try a different position to see if that helps that side.  That may allow the sore spots to heal.  It's possible she is just irritating the same spot over and over.  

[doxiemama]

cnf, I agree she probably changed her latch because she’s not sure what to do with her teeth. If it’s been over a week maybe try to correct it or switch positions as others suggested.

[bazi]

cnf I can feel his teeth (I think he has 6 or 7 now) but they don’t hurt unless he bites down.

[blabbermouth]

I'd say that with DD's few teeth it's not quite as comfortable, but not painful.

We've gone three days now where DD is having a sippy cup of cow's milk after her first nap instead of BFing. She seems fine with it. She has about 4oz from the time after her nap though her lunch. Next week I'll start to do the same with after her second nap 😬

[doxiemama]

I have milk transition questions. Our 1 year checkup is a few weeks after B’s birthday, otherwise I’d just save these for the doctor.

B does great with his sippy with water in it at school so I think we will go cold turkey on bottles after his bday and switch to milk in sippies. Do I mix cows milk with breast milk or just switch straight to cows milk? How many oz of milk should he drink in a day? Right now he’s taking 12 oz of breastmilk at school and nursing twice in the evening, plus once overnight, even though I’m really trying to cut out that middle of the night session. Do I need to try to get him more calories through solids at this point? I know I’ve done this before but it’s like I completely lost any memory of how we did it. I just remember he wouldn’t give up the bedtime bottle forever and I don’t want to start that again this time.

[grumpycat]

doxiemama with ds1, he was eating 3 meals of solids a day (plus snacks). We switched over to whole cow's milk cold turkey (from formula). We offered him milk with meals and snacks (I think we did 3 oz cups). We stopped giving the motn bottle at a year (gave him water in the bottle instead -- took a week or so before he stopped getting up). A little bit different than nursing though. With ds2, he's no where near eating that much solids yet. 🤷 His food allergies freaked me out for awhile but we are making good progress now.

[cnf]

Oct 16, 2018 9:53:15 GMT -6 doxiemama said:

I have milk transition questions. Our 1 year checkup is a few weeks after B’s birthday, otherwise I’d just save these for the doctor.

B does great with his sippy with water in it at school so I think we will go cold turkey on bottles after his bday and switch to milk in sippies. Do I mix cows milk with breast milk or just switch straight to cows milk? How many oz of milk should he drink in a day? Right now he’s taking 12 oz of breastmilk at school and nursing twice in the evening, plus once overnight, even though I’m really trying to cut out that middle of the night session. Do I need to try to get him more calories through solids at this point? I know I’ve done this before but it’s like I completely lost any memory of how we did it. I just remember he wouldn’t give up the bedtime bottle forever and I don’t want to start that again this time.

With DD1 we did a slow transition replacing one ounce of formula for an ounce of milk and upped the milked to formula ration one ounce per week. She has my iron clad stomach though and so far DD2 does as well. I've encouraged MIL and my mom to make mixed bottles for her during the day while I'm at work, but otherwise I'll just go cold turkey this time. Shes already stolen DD1s milk and almond milk before on several occasions and been fine, so shrug.

[roloma]

N barely batted an eye with dropping his 9am bottle at daycare and nursing over the weekend. We are in the middle of dropping the 3pm bottle and he seemingly couldn't care less. He also basically dropped his 6:30pm nursing since he eats so much at dinner these days. He just nurses a bit longer before bed. It looks like we'll be down to 3 nursing sessions (and 1 overnight - ugh) probably by next week, although I won't deny him if he wants to nurse other times - just won't offer. It is bittersweet since he is definitely my last little nursling. I am looking forward to not being tied to nursing every 3 hours though!

[blabbermouth]

Aww roloma, glad he's doing well!

DD now does the milk sign when she wants cow milk in her sippy cup 🙄 if she wants to nurse she just claws at my shirt haha. So I'm glad she's enjoying cow's milk. I think she had about 7oz yesterday between after first nap/lunch and then in the afternoon.