Weaning Yourself From Nursing

At some point, you may decide that nursing is not for you any longer. This decision is personal.  

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends to exclusively breastfeeding until baby is six months old and then providing a combination between solids and breast milk until baby is one year old.  

However, the decision of when to wean your baby is personal.  Some moms decide to wean upon returning to work.  Some moms need a more flexible schedule to bottle feed vs breast feed/pump.  

The decision to wean your baby from breastfeeding may be very emotional.  Many moms feel like they are giving up the intimacy of nursing their baby.  They may also feel like they are giving up on something that only they can provide for their baby.   These feelings are all completely normal!!  It is not an easy decision nor one that should be taken lightly. 

If you do decide to wean your baby from nursing, here are some tips from babycenter.com to make the transition easier for both mommy and baby.

Skip a Feeding.  Skip one feeding and see what happens.  How do your breasts feel?  How did baby handle a bottle feeding?  By skipping one feeding at a time you are allowing baby and yourself to slowing get used to these new changes.  Your milk supply will slowly start to diminish without leaving you engorged or getting a breast infection.


To read more about dealing with a clogged milk duct, click HERE.   

Shorten Nursing Time.  Cut the length of time that baby is nursing down by a few minutes.  For example, if baby is nursing for ten minutes, cut baby's time down to eight and then supplement with a little bit of formula or a healthy snack.  This transition may be most difficult to do with night time feedings.

Postpone and Distract.  Try to postpone feedings if you are only nursing a few times a day.  This method works well with older children.  

Do you have any tips for mommy's that are wanting to wean their baby from nursing??