Weaning – I Need Your Advice!
Yes, I am going to talk about breastfeeding, AGAIN. Some of you are probably sick of hearing about my boobs, and for that I am sorry. However, many of you have provided amazing wisdom and encouragement during this process that I feel the need to update, and once again seek your counsel.
I have weaned to the point that I am no longer pumping – yippee! I nurse Elias once in the morning and once or twice at night, going 10-12 hours in between. I have not experienced any engorgement and my chest size has shrunk quite a bit, PRAISE THE LORD.
Here’s my question: how long will my milk supply keep up with this? Will I be able to continue nursing just twice a day for a while or will my body eventually say, this is not worth it and cease production? I worry that he isn’t getting enough since my chest size has gone down so much, but he seems full and goes three-four hours before he demands his first bottle in the morning and sleeps the night before waking up hungry (well, the past few days he has gotten up in the middle of the night, but that is mostly teething related, we believe.)
As always, thank you for your insight friends. I really appreciate it.
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Jessica-email my sister Mary. She has weaned 7 children and I am sure can help you!
I wish I could offer advice but despite the girth of my breasts I haven’t been able to sustain either of my children for more that 5 weeks. When I stopped pumping for my daughter, she was a preemie and never able to nurse, I felt engorgement twice so I pumped and that was teh end of that.
Elias is BEAUTIFUL btw!!!!!
I weaned my babies by going to two feedings, morning and evening. Then I cut out the morning feeding and was left with just evening. That’s the hardest one to let go of. When I quit that last feeding, I felt slight discomfort for just a few days and then it was back to normal. Everyone is different though.
Supply and demand. Your milk production will keep up with what Elias takes in. That’s always what I’ve experienced.
And let’s just say I’m not greatly endowed as you are (A cup here) and I have never had a problem with milk production. Size isn’t an issue, even after shrinking down some when going to fewer feedings.
In my experience, as long as I was feeding Megan around the same time each day my supply was continuing to stay productive. As far as the engorgement,if I went a few days with out breastfeeding, and started to feel engorged, I would let Megan breastfeed as a “snack”. I only had to do that a few times. I never dealt with days of pain like I’ve heard other people say. Enjoy the boobs while you have them. Once you’re completely done breast feeding….oh my….so sad 🙁 No one told me that I would be smaller then I was before getting pregnant…and absolutely NO lift!! Good luck with everything!
I just recently weaned my 10 month old but it was mainly because I knew I was producing enough anymore. Once I went to morning and night, I went about a week before cutting out night, then a couple of days of just morning. Then I went about 3 rounds of every 36 hours, then twice of every other day, then I nursed once after 3 days and then DONE! I know that probably is too gradual towards the end but it was more of me having to let go gradually emotionally than it was for physical comfort. Congratulations on working full time and making it this far! That’s awesome!
Supply and demand. Keep drinking water and eating oatmeal and you’ll be fine. I just weened my daughter (9 mths) and I didn’t get engorged at all. But I know I had milk since the girls were large for a week and now are small. 🙁
And yes, you might be smaller than you were before you got prego and they will hang. They will never be the same again. Hubby shouldn’t mind though, especially since he won’t have to share them with your son!
Good luck.
I went back to work after my first child, and managed to nurse morning and night for another 5 months. Your body will adjust to your new schedule.
I am still nursing my 16 month old at bedtime only and have been doing this for months. Your body will always make a drop more milk than whatever Elias takes so as far as supply it will always follow that principle. On the other hand, it might be Elias, not your body, who decides to give up! ha ha. I am noticing that with my daughter. He was used to those big meals at the breast and he might at this point just need the comfort!
I never pumped, but did eventually wean…after all, my oldest is 3 (so I hope I did!) =)
I asked my pediatrician your same dilemna, and I don’t think you will like this answer b/c it really isn’t an answer. Some mommies keep making milk, some don’t. Sorry! She said that everyone’s body is just different.
I do feel that if Elias isn’t crying his head off within an hour or two, he is fine. I think he would let you know he wasn’t getting enough.
Enjoy the rest of your week!
~Kristin Amato
(Mommy of 3~3, 2, 6 mos.)
I let all three of my little ones wean themselves. As long as they nursed I had milk enough for what they wanted…when they started to want less…my milk supply dropped and then stopped all together. He should do just fine and as he matures you’ll probably find that one day he just doesn’t want it anymore.
Hi Jessica! I can't offer any advice on the weaning since I don't have any kids but I did come across a pampers coupon that I wanted to pass on to you!
http://www.startsampling.com/sm/100502/captureAddress.iphtml?item=100502&source=mm603
love your super cute super honest blog, i nursed both of my boys just 2x a day (first in am and last at bedtime) from 7mon. to 13mon. when they both weaned themselves. (they were too busy wathching things in the daytime to stay focused on nursing.) No supply problems at all. What a good mommy you are. Like several other moms said supply and demand. good luck. 🙂
I nursed both of my boys and held onto that last night time feeding for months. I weaned one at 14 months and the other at 16 months and they both did that once before bed feeding for 2 months or so. He will still get what he needs and slowly is the way to go in my opinion. I did have some soreness and fullness issues for a few days after my “last” feeding but that went away. (side note: I could still express milk for months following weaning, some times it takes awhile for your milk to dry up totally).
HI Jessica- I’ve only nursed one child- my son until 15 months (he’s 18 months now) but I was only nursing twice a day for a long while and then down to once a day for a while with no problem in milk supply. From my experience, your body makes what your baby demands and needs- there is no minimum. All the best with your cute little Elias!
Clueless here.
But I’m glad your chest size has gone down in time for cute summer tops 🙂
You should be fine. Your boobs are amazing things, they’ll keep up with whatever the demand is.
Hi Jessica. I came acrossed you blog a month ago and have enjoyed reading you post. We have several things in comon as far as I love scrapbookingand I have four kids. My youngest being five months old. I nursed all of them. You can go on a couple of feedings a day for quite awhile. It is all supply and demand if he is nursing your body will make the milk. I say if he seems content after eating and he continues to gain weight he is doing fine.
Every so often I jump over here from your hubby’s blog to see what’s going on. Sorry, still a little too much breastfeeding talk for me yet to become a regular. Gotta think about my manhood here. 🙂
In all seriousness, your little kiddo is adorable. He’s already turning into quite the Internet celebrity. The girls are going to be all over him!
When my kids started eating solids, I just started decreasing the breastfeeding as it seems you are doing. I eventually got to once a day (night time) and then finally quit. I don’t know how much milk they were getting at the end or if it was just the motions. LOL I nursed my daughter (oldest) until I was two months pregnant with my son. My goal was to nurse her for a full year but when she was 9 months old, I got pregnant again. Oops! 🙂 I nursed my son until he was 8 months but was so ready to have my body back after 3 + years of being pregnant or nursing so I quit. I hadn’t drank caffiene during that period and as a result, it has become a drug for me. LOL Whenever I need a pick-me-up, I just drink coffee or coke. 😉
Supply and demand – your body will make it if the demand continues. I even nursed through the 1st trimester of my 2nd pregnancy (I weaned my 1st @ 13.5mo). Even being preggo my supply kept going strong. After going to 1x per day (the morning feeding was the last one we dropped, despite many others saying the bedtime is the hardest to stop – I was always most full and in the am) we couldn’t just drop the last one, even after several weeks – I had such a supply we had to go to every other day for a week or so. It took a long time for my supply to decrease.
Hey Jessica,
Brandon’s Mom here…Brandon is now almost 11 months old and I had to stop nursing when he was 5-6 months old because I didn’t make enough for him. We had to sub with formula. It has been 5 plus months now and I still have some milk. They aren’t engorged (never really were) but I can feel drops of milk on them every so often now. It is odd.
When I ‘weaned’ him I would nurse/pump and give him that then add some formula after that. I never did the morning/night thing.
Good Luck.
So long as you continue to feed at those same times every day, your supply will alter to match the demand from those nursing session for as long as those nursing sessions continue.
I think I made it to about 9 months with my youngest daughter and we were down to the last bedtime feeding for a while, maybe 6 to 8 weeks. I agree with everyone else, though, your body will adjust. I only made it to 6 months BFding my oldest but I went back to work in the office much earlier with her and I HATED pumping so kudos to you for keeping that up as long as you did!