Weaning From Breastfeeding

There comes a time in your baby's life when you have to wean them from breastfeeding!

The reasons could be
1. The baby is 2 years old
2. The baby is allergic to breast milk
3. You are on strong antibiotics that are not good for the baby.
4. The baby has started developing tooth decay because of excessive drinking
5. The baby has started showing signs of dependence by drinking throughout the night and crying when you try to disengage.
6. The baby is drinking so much milk that her appetite for solid foods is not satisfactory.
Or any other reason that makes it necessary for you to stop your baby feeding from you.

You will probably experience many conflicting feelings.
You may feel a sense of loss of a period in your baby's life. You may feel lost because your baby will no longer "need" you. You are terrified of the process of weaning and don't know how you'll go through with it. You are looking forward to getting more sleep and feeling fresh for a change! You are looking forward to being able to get into more activities since the baby doesn't need you so often for feeds!

So how do you actually go about it?
Gradually. Step by step.
There's no point rushing things. No point traumatising you and the baby any more than is necessary.

First mentally prepare yourself.
This is not going to be easy.
Expect a lot of tears - from the baby, from you and your hubby, maybe!
Expect to have take a tough stand in the face of the most heart-wrenching crying.
Take the time to mentally gear yourself up for this. Take a week if necessary.

Then start by talking to the baby. Explain in a calm firm voice why you feel it is important that the baby stops drinking breast milk. Explain that you still love your baby and that you are doing this because you are convinced that it is the best thing to do.

You will be surprised how even infants can understand a lot more than you give them credit for. Please do not skip this step. It is important that you talk this through with them.

After a couple of hours after your "talk", you may start.

In the beginning just reduce the number of feeds during the day.
Find alternate ways to put the baby to sleep and find different foods the baby can eat at feed times. (refer the posts on putting babies to sleep and colicy babies and posts on baby food.) Try singing calmly to the baby while walking around or try rocking them in a cradle or swing or try rocking them and lightly patting them in your lap.

When you have completely stopped feeding the baby during the day, stop feeding the baby before she sleeps at night. Use the same calming and soothing techniques you use during the day to put her to sleep. At this stage you will still feed her breast milk when she wakes up at night.

When your baby sleeps with only mild fretting without breast milk at night, that is when you get into the last and most difficult step - stopping the midnight feeds.

Keep some sweetened milk and water and your baby's favourite food by the bedside.

Apply some bitter tasting edible fluid on your areola and nipples. I heard people used Mother Tincture of Nux Vomica, Bitter gourd (Karela) juice or Neem oil.

Mother Tincture of Nux Vomica is available in Homeopathic outlets. Bitter gourd juice can be made at home by grating bitter gourd and straining it or by grinding it to a paste in the mixie and straining it. Neem Oil is available in ayurvedic stores and some medical shops.

When your baby wakes up at night, apply your bitter fluid and then offer it to the child. When confronted with a bitter nipple, the baby will probably not drink milk. She will howl and cry.

Offer her the milk you have at your bedside table. Offer her the other food you have kept aside for this time. Make sure you keep your calm during this time.

Hand her over to your spouse and take a few calming breaths if necessary before you take her back.

Hug and cuddle her. It is important for her not to feel "rejected".

Carry her in a comfortable position and sing to her while you walk at a steady pace around the room.

Make sure the lights are dimmed.

Sing her a lullaby.

If she cries beyond thirty minutes by the clock, this isn't working. Feed her and change tactics.

The next time, try offering her a silicon nipple while covering your breast up underneath. When she does not get milk, and when she feels the alien silicon nipple instead of her usual comfort nipple, she may get the message that there is no milk and she will cry. Again try to offer her alternate nourishment and try to put her to sleep by singing, walking, rocking her gently etc.

If even this does not work, then change tactics again.

During the day, (when she anyway doesn't drink your milk any more) show her that your nipples have been bandaged. Say that this is because you have got hurt because she has been drinking too much at night. Talk to her about this at intervals two or three times before she goes to bed at night. Then when she wakes up, present her with the bandaged nipple. She can't drink. She will cry but you have to be firm.

Do not remove the bandages, come what may. Stay calm and walk around with the baby making comforting sounds. Distract her with a toy or anything else she likes and offer her something to eat or drink. Keep her distracted and ensure her stomach is full and then attempt to put her to sleep in the same way she falls asleep during the day and at night without milk.

Keep this up steadily for a month or so.

Your baby is weaned! Congratulations!