Weaning from Breastfeeding
Mama, you’re here, which means your curious about or in the midst of ending your breastfeeding journey. First thing’s first— give yourself an enormous congrats— because you’re amazing (duh)! Whether you nursed one hour, one day, or one year+, weaning can bring about a lot of questions, concerns, and emotions. Let’s do what we do best and talk it out!
As stated in my email (you can sign up here so you don’t miss out!), everyone’s journey is going to be different! Just as the beginning of breastfeeding is different for everyone, so is the end! Sometimes baby leads the way, and sometimes mama decides it’s “time”. Weaning is typically a gradual process, not an “overnight” result. Baby may start weaning themselves months in advance by just slowly taking in less milk during nursing sessions (as they start taking in more solids). It’s important to remember that babies’ main source of nutrition is breastmilk/formula until 12 months. Nursing sessions/bottles should be offered just as often as before, even after they begin solids. However, as they take in more solid food, some babies begin to take in slightly less milk, and some do not change their intake at all. For some mothers, being unable to keep up with baby’s demand, a new pregnancy, or just deciding it’s time to wean occurs for this process to begin. Regardless of the situation, there are a few tips to help guide you through this unknown process:
where to begin
In beginning this process, it’s best to go slowly— but go at the pace you need! Weaning slowly not only helps in preventing engorgement, clogged ducts + mastitis (more info on how to combat that in my Breastfeeding Course), but it also helps prevent the extreme hormonal shift that comes along with weaning. This can also help aid your baby in “accepting” this change, since it’s not abrupt. So what does this look like?” Well, it can look different for different mamas, but here are some options:
Eliminating a Feeding/Pump every few days
Lessening the time on Feedings/Pumps every few days
Lessening the amount of Feedings/Pumps in a day
Drop the Least “favorite” Feed first (typically morning and bedtime nursing sessions are the last to go)
Now, all this to say, if your child is less than 12 months, it’s important to supplement this skipped feeding with breastmilk or formula. If your baby is over 12 months, the skipped feeding can be “supplemented” with a distraction, or a snack + some water.
okay, but how do we actually do this?
I know, seems difficult to actually fathom not nursing or pumping at a certain point in the day, right? Here are some practices to remember!
Focus on one dropped nursing/pump session at a time- choose a nursing/pump sesh to eliminate, eliminate it for a few days to get yourself and your baby adjusted before dropping the next one- take it slow if needed!
Don’t Offer, Don’t Refuse- just as it states, for the nursing/pump you decide to drop, don’t offer the breast. However, if baby is indicating a strong need to nurse, do not refuse them.
Offer Proper Supplement or distraction- as stated in the section above, offer baby proper supplement or distraction based on their age
Only Pump for Relief- engorgement can be common in those first few days after eliminating a nursing/pumping session, so pump for relief or hand express for relief. This means to only pump or hand express until you’re comfortable, no more! If you pump to empty the breast, your body gets the signal to make more milk rather than less milk! More about how more milk is made in my breastfeeding course.
Be Flexible and Understanding of Variations- know that things can come up and delay the weaning process. If baby is teething, develops an illness, or is extremely fussy during the process, you can add the session back in for a couple days and try eliminating it at a later time.
Keep them Close and Enjoy the Snuggles- mamas, this one is important. Many women think that having their baby close and snuggling with them would cause them to want to nurse more. Please remember, babies need comfort and security in ways aside from eating. The breast is not only for nourishment, but also for nurturing and security. Since the chosen feeding has been eliminated, you can still keep them close with babywearing, reading a book, giving a bottle of breastmilk while on your lap, etc to help fulfill that need of comfort and security. Distancing can actually delay the weaning process.
So, we reviewed some tips on how to begin the weaning process with your baby, but what about with you, mama? As the mother, we need to know how to care for ourselves when weaning— both physically and emotionally.
l et’s get physical
Weaning can be physically confusing. What’s the right process? How do I prevent clogged ducts or mastitis? The main thing to remember is that how milk is made remains the same. Demand=supply. The less consistent demand for milk (stimulation with a pump or baby at breast), the sooner your milk supply will lessen. Just as the opposite (more consistent demand for milk, the sooner your milk supply can increase.
Okay, so how do we actually go about this? When you decide to eliminate a nursing session/pump with the weaning process, this should typically be done every 3-7 days, to give your body a bit of time to adjust before eliminating the next. Of course, each circumstance is different, so if the timing is shorter or longer than this, watch your body and adjust accordingly. Some women prefer to simply shorten nursing/pumping sessions or decrease the amount of sessions per day. Find what works for you. With eliminating a nursing or pumping session, it’s easy to become engorged during this time. Our body is used to producing milk for this feeding and will continue to do so until it gets the signal that milk is no longer needed at this time with the consistent elimination of nursing sessions. In the meantime, pumping or hand expressing milk for relief only can be helpful. This helps eliminate general discomfort associated with engorgement and can help aid in the prevention of plugged ducts. Expressing only enough milk for relief will not delay a decrease in your milk supply. Do not bind the breasts during this time, as this can actually increase the prevalence of clogged ducts due to restriction. Here are some other great tips:
Ibuprofen as needed for engorgement pain/swelling
Ice packs as needed for engorgement pain
Pumping or Hand Expressing for relief only
Sunflower Lecithin can help in preventing clogged ducts (especially if you have them frequently)
There are a few other options in helping decrease supply, but they must be discussed with your doctor. Birth control pills (which introduce estrogen and progesterone) can be helpful in aiding a decrease in supply. Another medication that has helped reduce supple, which again must be discussed with your doctor first, is Sudafed. This should not be taken in women with elevated or high blood pressure, as this can exacerbate it.
the emotional toll
There is a shift of hormones associated with breastfeeding ending, just as there is with breastfeeding beginning. Some women do okay with this shift, especially if it’s slow weaning over the course of a few months. It’s the abrupt changes with multiple dropped sessions, or dropping sessions sooner than 3-7 days after the last that can lead to a larger hormonal shift. Regardless, the hormone shift can bring about many emotions about the weaning process. Sadness, loneliness, confusion— even some anxiety and depression are common with weaning. Some mamas may feel that this process signifies the lack of “baby needing them” anymore. In truth, baby will always need you, mama. They will soon need you in other ways, new ways. The emotions are typically short term, but it’s still important to be in collaboration with your healthcare provider about your feelings.
Let me break this down:
When you’re breastfeeding, prolactin and oxytocin are elevated. Prolactin (milk production hormone) is a "relaxing/calming” hormone. Oxytocin (encourages milk flow/letdown) is a “feel good” hormone. Both of these help promote closeness with our babies when nursing. When weaning, these hormones can drop suddenly and drastically, which can lead to the some of emotions experienced.
Now remember, this isn’t the case for everyone! Each woman responds to hormones differently— some do not experience the sadness, loneliness, or anxiety at all, and that’s okay too!
No matter the case mama, there are always options to explore. If things aren’t working well one day, try again another day! As stated before, it’s a process, and that process comes with an individual timeline for everyone. You are doing a great job, you know what’s best for you and your baby.
xx - karrie
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