My daughter just turned 13 months. I have been having to supplement her with formula even before we left the hospital. I just did not produce enough milk for her. I was on domperidone for months to help increase my milk supply and pumped twice a day while at work. I give her daycare provider frozen breastmilk to give to her during the day so they could mix it with formula.
Last weekend she basically stopped breastfeeding. I was pretty much down to one feeding a day, at night time before bed and then during the night (her crib is in my room and sometimes she sleeps in bed with me). Last week she would fuss a bit at night but go right back to sleep and so I was not nursing her. Last night she woke up crying and would not nurse, I held her to get her back to sleep.
I kept pumping last week but am only getting an ounce now (I am off the domperidone). Does this mean she is done nursing? I have been offering the breast to her, but she either pursses her lips, or turns her head away. I was prepared to keep nursing her and hate to give up if I shouldn't, but I am afraid I am close to not producing any milk now.
I have to admiit I am sad, I loved the special time we would have nursing, but I am happy she is such a healthy little girl and knows she is loved and feels supported to move on to the next phase of toddlerhood.
Thank you so much for all of the answers and support. I just wanted to make sure that this was self weaning since all of the information I could find kept saying it was unusual for a child under 18 months, etc... I also called and talked to her pediatrician's nurse advice line and the nurse said the same thing, my daughter decided it was time to be done. And so me move onto a new chapter :-)
Thank you again
It sounds like she is done. At 13 months you can now start moving her away from formula to cows milk. Be happy you made it to 13 months! My first son had to be supplemented and we only made it 3 months before we went to formula full time.
yes! My son stopped at 11 months, and my daughter is 16 and still going once a day before bed...I am waiting for her to stop! While it is sad, there are so many more things to enjoy with your daughter as she continues to grow.
It seems so!! Great job by the way! It sounds like you made a strong effort to bf. Celebrate that your boobs belong to you again.
My son is almost 18 months and this week (9/15/10) he decided that he did not want to nurse with me anymore. I've have prayered that it he would wean on his own. However now that this has happened 2 days later I woke up very depressed. I realized that I was going through withdraws of not nursing him. I had committed myself to nurse him for 2 years however he made a wise decision and I guess I was just a little surprised. I miss the closeness however I also enjoy the freedom again. It so amazing how I wanted the nursing to end however when it did I was sad. This has been the most amazing experience of my life. We now cuddle together and it is a whole new experience with him that I look forward to and enjoy. www.coachjanese.com
My guess is the daycare wasn't feeding her your expressed breast milk, so she only wants the formula. Daycares don't always do what you want.
Luckily, because you have been breastfeeding her for 13 months you did a great thing for as long as you couldn, and I wouldn't worry about it at this point.
My daughter McKinley quit at about a year. She just wouldn't nurse anymore. This was her way of telling me, "no more, mommy." My doctor was the first one I called. He just said she was weaning herself and not to worry. I kept feeding her formula but added small cereal bits to it. She now loves experimenting with mushier foods like green beans and peas (pureed). Sometimes its a hit, sometimes its not. McKinley is 14 months now, so she's only the smallest bit older than your daughter.
And I understand about missing the "bonding" time. It was nice to just sit with my daughter on my bed and look at her. Her beauty amazes me. I truly love being a mother and I'm so glad I get to share my own experiences with other mothers out there!!
Good luck with your little angel!!!
Love going out to you,
A. <3 :)
Both of my kids abruptly stopped at 13 and 14 months. I was sad at first but about a week later I got a cold and got to take cold medicine. It was exciting! Congratulations on your healthy baby! Good job!
13 months is a long time to nurse and is very commendable. When a child is ready they will wean themselves some earlier than others. If you are not producing enough milk maybe she doesn't find the boob so pleasing now. i wouldn't be sad you had 13 wonderful months to have that bond and just hold her now instead of nurse. She is just getting older and there is nothing wrong with that.......... you've done great!
My son was like that... he self-weaned at about 1 year old.
He'd behave the same way as your daughter, when I put him to the breast.
He just rather have the bottle... its easier to drink from.. and takes less time.
Maybe she is teething? That is another reason why some babies seem to 'reject' the breast. My kids did that. But it was temporary.
also, if your milk decreased... she may be reacting to that... and 'knows.' Thus it is not productive...
all the best,
Susan
