Stopping Breastfeeding - What to Expect?

Hello,

This happened with both of my boys. One tappered off at 7 months the other at 8 months. Yes you will be in pain, but do not pump as this keeps up the production of milk. Instead use warm cloth or hot water bottle. You should leak from time to time for a while after breastfeeding anyways. Good luck.

I would say you have already pretty much done the gradual cut back, you should stop feeling aching in a week or so. I cut back with both my two kids much the same as you, and it only took about a week before I felt no more aching.

I was only able to nurse till about 4 months with both babies due to I didn't produce milk. I tried everything to make milk but in the end I couldn't. I ended up stopping because after my kids would nurse for a minute the milk just stopped so I did go through some engorgement. When that would happen I would just hand express a couple times and it relieved it. I was fine in about a week. I also want to state that people who think that you can not bond at feedings if the baby isn't on your boob and has a bottle is wrong. I had to use bottles with both my babies and at feeding times I held them close rocked, sang, and did all the samethings except the boob wasn't in there mouths. I feel as if we got to bond very well and to this day(my kids are almost 2 and 3 1/2) they want to be rocked and held close and they only want me to do it. So I think we bonded very well and you can. Don't let others say things like you can only bond if you are nursing and so on well thats wrong. I think there is was to much pressure out on mothers to nurse and I believe it is whats best for baby and mother. Good luck

What to expect:

#1. I exclusively pumped, and when it was time to stop I just slowly cut back the number of pumping sessions, as in I dropped one every few days until I was down to no pumping. Yes, there were engorgement issues so I would 'pump to comfort' or only about 3-5 minutes to relieve the pressure. Eventually, I just had to hand-express a few squeezes.

#2. Do NOT 'bind' yourself - you'll put yourself at risk for mastitis. In fact, if you can 'go free', that will help. Although I never tried it, many people swear by cabbage leaves in the bra.

#3. You've done a wonderful thing nursing for as long as you did. Many people look at nursing as a 'team sport' - it's over when one of the team members decides they don't want to play anymore. So, unfortunately, you will probably get a lot of grief from the breastfeeding police for "giving up so soon" at 10 months. Don't let the guilt get to you - you are fine, your baby is fine, and you'll still find wonderful, meaningful ways to bond. And...while breast is indeed best, your child won't grow a third arm or grow to despise you if the nursing is done.

Only you know what is best for your baby and you, so good luck with whatever decision you make. Congratulations for making it so long. The aching and leaking will eventually go away - the first week seemed the toughest.

You have gotten some great advice on here already so I will just offer some support. All three of my children weaned at different times. My oldest was forced to since I threw out my back and the ER neglected to tell me that the meds were unsafe (Even though I told them I was nursing) SO he got weaned at 11 mo. My second child would still be nursing to this day if I had let him (which I did NOT) so at 14 mo I made him wean. My daughter weaned herself at 10 mo. She was so busy trying to play and chase her brothers (and their toys) she did not have time to sit still to nurse (she would nurse for a few seconds then move on) So she happily weaned herself. She took the cup fine she was not at all sad or angry about it and I think for her she was just ready. I think your baby is clearly showing you she is ready to be a big girl, and while this can sometimes be a little sad for mommy it is also a big step for her! As far as weaning cold turkey, I would be careful with pumping to relieve. I am not saying don't do it, by all means relieve the pressure. Just be sure you don't pump too much and you are gradually pumping less and less and within a month you should be back to "normal" Good Luck!

Hi J.,
My goal was at least 12 months. Unfortunately, my daughter became less and less interested and we stopping nursing all together by the time she was 7 months. She decided she had more important things to do than to lay still and nurse, like playing! This was a very emotional time for me since it was such a bonding event.

I was pumping 3x's every day at work, but without much success toward the end since my electric pump kind of puttered out around the same time my daughter quit nursing.

Anyway, we gradually worked ourselves to just nursing at night, much like you have done, and started to pump less at work. I didn't have much pain when we stopped completely, but I know you can hand express as necessary. If you can figure out how to do it, I never did, it only takes a couple minutes and will relieve any pressure you have. Of course, pumping once a day is great as well. If you don't decide to pump/nurse/hand express at all, I would think within the next couple of days you should be feeling better.

BTW- I know of many babies who wean themselves around the same age as your daughter, and even around the same age as mine was. I felt like a failure for quite awhile because I thought I was doing something wrong since many people told me babies don't just wean themselves. I don't know if you're feeling this way or not, but don't let anyone make you feel bad about it.

the cabbage leaf thing works (friend told me) but she said the smell was unbearable! My daughter weanded herself around 4 months (not too young for the nursing gastoppo reading this) and since I had enough expressed milk in bottles I didn't nurse at all one day and by that night I was sooo sore that I hand expressed alittle to get rid of the ache in the shower and by the next day my milk supply was alot lower so that by the end of the week I was done and there was no pain. I only hurt that one day.

J.,
It sounds like you have already gotten lots of great advice. I suffered through when my first stopped nursing, not realizing that I could pump off and still stop producing milk! Luckily, I realized that when I hade my second. If you get really uncomfortable, just pump off a little. You'll be surprised how quickly your body will figure out you are no longer needing it to produce milk. I think it took me about a week to fully stop producing milk, but I only had to pump off maybe two or three times. Good luck.

J.,

Just pump a little to relieve the pressure as needed. Good job on breastfeeding this long!

Best wishes,
K.

i only breastfeed for 3 months and i didn't stop because i wanted to i stopped because my body stopped producing milk. i can only tell you what my mom told me because i did the same thing to her when i was 10 mths old. she said don't pump your body will just produce more milk. she said the swelling went down in a couple of days. i wish i could tell you more good luck!

J.,
Your situation sounds just like what I did with my son. I just kept doing the one feeding and then stopped. I ached for about 2 days and then I was fine. I know everybody is different but it is possible for the ache to just go away.
-A.

At this point, you're almost there- If you pump/nurse at this point, it will send signals to your body to keep producing more. If you're not 'full' just a little achy, it's your body adjusting to the change. If you become engorged (which it sounds like you're past that point since she's been hardly nursing)then express JUST enough to be comfortable. If that's not the case, don't pump or nurse anymore and your body will continue to adjust. Good luck!

If you pump, your breast will continue to make milk and the aching will just take longer to go away. Cold turkey is the way to go. You will dry up in a short time and the pain will be gone. It's the same as for a mother who doesn't breastfeed at all. Do not express milk, don't like warm water hit your breast and don't use warm compresses (all will cause milk expression and lead to more milk being produced which will prolong your pain). Wear a supportive bra and deal with it for just a few days. Good Luck!

When I quit nursing my daughter, we did it cold turkey. My breasts were sore at first and they continued to get more painful and I had hard lumps in them. The doctor told me to take Motrin for the pain and come see her in a month if the pain and lumps did not go away. It took about an entire month for my body to get back to normal. The biggest issue I had was my hormones going psycho on me for a couple of weeks after I quit breastfeeding. So you may be in for a couple of emotional weeks.

After my son was born & I couldn't breastfeed, my doctor gave me some ideas. Absolutely NO stimulus. Even the shower would stimulate milk. As we've all heard, breasts work on a supply & demand principle. So, if you're not "demanding" it, they won't supply. I had a bra that was about 1 size too smal & used a kitchen towel for extra pressure. I wore this almost 24/7. Obviously not during showers or washing. It took about a week, but there was very little pain or discomfort.

I was never able to get my kids to latch, I pumped and fed both of them. I quit cold turkey with my son and it was hard for the first week but it gradually got easier. With my daughter, I I would pump a few ounces a day just to relive the pressure. It helped, but really stretched the time out. It also helps it you keep your bra on as much as possible during the time that your drying up. Good Luck!

It helps to wear 2 sports bras and put and icepack in between.

Listen to your body and to your baby. I don't know the backstory behind why you're supplementing (if at times other than when you're at work), but that makes me wonder why you're weaning now if you really wanted to make it to 12 months? It's highly unusual for a baby to wean this early - many, many moms misinterpret a nursing strike due to teething or illness or a baby's distraction (working on some big developmental skill like walking) as "signs that the baby is weaning" when in fact, that's *not* the case. Of course, you've done a great job nursing this long (so many moms don't even try, or they quit before 12 weeks, so you've done great to give your baby breastmilk for as long as you have)!

At any rate, a slower weaning would reduce your risk for plugged ducts and possible mastitis, not to mention you'd be a bit more comfortable moment to moment if you did a more gradual weaning. But if you're tolerating it well (what is likely some engorgement due to suddenly not nursing at all), just keep checking in with yourself, hand express as needed only to comfort (warm shower is always an easy place) and continue on as you have started.

Congratulations for nursing as long as you have!!! I wish more mothers would do as you have, nurse their babies, and value the incredible health benefits to mom and baby, as well as those sweet, sweet emotional nursing moments. I'd never give those up, not for billions of dollars. :)