Start by dropping the breastfeed that your child seems least interested in. Then cut out one breastfeed every few days, or one each week. How often you drop feeds may depend on your own comfort and how willing your child is to cooperate. You may prefer to drop the feed that is most convenient for you.
Australia's dietary guidelines recommend exclusive breastfeeding of infants until they're 6 months old, with the introduction of solid foods at around 6 months, then to continue breastfeeding until the age of 12 months — and beyond, if it suits the mother and child. Breastmilk is free and, for many parents, convenient.
Taking drugs such as Cabergoline or Dostinex® to stop breast milk works best for mothers who have not been breastfeeding for long. Talk to your doctor, midwife or nurse if you would like more information about these drugs.
Your breasts will likely become engorged.
Three to four days after delivery, your breasts may grow to a size you previously couldn't have imagined. They may also become almost rock-hard. This is engorgement.
Some say that applying the juice of neem leaves or bitter gourd (karela) on your nipples before a feed will turn your baby off breastfeeds. There are also some herbal mixes, solutions and creams in the market that are promoted as weaning creams.
After your baby has stopped breastfeeding, you might have lumpy breasts for 5-10 days. A sore lump might indicate a blocked duct or the beginnings of mastitis. If this happens, try massaging the lumps or expressing a small amount of milk.
You will burn some stored body fat, but your body protects some fat for the purpose of breastfeeding. Many women don't lose all the baby weight until they completely stop nursing.
Thanks to biological and behavioral changes, it's totally normal to gain weight when you stop breastfeeding. "It's really common that women will stop breastfeeding and their weight goes up," G. Thomas Ruiz, M.D., an ob/gyn at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California, tells SELF.
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization also recommend exclusive breastfeeding for about the first 6 months with continued breastfeeding along with appropriate complementary foods for up to 2 years of age or older.
Whenever you decide to start weaning your child off breast milk, it's best to do it gradually. Stopping breastfeeding suddenly could put you at risk of engorgement, blocked ducts or mastitis, as well as being an abrupt change for your baby's digestive and immune systems to cope with.
Some women's breast milk supply dries up in a few days. Others will still express a few drops of milk months later. Most women who have breastfed or pumped and begin to wean will see their milk supply drop in two to three weeks, though this can vary depending on your baby's age and the amount of milk you were making.
Ready to stop breast feeding
Our weaning balm and moisturizer stick will make the transition easier for the mother and the baby. Apply it around the nipple or areola of the mom's breast, and avoid the emotional trauma of weaning. Our cream ointment is an easy-to-apply 10-ounce (3g) stick to stop breastfeeding.
If weaning is your decision, it's best for you and your baby to do it gradually, and with love. If you wean “cold turkey,” your breasts will likely become painfully engorged, and you might develop a breast infection. Your baby will probably fight the switch from your warm, soft breast to a plastic substitute.
Both oxytocin and prolactin contribute to feelings of calm, love, relaxation, closeness and contentment. As breastfeeding ends, both prolactin and oxytocin levels will lower – and so may your mood and sense of wellbeing. It may last a few days, or it may go on for longer.
Stopping breastfeeding suddenly could put you at risk of engorgement, blocked ducts or mastitis, as well as being an abrupt change for your baby's digestive and immune systems to cope with. It may also be difficult for you both emotionally.
Breastfeeding, even just once a day, is worth it.
Your body is regulating your hormones and your endocrine system with stimulation. Second, the baby receives that contact, that transfer of energy from the parent, and being skin to skin continues to support heart rate, respiration, glucose levels and temperature.
The pressure surrounding breastfeeding doesn't end at the pressure to breastfeed alone. You may feel stress and pressure over milk supply difficulties. Many parents stress about increasing their milk production. This may be especially true for parents of babies who are gaining weight slowly.
Myth: Babies who have been breastfed are clingy.
All babies are different. Some are clingy and some are not, no matter how they are fed. Breastfeeding provides not only the best nutrition for infants, but is also important for their developing brain.
You may become engorged anywhere between 2 and 5 days after birth and the more intense symptoms may last anywhere between 2 and 3 days, longer if not breastfeeding.
What about sleeping with cabbage leaves in your bra? If you aren't weaning, I would definitely avoid this, due to the potential detrimental affects on your milk supply. If you are weaning, I would not plan on going the entire night, but dozing off for an hour is probably fine.
Binding your breasts is not recommended. “It's an age-old practice that can make you very uncomfortable and can lead to clogged and painful milk ducts,” says Shay. But do wear a supportive bra that is not too tight. Weaning can be an emotional time for mothers.