Weaning off of Breastmilk

Is there any reason you can't continue to pump breastmilk for her until she is eating more solids? Formula can really contribute to obesity where as breastmilk offers 400 nutrients that are not found in formula; not to mention the immune system boost.

Good Luck,
T. Nelson CD

Hi M.,

I am a board certified lactation consultant. One thing I would like to warn you of is... If you go from straight breastmilk to straight formula, both of you will suffer. This is because formula is much more difficult to digest. I would introduce one bottle of formula and stick with that bottle for 3-5 days. You may feel overly full in the breast area. I would pump for 2-3 minutes and relieve some of that pressure. If your breast s get swollen and overly full, you will run the risk of plugged ducts or mastitus( breast infection).

What type of formula should you be giving? I would recommend starting with a cows milk formula.... Enfamil, similac, carnation good start,ect. These are all basically the same formula. Think of it as coke vs. pepsi. We as a person may like the taste of one over the other but they are basically the same thing. If cows milk formula becomes a problem, then the next chioce would be a soy product.... Prosobee, isomil, carnation good start soy, ect. It can take up to two weeks to develope a problem with tolerating the formula. Once you have that first feeding established and it has been going well for 2-3 days, your breast no longer feel like they are going to explode, then introduce another bottle of formula for a second feed. Continue the same process for 2-5 days. If formula is introduced too quickly from straight breastmilk, you can almost gaurentee constipation on the babies part. This process is continued until you are completely weaned. PLease consider that the first morning feeding and the last nightime feeding are the hardest to wean from. THese would not be the ones I would start with. Did you know that you can bf and formula feed at the same time. I would consider keeping 1-2 bf in the winter months to continue to ward off colds, flu's and ear infections. This is a major time of year when germs are passed from one person to another. Think about thankgiving and Christmas when all your family is visiting and passing your child from one person to another. Germs!!!! Not to be over dramitic.

When you begin to wean, some things to consider....

1. Has my infant started eating any foods, ie. cereal? fruits or veggies. If you have not started to add cereal in the diet, I would consider holding off introducing anything new while introducing the formula. That way if there is some kind of reaction, you won't have to worry, was it the cereal or the formula. If you have already introduced cereal (usually by 6 months)then go slowly when iintroducing fruits and veggies. Only introduce 1 new food every 3-5 days.

2. I have introduced formula and she takes it fine but wants to nurse ALLLLLL nite long. This may mean that weaning is going to fast for the baby. They are so smart, if you wean during the day and only nurse at night, they don't mind reversing thier sleep scheduale to accomadate the need for the breastfeeding. This is not meant to scare you but to let you know some of the signs that weaning is going to fast.

3. Always make the formula according to the instructions. Never overdilute or underdilute to help baby digest it. This can cause major damage to the kidneys and liver. It is ok to offer 4 oz. of water besides the breastmilk and formula. I would also limit to 4 oz. of 100% fruit juice in a 24 hour period.

4. You may want to consider limiting botttles and go right for the cup. A cup should be introduced between 5-6 months. Some babies will not take a bottle but is willing to drink from a cup.

5. Be consistant. Weaning can be a very emotional time for you and the baby. Believe me, when I was ready to wean, I was ready. That did not mean my child was ready to wean. Things like sleep disturbances, the phone ringing and baby not feeling well, may be reasons to reintroduce breastfeeding for comfort. Do your self a favor and consider this decision carefully. It is very difficult to get milk back, once it is gone.

6. You need to get plenty of rest.(Ha!, Ha!,) When you are weaning, your body is going thru changes. Christmas time can be a very exciting but exhausting time. REmember if your breasts feel full for the skipped feeding, do yourself a favor and pump for 2-3 minutes. This is not enough stimulation to tell your body to keep making milk, but it will make you feel better. If you are not already on birth control or resumed your period. I would consider some options. Most , not all, women have resumes a menses by 6 months if formula or food has been introduced. If you have not resumed your period, expect to when you start to wean. So, unless your ready for another little one 9-12 months from now, consider precautions. Low estrogen birth control pills is one option, deproprovera is another option (both of these can be taken while breastfeeding) Once you are weaned and if taking low estrogen birth control pills, then you will need to switch to the regular pill after weaning.

I hope this helps. If you have any other specific questions feel free to email me a personal message.

Good luck! Thanks for giving your baby the best sttart!
H. B.

Yes, you would need to wean from breastmilk to formula. It took my daughter 2 months to wean from breastfeeding and I just slowly started giving her milk (she was 12 months old) and would try to delay or skip nursing sessions and ecause she was already eating solids, we had already lessened the number of nursing sessions anyway. I slowly cut out afternoon feedings first, then mid-morning and because she was more attached to her first morning feeding (rather than the usual bedtime) that was the last one we cut. At bedtime, I had her father give her some milk and put her to bed so she would learn that she didn't need to nurse and that someone else besides Mommy could put her to bed. To finally cut the last nursing session, I just told her that there wasn't any milk that day and skipped it, but by the next morning, I HAD to nurse her, then we skipped another couple of days, one more nursing session and then we just stopped all together. My daughter did fine as long as I avoided our typical nursing spots and positions but a few times she asked to nurse and when I told her there was no more milk, she burst into tears. (Remember, she was over a year old, so she understood a lot more than a 6-month-old will -- although at 6-months, she was pretty good about letting me know she wanted to nurse by butting her head against my chest or patting my chest.)

Just remember to take it slowly and don't just quit cold-turkey. That will be difficult for BOTH of you. Good luck.

M.,
Well first of all, will your daughter even take a bottle? If not, I would simply pump and try to get her used to the bottle. Then try adding formula to your breas milk. You could try just giving her formula. However I think you may be more successful if you mix the two for a short period of time to get her used to the new taste. You are supposed to stop formula and go to cows milk at 1yr (12mon. You should be feeding her infant cereal between 5-6mon. and starting stage 1 foods by 6mon. Check with your pediatrician to make sure that is what is right for your daughter. My son ate solid foods quite a bit earlier than most. My son also when straight to cows milk from formula. We did not need to wean him from the formula. But they say that is an easier adjustment vs. breast milk to formula. Good Luck!!!!

G.

I weaned both my girls from breastmilk to completley formula at 6-months. They both drank breastmilk from a bottle so that was not a problem. At 5-months I starting mixing breastmilk with formula (ie. 4oz bm w/ 2oz formula) then gradually making it completley formula. Once they adjusted to that I replaced one bottle a day with the formula for about 3-4 days then replaced another until all were formula. The last one I replaced was the bed time feeding as that seemed to be the one we were most attached too. If you do the switch cold turkey you will be very sore and most likley have an unhappy baby too. Be prepared for changes in your babies bowel movements (less frequent). Both my girls had a little difficulty so a slow transition helps.

Generally children who drink formula continue to do so out of a bottle or cup until 1-year when they can begin having cows milk. It will become less and less though as your baby starts eating solids.

Hope your transition goes well.

You have to wean her for sure, not only for the babys sake but for yours. If you just quit nursing you will be in a lot of pain in about 12 hours, it would require pumping and slowling weening yourself off the nursing. The other mom already gave great suggestions on how to do it, start w/ a bottle of breast milk, then slowly add formula. I would start now so there is no stress at the end...

Do you have to stop at 6 mon.? If not I would encourage you to continue until she is ready to wean.
When you do wean, try starting by replaceing 1 feeding at a time with a bottle/sippy cup/solids,etc. After 3-5 days cut another nursing,etc. Usually the last ones to cut are the bedtime & naptime feedings. Be sure to take it slow, so that you don't end up with engorgement issues or mastitis.
Happy nursing!

If your nursing relationship is successful for 6 months, why stop? A lot of women are not quitting at 6 months. It sounded from your post like that seemed the norm to you. Why stop a good thing? You made it through the first month, which is the hardest. That is wonderful! Is there a reason you want to stop? Are you returning to work? Are you having issues with nursing?