My Advice on Weaning

It has been a week since I weaned Tallulah off from breast feeding. She was a little over 18 months old. I really wanted to keep doing it but I decided it would be better to wean her off before I get pregnant again. I did not like the idea of being super nauseous and still breast feeding. I am going to be honest, I really miss it. I still have milk and sometimes think about giving it to her again but realize that would not be beneficial to her or myself.

I am so thankful that I was able to breast feed for as long as I wanted. I was able to keep my milk supply while pumping at work and then once I became a stay home mom. So many women ask about weaning off advice so I thought I would share mine.

1. If you can, breast feed for as long as you can. Tallulah has only had a few brief colds and they were while she was teething and I believe breast feeding plays a huge role in that.

2. When you are ready to wean, start by taking the mid day feeding away first, then go down to just morning and night, finally eliminate the morning and just go down to the night feeding. I kept up with the night feeding for about three months which gave Tallulah plenty of time to adjust. Once I was ready to wean her off, I started explaining to her that soon we were going to have just cuddle time with mama and no more milk. I explained that she was becoming a big girl and did not need mama's milk anymore. This is the benefit of breast feeding for so long. By the time I was ready to wean, Tallulah was old enough to understand.

3. Just stick to it and create a secure feeling for your baby as they go through this transition. Cuddle with them, read with them, just make sure they know that you are there for them and that you are empathetic for how they feel.

This last week has been pretty smooth. She does ask for milk for a moment at bedtime but forgets about it, once we start cuddle and story time with mama and papa, she is super content.

I think it is harder on the mama emotionally then the child. :)