OK all you weaners out there! How are we coming along?

[peanut4us]

So, we said we'd keep each other updated. I, for one, am doing... OK. If anything, my milk production has gone up though, sigh. I cut pumping at work from 3 to 2 times daily. We cut out one night feeding... and the other 2 night feedings, she gets a bottle first, then she can nurse if she's still hungry. Usually she eats off one side pretty well.

I am off work from the 18th to the 5th of January. I'd like to not be pumping at all when I go back to work. I figured it would be easier to wean her while I'm home (no idea why, but that was my thought). So what should I do? How does this sound for a start:

wake up -- bf
9am -- bottle (no pump)
12 -- bf
3pm -- bottle (no pump)
bedtime -- bf
10 pm -- bottle, bf
3 am -- bottle, bf

Then in about a week

9am -- bottle (no pump)
12 -- bf
3pm -- bottle (no pump)
bedtime -- bf
10 pm -- bottle only
3 am -- bottle, bf

hmmm... at that rate, we'll be bfing until Feb. I'm really ready to stop before Jan 5. Other ideas?

[jubilee]

I wound up deciding not to wean. I was only doing it for "emotional" reasons- I just feel too stressed out, and was thinking that weaning would help. But life mellowed out a bit, and Logan will take an occasional bottle so if I really do need a break, I can get it. I will try breastfeeding until he's 10 months old, then reevaluate.

[hellokitty1]

Edited for poor proofing the first time around.

My weaning process is moving along well. The week after Thanksgiving, I went from pumping 2x at work to once. I used to pump at 10:30 and 2:30. And the first week, I skipped the 10:30 and just pumped at 2:30. That first weekend, I nursed the entire day with the exception of the morning and noonish feeding which I gave by bottle.

The following week, I quit pumping at work altogether and now only nurse first thing in the AM and before bed. At this point, the weaning process has temporarily stopped. DH and I have to decide which feeding to cut off next - the nighttime feeding puts her to sleep but the AM feeding takes care of 5:30 wakings :) I'm thinking the bedtime feeding will go next bc we can always get her to sleep by rocking/holding at night. It's the 5:30 wakings I don't want to deaa with. I enjoy just pulling her into bed on Saturday mornings at 5:30 so we can sleep some more.

With that said, I'm glad I started the weaning when I did bc I got struck with the flu on Friday and basically locked myself in a room all weekend to avoid contact with DD. I only got close to her to nurse b4 bed and in the AM. If I had still been nursing FT, I would've been a wreck.

Joey, as for wanting to stop sooner than Feb., I would consider weaning more clustered (that's not the right way to say it). For example, I wouldn't switch back and forth during the day...just move to all bottles either during the day or at least a few in a row. I have no scientific reason, just my motherly instinct. I would just pump for relief while you start giving bottles during the day.

But really, I have no scientific background, just MHO. Keep me updated! Good luck.

[jennifer13]

We're working on this too. We have weaned the before bed feeding. I know that's unusual but it's worked really well, that way DH or a babysitter can give her the bottle and I can go out without getting engorged. Now I'm thinking of substituting every other feed, the way you are doing. But then again I agree too with the other poster about clustering. The schedule right now is:

7 PM Bed/bottle
4-6 am BF
8am BF
11am bottle
3pm bf
7Pm Bottle

Then move to bottle at 3pm, then eventually the morning, then hopefully by then we'll be making it 12 hours straight. I love being able to nurse during the night, so that may be the last to go.

My only other thought for you is whether that 10 pm feeding is still necessary? Or is that the feeding you mentioned cutting out? My ped said my 6 month old could go 8-10 hours without eating at night. Just wondering. It does make sense to move the combo bottle/breast to just bottle. And it makes sense to wean while you're home- you have control over the routine that way. Do you think it will really take until Feb? DD may make the transition easily.

By they way, you may want to gradually cut out pumping- pump less every time- just worry about engorgement/mastitis/plugged duct.

Good luck!

Jennifer
Mom to Norah 5/23/03

[mattysmom]

DS will be 10 months this week...and I've been working on weaning for the past month. Like an above poster, I was pumping at 10:30 and 2:30 at worrk, then I cut out the 2:30 pumping, and then a week ago, stopped pumping at 10:30 as well. DS takes a bottle just fine - and gets 8 oz at both 10:30 and 3:30. So our schedule is something like this:
6 am: bf
10:30 bottle
3:30 bottle
7:30 bf
he eats 3 meals/day as well. Now our only concern/question is that he hasn't wanted to take his afternoon nap, and we're wondering if he's hungry since he eats lunch around 12:30 or 1 and then naps from 2:30-3:30 or so...So, we're now thinking of adding a 2pm snack...

I'm not sure how much milk I have at the 2 bfeedings, but he seems okay for now. And, with this schedule, I feel good about making it two more months until his first birthday!!