Almost as soon as breastfeeding has settled into a satisfying
rhythm, questions about weaning wander through your mind or roll off
the lips of friends and family.
When to wean?
There is no one answer. Pediatricians say breast milk for the first
year of life is optimum. Left up to the babies, some decide 7 months
is enough; some go much longer. Some moms have a 3 or 6 month goal.
The question is, What's right for you? Don't get locked into a
specific date - situations change.
The process of weaning really begins with that first bite of cereal
or the first bottle of formula. So if you have someone pressing you
to wean, you can honestly say you have begun.
How?
The more gradually you wean, the easier it is on you and baby
(although there is almost always some sadness). One by one, skip the
feeding your baby seems least interested in. Think of weaning not as
quitting something, but of substituting something else: time together
cuddling, reading a story, going for a walk, eating meals with the
family, etc.
If you have to wean suddenly, you may be uncomfortable as your body
adjusts. Express milk by hand or with a pump when you are feeling
uncomfortably full and only enough to relieve the discomfort. Try
wearing a raw cabbage leaf inside your bra - there is something in
the cabbage that seems to reduce milk production.
Wean to bottle or cup? The younger your baby is when you begin
weaning, the more you will use bottles. But don't over-look cups,
especially the many tippee cups available. In some cases it is
possible to go directly to a cup, avoiding a second weaning process
from bottle to cup.
© COPYRIGHT 1995, Bosom Buddies, Inc. Denver, CO 80218