With my oldest daughter, my goal was to breastfeed her until she was one. She weaned when she was about 14 months, the youngest of my girls to give up “mommy’s milk.” All of mine have weaned fairly easily (though they’ve kept up their night feedings for longer than I’d like). Here, other nursing moms share their stories and tips for weaning.
Night Weaning in a Week—I’m up early in the morning and I’m tired, oh so tired. I need more sleep. A nursing relationship is two-way, and it needs to work for both of us. This part wasn’t working for me anymore, and last weekend I decided it needed to change.
Self-led Weaning with My 2-Year-old—It was always my intention to nurse Rainbow for “a minimum of two years.” The American Pediatrics Association suggests one year minimum, while the World Health Organization suggests two. Dairy allergies run in my family and I had been told by the local La Leche League leader that if I was to hold off on introducing dairy until she was two it would increase her odds of not being allergic. All of these were great excuses to offer to inquiring friends and family, but the real reason was it just felt right.
I Think He Is Done—I knew I had no intentions of leading the weaning process, and over the last 8 mths there have been a few days with little nursing – but this time, it has been 5 days. He hasn’t nursed ONE time in 5 days. I am a little sad, but happy that it is on his terms.
Our Final Days of Breastfeeding—A lot of things are coming to an end, it seems. We’re almost completely potty trained so diapers are on their way out, and now breastfeeding. I’ve been nursing for five and a half years non-stop, including three months of tandem nursing after Kay was born. That’s a long time.
Child-Led Weaning—“How do you decide when it’s time to wean?” my cousin asked me as I took a break from pulling weeds with her to sit down on a nearby bench with my toddler. “Um, I thought I’d let her decide that,” I answered, looking down at Lily.
Weaning and Extended Breastfeeding—Sometime back in May I nursed my daughter for the last time. I don’t know the exact date. She would have been three years and three months old, give or take. There was no decision, no cut off point. She just gradually lost interest. She would “forget” to nurse, let it go for a day or two, and them come back, full steam.
When did your child wean from nursing? What tips would you share with fellow breastfeeding moms?
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