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rbaby · Oct 20th, 2009, 11:56 AM

I've been breastfeeding for almost six months now, and six months was my goal. I'm having trouble deciding if I should start weaning now. DS is teething and should be cutting teeth anytime now, and I wanted to wean him before this happens. Is this a good idea? What are the pros and cons of prolonged BFing? How did you know when it was time to wean? Any advice would be greatly appeciated! TIA!

k2sealer · Oct 20th, 2009, 02:29 PM

I just BF'd less and less until DS was 1 year old. Up to this point he absolutely would NOT take any kind of bottle or sippy cup. So at his 1 year checkup with his doctor we mentioned this. I was only BF'ing once a day by this point. The doc said that should just cut him off. So I did. Literally, that night no more BF'ing. Within about 2 days he was using a sippy cup for the first time.

I wouldn't worry so much about the teething. They get their bottom teeth first anyways and they can't nurse unless they cover their bottom teeth with their tongue.

KristyDarling · Oct 20th, 2009, 04:36 PM

Congrats on making it to your milestone! Honestly, I wouldn't worry about the teething being a reason for weaning....unless your baby starts biting. Teething is not an issue for many nursing babies at all, and many never bite. I *had* to wean my first baby at about 7 months because we had fertility issues and needed to start trying again for #2 right away. It was sad, because both DS and I enjoyed nursing and I was brokenhearted that it had to end.

With baby number 2, I BFed her all the way to 11.5 months. She was the one who started "telling" me it was time. We made it all the way through teething (she never bit me), but when she was almost 1 year old, she started pushing me away whenever I offered the breast, turning her head and refusing to latch on. I thought it was a phase at first, and tried unsuccessfully for 1 week to get her to nurse (and pumping afterwards for relief)...she'd usually take a few half-hearted sips, fuss, and then push me away. For the first time, she seemed much happier with a bottle or sippy. That's when I knew. I had DH take some photos of what I knew would be the very last time that I would ever BF in my life. I cried the whole time! It was the end of an era. But I knew I did my job and nourished her with BM the best I could.

I think that unless your schedule no longer permits or it somehow becomes more of a burden than a pleasure, keep going with the BFing and enjoy it while it lasts!

ilovepinkhearts · Oct 20th, 2009, 04:41 PM

i weaned my oldest at 10mths...we both were just over bf'ing. i offered less and less and he seemed to not care. then one day i just stopped and he never cried for it. so he was on a sippy after that. he never took a bottle or pacifier, so that was nice not having to wean him off those.

bohohobo · Oct 21st, 2009, 03:22 PM

Congrats to making it past 6 mos mark.
DS is teething and has bitten me before to which I pulled him off and told him firmly "NO". He did it again and I went "NO", then stopped feeding for 15 minutes until he got really hungry, then before latching him on I warned him "no biting". He's not bitten me since. True babies cover their lower teeth with their tongue but sometimes they want something pliable to chew on and the nipple is convenient since it's right there.

LV Luvr · Oct 21st, 2009, 09:37 PM

Well I'm in the same boat. My short term goal was 6 months and this Tuesday I will be at 7 months. My long term goal was 9 months. I have a feeling I'm going to maybe make it to 8. I BF him only in the morning because he's bitten me twice(yes I said no firmly) and i see he gets distracted more in the afternoon. So I pump the rest of the day and give him bottles. However, I'm getting less and less out...3 ounces total at every pumping session. I think i'm slowly over the next month going to wean him.

TravelBug · Oct 22nd, 2009, 02:47 AM

With my first we went for 11.5 months. It ended without much fanfare. We were down to 1 feeding a day. She'd latch on, suck and have this 'what is this?' face, I knew the end was coming and I was going on a business trip. I wasn't sad like I thought I'd be. But this time, I know I will be very upset when it ends coz this is my last baby ... I want to go for the same length as the last baby but I have a feeling he is going to wean himself pretty soon. The boy sure loves eating solids.

nvie · Oct 22nd, 2009, 05:12 AM

[B]LV Luvr/B]I am in the same boat too. I have been breastfeeding DS for 5.5 months now and my target is 6 months. My supply is low at times, sometimes only 2 oz. DS is happy with formula, in fact prefers formula than my milk. He gets distracted when he drinks my milk from the bottle or even when I am breastfeeding him, except before he sleeps at night and during night feed.

My mom kept telling me to breastfeed him until end of the year so we can start him on solids when he is past 7 months.

Is weaning emotionally tough?

LV Luvr · Oct 22nd, 2009, 09:21 AM

^i think it varies for everyone. If you would have asked me a month ago when DS was sans teeth I would have said yes...it would be hard, but now not so much...I'm almost looking forward to it. HAHA.

vhdos · Oct 22nd, 2009, 03:57 PM

My goal was 6 months for both babies and I met each goal. Everyone has different comfort levels so just go with what feels right for you and your little one!

metroelle · Oct 23rd, 2009, 10:23 AM

i thought i would wean when he first bit me, but that phase was over quickly, and we continued on. emotionally, i love bf'ing so i won't be stopping yet, but practically i wouldn't want to switch over to the hassle of bottles/formula/sterilizing when you can skip straight to cups/sippies in just a few months!

rbaby · Oct 26th, 2009, 11:22 AM

Thanks for all of the responses. I have dropped our lunch time feeding and replaced with formula. DS doesn't seem to mind. I would like to get to the point where I am only BFing first thing in the morning and right before bed. I've read that some babies feel rejected when the weaning process begins, so I hoping this is not an issue for DS.

berryblondeboys · Oct 26th, 2009, 11:42 AM

Every situation is different. I'm cheap.. I didn't want to pay for formula and two, I'm a firm believer that mom is better than formula. It prolongs immunity benefits, the longer mom nurses, the more it lowers the risk of breast cancer later and so on.

Now, I never did the pumping thing - it was straight from me. Neither of my babies took to a bottle, but I was staying home anyway, so no big deal. I just cannot fathom the idea of bottle feeding a baby when the boobs with milk are right there.

My older son weaned himself at 13.5 months. My older son was 2.5. Now, I would have NEVER thought I would nurse for that long, but he refused to eat solids until he was just shy of one year and barely took in enough other food at 18 months. My milk is more complete than formula, so until he was ready to take in more solids, I wasn't going to rush weaning - pediatrician agreed with this saying that this little guy knows better than we do what his digestive system is ready for. From about 2 years old onward, I started eliminating one feeding at a time. He was sooooo attached to me and to nursing that I tried to do it delicately. Last one to go was the going to sleep nursing. No crying ever.. I could never, ever withhold nursing if it were still so important to him (and before then it really was). But that was him... as I said my older son weaned himself with no fuss at 13.5 months and it started when I introduced cow's milk at 1 year, but he was a robust eater with other foods from 6 months onwards.

twinkle.tink · Oct 26th, 2009, 12:03 PM

Another one for about 6-7 months. By that time we were down to just a few feedings and Emily was eating cereal and fruit for breakfast and I was ready to add more solids. I eliminated the bed time feeding first, since that is harder to break the older the get and then waited a week and did away with the early morning one as well. She did have a bottle here and there while I was BF, but we weaned those at the same time. So since she was 7 months she has only used sippy cups.

mom2mom · Oct 30th, 2009, 02:17 PM

Weaning your baby is really an individual thing. Some babies kind of wean themselves and for others it's because mom is ready. One thing you don't want to do is stop cold turkey. Start by cutting out a feeding a day and gradually work up to stopping completely.

As they get older breastfeeding becomes more of a comfort than a necessity so you kind of have to gauge your child and what her needs are. There are pros and cons of continuing into the toddler ages, again that is a personal preference.

Weaning is normal at about 6 months. If baby is cutting teeth there may be more of a motivation but if you are ready do it gradually and the rest will come along naturally.

Oct 20th, 2009, 11:56 AM	#1
rbaby OP Insufficient Funds Joined: Aug 2007 Location: Asking for a credit increase Posts: 849	How did you know it was time to wean? I've been breastfeeding for almost six months now, and six months was my goal. I'm having trouble deciding if I should start weaning now. DS is teething and should be cutting teeth anytime now, and I wanted to wean him before this happens. Is this a good idea? What are the pros and cons of prolonged BFing? How did you know when it was time to wean? Any advice would be greatly appeciated! TIA!
	__________________

Oct 20th, 2009, 04:36 PM	#3
KristyDarling Member Joined: Feb 2006 Posts: 4,356	Congrats on making it to your milestone! Honestly, I wouldn't worry about the teething being a reason for weaning....unless your baby starts biting. Teething is not an issue for many nursing babies at all, and many never bite. I had to wean my first baby at about 7 months because we had fertility issues and needed to start trying again for #2 right away. It was sad, because both DS and I enjoyed nursing and I was brokenhearted that it had to end. With baby number 2, I BFed her all the way to 11.5 months. She was the one who started "telling" me it was time. We made it all the way through teething (she never bit me), but when she was almost 1 year old, she started pushing me away whenever I offered the breast, turning her head and refusing to latch on. I thought it was a phase at first, and tried unsuccessfully for 1 week to get her to nurse (and pumping afterwards for relief)...she'd usually take a few half-hearted sips, fuss, and then push me away. For the first time, she seemed much happier with a bottle or sippy. That's when I knew. I had DH take some photos of what I knew would be the very last time that I would ever BF in my life. I cried the whole time! It was the end of an era. But I knew I did my job and nourished her with BM the best I could. I think that unless your schedule no longer permits or it somehow becomes more of a burden than a pleasure, keep going with the BFing and enjoy it while it lasts!
KristyDarling Member Joined: Feb 2006 Posts: 4,356

Oct 20th, 2009, 04:41 PM	#4
ilovepinkhearts team edward. always. Joined: Dec 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 4,396	i weaned my oldest at 10mths...we both were just over bf'ing. i offered less and less and he seemed to not care. then one day i just stopped and he never cried for it. so he was on a sippy after that. he never took a bottle or pacifier, so that was nice not having to wean him off those.
	__________________ Please educate yourself about pancreatic cancer, and then share that knowledge with a loved one. http://www.pancan.org i will lose the weight...1 lb at a time!! i CAN do it! i'm not sure how many lbs to go - skinny jeans here i come!!

Oct 21st, 2009, 03:22 PM	#5
bohohobo tamale loco Joined: May 2009 Posts: 337	Congrats to making it past 6 mos mark. DS is teething and has bitten me before to which I pulled him off and told him firmly "NO". He did it again and I went "NO", then stopped feeding for 15 minutes until he got really hungry, then before latching him on I warned him "no biting". He's not bitten me since. True babies cover their lower teeth with their tongue but sometimes they want something pliable to chew on and the nipple is convenient since it's right there.
bohohobo tamale loco Joined: May 2009 Posts: 337

Oct 21st, 2009, 09:37 PM	#6
LV Luvr Member Joined: Nov 2006 Posts: 2,302	Well I'm in the same boat. My short term goal was 6 months and this Tuesday I will be at 7 months. My long term goal was 9 months. I have a feeling I'm going to maybe make it to 8. I BF him only in the morning because he's bitten me twice(yes I said no firmly) and i see he gets distracted more in the afternoon. So I pump the rest of the day and give him bottles. However, I'm getting less and less out...3 ounces total at every pumping session. I think i'm slowly over the next month going to wean him.
LV Luvr Member Joined: Nov 2006 Posts: 2,302

Oct 20th, 2009, 02:29 PM	#2
k2sealer Call me K2 Joined: Aug 2007 Posts: 1,036	I just BF'd less and less until DS was 1 year old. Up to this point he absolutely would NOT take any kind of bottle or sippy cup. So at his 1 year checkup with his doctor we mentioned this. I was only BF'ing once a day by this point. The doc said that should just cut him off. So I did. Literally, that night no more BF'ing. Within about 2 days he was using a sippy cup for the first time. I wouldn't worry so much about the teething. They get their bottom teeth first anyways and they can't nurse unless they cover their bottom teeth with their tongue.
k2sealer Call me K2 Joined: Aug 2007 Posts: 1,036

Oct 22nd, 2009, 02:47 AM	#7
TravelBug What R U Lookin' At? Joined: Feb 2006 Posts: 1,955	With my first we went for 11.5 months. It ended without much fanfare. We were down to 1 feeding a day. She'd latch on, suck and have this 'what is this?' face, I knew the end was coming and I was going on a business trip. I wasn't sad like I thought I'd be. But this time, I know I will be very upset when it ends coz this is my last baby ... I want to go for the same length as the last baby but I have a feeling he is going to wean himself pretty soon. The boy sure loves eating solids.

Oct 22nd, 2009, 05:12 AM	#8
nvie :) Joined: Oct 2006 Location: Asia Posts: 402	[B]LV Luvr/B]I am in the same boat too. I have been breastfeeding DS for 5.5 months now and my target is 6 months. My supply is low at times, sometimes only 2 oz. DS is happy with formula, in fact prefers formula than my milk. He gets distracted when he drinks my milk from the bottle or even when I am breastfeeding him, except before he sleeps at night and during night feed. My mom kept telling me to breastfeed him until end of the year so we can start him on solids when he is past 7 months. Is weaning emotionally tough?
nvie :) Joined: Oct 2006 Location: Asia Posts: 402	__________________ Last edited by nvie; Oct 22nd, 2009 at 05:16 AM.

Oct 22nd, 2009, 09:21 AM	#9
LV Luvr Member Joined: Nov 2006 Posts: 2,302	^i think it varies for everyone. If you would have asked me a month ago when DS was sans teeth I would have said yes...it would be hard, but now not so much...I'm almost looking forward to it. HAHA.
LV Luvr Member Joined: Nov 2006 Posts: 2,302

Oct 22nd, 2009, 03:57 PM	#10
vhdos Member Joined: May 2007 Location: NC Posts: 3,144	My goal was 6 months for both babies and I met each goal. Everyone has different comfort levels so just go with what feels right for you and your little one!
vhdos Member Joined: May 2007 Location: NC Posts: 3,144	__________________ visit Bonanzle.com

Oct 23rd, 2009, 10:23 AM	#11
metroelle Member Joined: Apr 2007 Location: the city Posts: 165	i thought i would wean when he first bit me, but that phase was over quickly, and we continued on. emotionally, i love bf'ing so i won't be stopping yet, but practically i wouldn't want to switch over to the hassle of bottles/formula/sterilizing when you can skip straight to cups/sippies in just a few months!
	__________________

Oct 26th, 2009, 11:22 AM	#12
rbaby OP Insufficient Funds Joined: Aug 2007 Location: Asking for a credit increase Posts: 849	Thanks for all of the responses. I have dropped our lunch time feeding and replaced with formula. DS doesn't seem to mind. I would like to get to the point where I am only BFing first thing in the morning and right before bed. I've read that some babies feel rejected when the weaning process begins, so I hoping this is not an issue for DS.
	__________________

Oct 26th, 2009, 11:42 AM	#13
berryblondeboys Member Joined: Sep 2007 Location: VA (DC Burbs) Posts: 2,822	Every situation is different. I'm cheap.. I didn't want to pay for formula and two, I'm a firm believer that mom is better than formula. It prolongs immunity benefits, the longer mom nurses, the more it lowers the risk of breast cancer later and so on. Now, I never did the pumping thing - it was straight from me. Neither of my babies took to a bottle, but I was staying home anyway, so no big deal. I just cannot fathom the idea of bottle feeding a baby when the boobs with milk are right there. My older son weaned himself at 13.5 months. My older son was 2.5. Now, I would have NEVER thought I would nurse for that long, but he refused to eat solids until he was just shy of one year and barely took in enough other food at 18 months. My milk is more complete than formula, so until he was ready to take in more solids, I wasn't going to rush weaning - pediatrician agreed with this saying that this little guy knows better than we do what his digestive system is ready for. From about 2 years old onward, I started eliminating one feeding at a time. He was sooooo attached to me and to nursing that I tried to do it delicately. Last one to go was the going to sleep nursing. No crying ever.. I could never, ever withhold nursing if it were still so important to him (and before then it really was). But that was him... as I said my older son weaned himself with no fuss at 13.5 months and it started when I introduced cow's milk at 1 year, but he was a robust eater with other foods from 6 months onwards.
	__________________ When you teach your son, you teach your son's son. ~The Talmud

Oct 26th, 2009, 12:03 PM	#14
twinkle.tink Choose to be happy Joined: Sep 2006 Location: Taking a nap Posts: 16,063	Another one for about 6-7 months. By that time we were down to just a few feedings and Emily was eating cereal and fruit for breakfast and I was ready to add more solids. I eliminated the bed time feeding first, since that is harder to break the older the get and then waited a week and did away with the early morning one as well. She did have a bottle here and there while I was BF, but we weaned those at the same time. So since she was 7 months she has only used sippy cups.
	__________________ My song for this week: It's the most wonderful time of the year

Oct 30th, 2009, 02:17 PM	#15
mom2mom Member Joined: Oct 2009 Location: Southern California Posts: 7	Weaning your baby is really an individual thing. Some babies kind of wean themselves and for others it's because mom is ready. One thing you don't want to do is stop cold turkey. Start by cutting out a feeding a day and gradually work up to stopping completely. As they get older breastfeeding becomes more of a comfort than a necessity so you kind of have to gauge your child and what her needs are. There are pros and cons of continuing into the toddler ages, again that is a personal preference. Weaning is normal at about 6 months. If baby is cutting teeth there may be more of a motivation but if you are ready do it gradually and the rest will come along naturally.

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