weaning off breast milk - how did you do it?

[tab]

Im trying to stop breastfeeding with 10mth old. He will take formula if Im not there but that's the problem and at the moment he seems very keen on waking in the night when he knows that the breastmilk is plentiful and tasty and that mum will be there - and I give in. Youll probably tell me that Im my own worst enemy but with a 3 year old who gets up early for nursery and a dh to keep asleep as well, I just cant do the crying for ages thing. Im exhausted as well. That aside how did you move away from breastfeeding? I must have done it with ds1 but Im anxious to do this in the next two months. Were going on hols at end may and I really want to have quit the habit - plus this will coincide with ds2's 1st birthday. Any suggestions welcome .

Hi Tab, may not be of any help as I'm not weaning yet, but this last week I have been trying to stop nightfeeds with my 10m dd. She was waking at least evry 2 hours for a bf, so I decided not to feed roughly between 12 and 5. The first night I was up 3 hours cuddling her before she fell into an uneasy sleep in my bed. By the time she next woke it was 5 so I fed. The next night we were only up an hour and the last 2 nights its only been 10 mins. (in fact last night she slept for 5 hours straight). I had a bottle of formula by my side just to make me feel better but never needed to use it. I know it is still early days and she could be lulling me into a false sense of security, but I'm honestly surprised how easy it has been so far. I think because I stayed with her the whole time I didn't feel too bad and she didn't get as worked up as if I'd left her. Also as I knew I could feed at 5am I knew the torture would end at some point, even if it was 5 hours later.
Perhaps if you deal with nights first days will be easy to tackle in a couple of weeks.

Hope thats of some help. Good luck!

Hi tab, when I weaned both my dds I started expressing my milk for feeds and asking dh to feed more often so that I wasn't the only person associated with feeding.

I know exactly what your'e going through the only reason I stopped dd1 at 11 months was because I was pregnant and didn't want any fighting!
also something that really helped me was my mum had my dd for about 3 days(we had our late honeymoon in a hotel) and fed her with express and formula from a bottle, because I wasn't there she drank the milk and by day three she was quite happy
when she returned she did try to snuggle but when I gave her a bottle and she accepted it. might be a little extreme for you but when desperation sets in give it a try if you can!

Tab,you don't have to go onto a bottle and/or milk/formula at all.
At about this age,my ds moved onto water in a cup.

You go and sleep at your mothers and let DH take over with the baby until he gets the message that there is no more booby milk (as DD calls it - makes me want to vomit!!)

With DS I just had to go cold turkey or I think he would still be feeding now!!

One of my friends used to give her DD a bottle with a sweater that her DP had worn for a week without washing it so her DD couldn't smell the milk so strongly - WORKED THOUGH!!

Thanks for your suggestions. I just always seem to find an excuse to give in. Last week ds2 had this upset stomach bug that seems to be going round - really nasty and now he has a cough and cold. But i have to do it. He was refusing to take a bottle so we've moved to beakers which is fine but makes it difficult to measure the milk he's drunk/youre giving him. Thats a good idea to have some milk ready for during the night bobblehead.

A few weeks ago I did think we had it sussed during the nightime but last night he wanted breastmilk every 1.5 hours !! I htink that must have been his cold!! Hes never fed that often before.
Anyway you have given me some resolve to persevere! thanks. maybe I should start expressing again. I just wanted to avoid it!!

I have read on numerous sites that a baby gets 90% of its nutrients from milk bf or formula, so definately don't go to only water.
I am doing extended bfing so I still have the whole weaning thing to come, but tbh he sleeps 12 hours pretty much at 16 months and only feeds once at night, so it's not that big a deal for me now. Maybe it's easier to cut down at night when they get older?
Hope you find a solution that keeps you all happy.

Am watching this, am in same postion...

Sorry I meant to say a baby under 12 months gets 90% of its nutrients through milk.

You wont like mine!!!

DD just wouldn't give up bf, then all of a sudden at 12/13 months she stopped completely - 2 days later I found out I was pregnant with ds!!! I guess the milk maybe didn't taste the same! Drastic I know, but worth it!

Also both dd and ds went straight into cups, beakers at that age and also cows milk, made everything so much easier. Good luck.

Still doing ok here, though she by no means sleeps through the night, but I don't feel like she is looking for a feed iykwim, she will either settle down with rocking or stay awake which she would have done after a feed anyway. Have also had a couple of 5hr stretches which was unheard of before (but we were up at 4.30 this morning...)

I was determined last night to not feed during the night. ds went to sleep at 8 and then woke at near enough midnight. I thourght ok then, one last feed which was fine. I stuck to my guns but he woke at 1.30 and wouldnt settle for ages. He was furious at the offer of water so I just rocked him until he eventually nodded off. He cried for a while and I admit that I did have to keep picking him up. He woke again about 2.45 and I did the same. He then woke screaming at 5.00am at which point I gave in. Would be fine if he had slept just a little more but hopefully that will come when he finally realises that nightime is NOT the time to feed!!
Pindy, Im not going down that route - if I can help it!! Two is enough for now.
Bobble head hope you're not feeling too exhausted!!

hi, sory not had chance to read other replies. i have partially weaned 9 month son recently, with the wonderful side effect that he only has one feed (about11pm) in the night. i also bf on morning waking and after his nighttime bath.

before this he fed three times a night as well!

i was concentrating on switching the day feeds to bottle as i couldn't express milk well, and had a looming return to work.

i spent a couple of weeks mAKING SURE HE COULD USE BOTTLE oops, sorry, by giving him water in it until i found the teat he could take. then i dropped a mid-afternoon feed, on the fourth day he started really bottle drinking it rather than fussing at it. after this i dropped the other 3 daytime feeds one after the other, every 2-3 days. when i first had him missing 3 in total, i did that at a weekend when my mum was visiting and dad was around.

i had to get out of the way a fair bit to begin with as i was like a cat on a hot tiin roof listening to him call for milk.

all in all we've take a month, had a couple of seybacks to do with me being pee'd off or him upset. but only two feeds that should have been bottle have been breast.

i hope this helps, good luck

Things still working here. Last 2 nights she hasn't woken until 1 0r 2am, ao I haven't been feeding from 6.30pm- 5 am.Its still hard to settle her when she wakes so I've been bringing her into my bed, but I just lie next to her so hopefully she's teaching herself to fall asleep.

You sound as if you've got it sussed merryberry - well done!!
I have been trying formula milk during the day. he will take a little but not enough really and seems to prefer to hold out for me even though Ive been trying to only do about 3 feeds a day, morning, mid afternoon and evening. He knows he'll get it if he holds out and that seems to be his strategy at the moment!!

Bobblehead, you seem to be making similar progress to me. Last night seemed a bit better. He went down at about 7.30pm, I woke him at 11.45 for a feed and then he went to 5.15am with only one need to settle. I think we seem to be making some progress. Its still so exhausting isnt it? And the house is just a complete tip - really getting me down.

just keep going then tab. ds was the same the first oh, 10 days? i had a couple of days whn i worried about his intake and he just seemed to drink deeper at night, but he just got with the rogram after a while and we do fine now.

i don't think it matters what your plan is - just that you stick to it when it doessn't seem to be working. set yourself criteria for giving up, but don't wobble if those aren;t reached.

Thanks merryberry and all. I will persevere!!