When are you going to wean?
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chickybuns
Posts: 1,037 Member
I am having a debate about this now. My guy is 10.5 months and I only pump. At one point I didn't think I would make it this long and other points I thought I could go for past a year. I am currently to the point where I'm soooo sick of pumping....that could change. I currently pump 4 times a day and plan to wean slowly when I do and I have over 600oz in the deep freeze. i will make sure he will have breastmilk until he is a year at least, but I kind of want to be done by the end of the year. It will be my reward, plus we are buying a house and will probably be moving toward the end of December. Just wondering others' thoughts. So my goal now is to wait until he is 11 months and re-evaluate. If I do wean, it will be fairly slow to avoid engorgement and other problems.
And also what would you do if I do wean around a year and still have some in freezer? Would you just give that all to him and then slowly transition to another milk or transition earlier and make sure he has some breastmilk longer...like through the winter?
And also what would you do if I do wean around a year and still have some in freezer? Would you just give that all to him and then slowly transition to another milk or transition earlier and make sure he has some breastmilk longer...like through the winter?
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I'd give it to him all at once while transitioning to cow's milk (once he's reached a year). It will be easier when you are done with the frozen milk once and for all in that you won't have to remember to thaw it, etc. If I had that freezer stash, I'd probably stop pumping shortly after 11 months, that way you're sure to have enough to get him to 12 months as well as to introduce cow's milk. I just remember weaning my first onto formula, and remembering to take frozen breastmilk out of the freezer was annoying. I was so glad once I poured that last frozen bag into a bottle!
Also, with my older son I ran out of formula a little less than two weeks before his first birthday. I asked my dad (a pediatrician) if he was close enough for me to just switch because I didn't feel like searching for a deal on formula, nor did I want to spend the money. He said to just go ahead and transition, especially since his weight was more than fine, and he was getting lots of good nutrients from baby oatmeal (iron fortified) and other foods. So that's something to consider.
Of course you could always do goat's milk instead of cow's milk, but of course it's harder to find and generally more expensive.0 -
But otherwise I intend to wean at a year or whenever he self-weans, whichever comes first. I rarely pump, but I probably have about 100 oz frozen. However I intend to use some of that for baby cereal/oatmeal. If we are getting close to a year, and I still have some frozen, I'll try to switch him to a cup using that so I can switch to cow's milk easily (you know, since getting cow's milk out of me isn't happening).0
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My goal was to make it to 1 year and re-evaluate from there.
Max turned 1 last week, and he has no interest in weaning right now. I wouldn't mind dropping the daytime feedings and only nursing in the morning and at night though. I'm hoping he drops the daytime feedings on his own.
For my frozen stash - I'm planning to mix 1/2 breastmilk and 1/2 cow's milk until he likes the taste of cow's milk (I have a feeling he'll feel ripped off at first).0 -
I would try for breastmilk as long as possible, within reason as far as your emotions towards it go. I would space out frozen milk to give him breastmilk as long as possible. I like the idea of goats milk but it is expensive.
We plan to continue breastfeeding as long as possible. I'm 8 weeks pregnant and Devon is a year old, so I have no idea how long he'll want to continue because the hormones can change the taste and it will switch back to colostrum at some point as well.
Oh, and Devon will drink anything, he's had cows milk twice and sucked it right down but he's a very adventurous eater anyway. Just a side note for you.0 -
My baby is 9.5 months and she already weaned herself from daytime nursing. In fact even before bedtime i almost have to force her to bf, sob
she only really interested nursing at dawn around 3-4 am. It makes me sad, and i hope she is willing togo for the1 yr mark. I weaned my first born at age 2 yr old, and he really wanted to go more. So for me the 1 yr was the minimum , but my baby seem to disagree, so we will see.
I never pumped though, and i have to admit i might have stopped long time ago if i had to pump0 -
Agh!!! I'm trying to figure this out myself too. Baby O is 13 months and BF in the morning (when the supply is good),a little around nap time and a little before bed ( for soothing purposes). She was introduced to cows milk at 11 months,because that's when my supply started to drop. I really didn't want to her to have to take any formula....not that cows milk is the best thing for (human) babies but in my opinion better than formula. If i were you,i'd have him stay on the boob as long as he will take it.
I wish I had a frozen supply! That would've made my life a LOT easier! lol!0 -
Also,I wanted to add.. since the cold season is coming,maybe it WOULD be good to keep some stash through the winter,to help him fight off those colds better. This is one of the reasons I don't want baby O to give up on the boob yet...she's only had one big cold since she's been born.
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Thanks. I was thinking I could do a bag(6oz) a day until it runs out and he's transitioned to cow's milk or whatever so I don't have to take bm with me everywhere. Miles hasn't really been sick either, and I wonder if that's part of the reason. Just a few little stuffy noses, and we have been sick.0
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And I figure I would pump at least until he's one even if I'm down to twice a day.0
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I would try for breastmilk as long as possible, within reason as far as your emotions towards it go. I would space out frozen milk to give him breastmilk as long as possible. I like the idea of goats milk but it is expensive.
We plan to continue breastfeeding as long as possible. I'm 8 weeks pregnant and Devon is a year old, so I have no idea how long he'll want to continue because the hormones can change the taste and it will switch back to colostrum at some point as well.
Oh, and Devon will drink anything, he's had cows milk twice and sucked it right down but he's a very adventurous eater anyway. Just a side note for you.
There is powdered goat's milk that isn't too expensive, plus it doesn't go bad. I might think about that.0 -
I never had to wean my kids so far since they both self-weaned due to me bein pregnant with the next one. My daughter weaned herself at 9 months since i was 12 weeks pregnant with my son (they are 15 months apart) and I gave her formula till age 1 and then switched to cow's milk. With my son, he weaned himself at 16 months, also with me being around 12 weeks pregnant (they will be 22 months apart) I am now 25 weeks pregnant and thankfully my son transitioned to almond milk and then to cow's milk pretty nicely. ( he was very lactose intolerant as an infant and i had to be off all dairy products till he turned 1, but thank god he outgrew it!)I would try for breastmilk as long as possible, within reason as far as your emotions towards it go. I would space out frozen milk to give him breastmilk as long as possible. I like the idea of goats milk but it is expensive.
We plan to continue breastfeeding as long as possible. I'm 8 weeks pregnant and Devon is a year old, so I have no idea how long he'll want to continue because the hormones can change the taste and it will switch back to colostrum at some point as well.
Oh, and Devon will drink anything, he's had cows milk twice and sucked it right down but he's a very adventurous eater anyway. Just a side note for you.
So to answer your question OP,
Since exclusive pumping is so difficult, i would wait till about a year and then transition to cows milk. Kudos to you for getting so far. I hate pumping, I only pump when i am away from my baby more than 3-4 hrs. So i really admire you fro coming this far!0 -
I never had to wean my kids so far since they both self-weaned due to me bein pregnant with the next one. My daughter weaned herself at 9 months since i was 12 weeks pregnant with my son (they are 15 months apart) and I gave her formula till age 1 and then switched to cow's milk. With my son, he weaned himself at 16 months, also with me being around 12 weeks pregnant (they will be 22 months apart) I am now 25 weeks pregnant and thankfully my son transitioned to almond milk and then to cow's milk pretty nicely. ( he was very lactose intolerant as an infant and i had to be off all dairy products till he turned 1, but thank god he outgrew it!)I would try for breastmilk as long as possible, within reason as far as your emotions towards it go. I would space out frozen milk to give him breastmilk as long as possible. I like the idea of goats milk but it is expensive.
We plan to continue breastfeeding as long as possible. I'm 8 weeks pregnant and Devon is a year old, so I have no idea how long he'll want to continue because the hormones can change the taste and it will switch back to colostrum at some point as well.
Oh, and Devon will drink anything, he's had cows milk twice and sucked it right down but he's a very adventurous eater anyway. Just a side note for you.
So to answer your question OP,
Since exclusive pumping is so difficult, i would wait till about a year and then transition to cows milk. Kudos to you for getting so far. I hate pumping, I only pump when i am away from my baby more than 3-4 hrs. So i really admire you fro coming this far!
Thank you, for some reason it's harder now than in the beginning when I was pumping 7-8 times, maybe because it's almost over. I will re-evaluate my frozen stash in a few weeks when he is 11 months, and decide what to do. As much as I want to quit, it will be sad to see my supply dropping more.0 -
I'm currently in the last week of weaning...I had enough frozen milk stored up, so the last few weeks I've dropped a feed a week (she was only nursing 4x a day). This week I'm down to the morning feed only...I might not have exactly enough breast milk left, but I'm close. I figure I can always supplement with some formula, or cow's milk since she'll be one next week.
I'm so glad I made it to a year, but I'm ready to be done. My supply dropped for a bit around 10 months, but I fought hard to keep it up. I love breastfeeding, but it's also freeing once you can drink as much caffeine as you want, wear whatever you want, and not be on a constant internal clock!!:) I think I'll treat myself to a new bra for making it this far;)
In the end, do what's best for you. Kudos for making it this far!!0 -
I'm currently in the last week of weaning...I had enough frozen milk stored up, so the last few weeks I've dropped a feed a week (she was only nursing 4x a day). This week I'm down to the morning feed only...I might not have exactly enough breast milk left, but I'm close. I figure I can always supplement with some formula, or cow's milk since she'll be one next week.
I'm so glad I made it to a year, but I'm ready to be done. My supply dropped for a bit around 10 months, but I fought hard to keep it up. I love breastfeeding, but it's also freeing once you can drink as much caffeine as you want, wear whatever you want, and not be on a constant internal clock!!:) I think I'll treat myself to a new bra for making it this far;)
In the end, do what's best for you. Kudos for making it this far!!
A year is awesome! I bet it's freeing. I miss caffeine and regular bras! My current nursing bra is actually getting a little big and it looks weird, but I'm sure as heck not going to buy another one...that's a good treat! He will be one in 42 days...not like I'm counting. I think my supply is naturally decreasing some, so I am probably not going to try to hard to increase it back at this point. Thanks for all the advice!0 -
Kiley - Camden is a month younger than your little guy, but we are in a similar situation. I pump while at work and nurse at home, but have 500-600oz frozen. I used to pump 4 times at work, and last month I cut to 3 times. Next month I'll cut to twice, and then when he's 11 months old I plan to pump once at work or go nurse him at lunch if I'm able. I'll continue nursing outside of work as long as he wants, but I'll use that frozen milk to supplement through 1 year of age to make sure he's still getting plenty of milk at school. With what's left, I'll still send to school in a sippy cup for as long as it lasts (and is still good). If we have a ton left, I'll donate again. We don't have a plan for transitioning to any other type of milk yet, but I imagine we'll start mixing bottles with any other milk when we get close to the end of the freezer stash and he's over 1 year old. We haven't decided on the type of milk yet, or even if we'll go with any other kind of milk. If my supply survives outside of work for awhile as he gets older, we may just send water to school (he loves water now from his sippy) and nurse when together and see how that goes.
How many ounces of milk does he drink in a day? If you've got 6 weeks until you want to be weaned, starting to cut back now may be a good idea. My lactation consultant gave me some good advice on pushing pumps back 30 minutes every few days in order to very slowly drop a pump...so, if you pump at 6AM, 11AM, 3PM, and 8PM (let's say), and you decide you want to cut one of the middle-of-the-day pumps first (I've heard those are easiest), then you could do 6, 11:30, 4, 8. Then after a few days, go 6, 12, 4:30, 8. Then graduatlly move that 4:30 closer to the 8 until it is eliminated. I would give it 2 weeks to drop a feed, so if you start now, when he's 11 months old you will be down to 3 pumps a day, and when he's 11.5 you'll be down to 2 pumps, then at 1 year old you'll be down to 1 pump and can just express for comfort until you dry up. Although our situations are slightly different, it's the same idea, and we've got a significant amount of backup in the freezer to get us through until 1 year. I second what someone else said earlier about you being a champ for pumping this long...I only do it 5 days a week while at work and I hate it, but it's best for my baby, so that gets me through! Good luck!0 -
Kiley - Camden is a month younger than your little guy, but we are in a similar situation. I pump while at work and nurse at home, but have 500-600oz frozen. I used to pump 4 times at work, and last month I cut to 3 times. Next month I'll cut to twice, and then when he's 11 months old I plan to pump once at work or go nurse him at lunch if I'm able. I'll continue nursing outside of work as long as he wants, but I'll use that frozen milk to supplement through 1 year of age to make sure he's still getting plenty of milk at school. With what's left, I'll still send to school in a sippy cup for as long as it lasts (and is still good). If we have a ton left, I'll donate again. We don't have a plan for transitioning to any other type of milk yet, but I imagine we'll start mixing bottles with any other milk when we get close to the end of the freezer stash and he's over 1 year old. We haven't decided on the type of milk yet, or even if we'll go with any other kind of milk. If my supply survives outside of work for awhile as he gets older, we may just send water to school (he loves water now from his sippy) and nurse when together and see how that goes.
How many ounces of milk does he drink in a day? If you've got 6 weeks until you want to be weaned, starting to cut back now may be a good idea. My lactation consultant gave me some good advice on pushing pumps back 30 minutes every few days in order to very slowly drop a pump...so, if you pump at 6AM, 11AM, 3PM, and 8PM (let's say), and you decide you want to cut one of the middle-of-the-day pumps first (I've heard those are easiest), then you could do 6, 11:30, 4, 8. Then after a few days, go 6, 12, 4:30, 8. Then graduatlly move that 4:30 closer to the 8 until it is eliminated. I would give it 2 weeks to drop a feed, so if you start now, when he's 11 months old you will be down to 3 pumps a day, and when he's 11.5 you'll be down to 2 pumps, then at 1 year old you'll be down to 1 pump and can just express for comfort until you dry up. Although our situations are slightly different, it's the same idea, and we've got a significant amount of backup in the freezer to get us through until 1 year. I second what someone else said earlier about you being a champ for pumping this long...I only do it 5 days a week while at work and I hate it, but it's best for my baby, so that gets me through! Good luck!
Thanks. He drinks about 25-30 oz a day still and I'm making around 30 so not much extra. I'm trying to get him to have enough solids so it's not more than 25 and he does great with other food. But still eats a lot of purees, just doens't seem to get enough with finger food although we do both. I haven't completely decided, I'm thinking I might be able to do 2 or 3 pumps a day for longer since it wouldn't be as bad. I can usually go 8 hours without too much engorgement so I think dropping ot 3 won't be too bad. Sometimes at night I go 8-9. I will probably try 7/8, 3/4, 10/11 when I drop to 3. I'm just scared as that's when most people lose a lot of their supply. Who knows, I might keep going longer. Thanks again! Also because of my varying schedule, my pumping schedule also varies, I jsut worry about how many pumps a day. So I think this will be harder when I go to 3 since it will have to be more of a schedule.0 -
I'm currently in the last week of weaning...I had enough frozen milk stored up, so the last few weeks I've dropped a feed a week (she was only nursing 4x a day). This week I'm down to the morning feed only...I might not have exactly enough breast milk left, but I'm close. I figure I can always supplement with some formula, or cow's milk since she'll be one next week.
I'm so glad I made it to a year, but I'm ready to be done. My supply dropped for a bit around 10 months, but I fought hard to keep it up. I love breastfeeding, but it's also freeing once you can drink as much caffeine as you want, wear whatever you want, and not be on a constant internal clock!!:) I think I'll treat myself to a new bra for making it this far;)
In the end, do what's best for you. Kudos for making it this far!!
Your post made me really happy! My baby will be 5 months next week, which is scary because then he's almost six months! I remember from the first time around (plus in talking to other parents if young kids) that the first six months drag on, but after that, time flies! So I feel like after another month, I'll blink, and he'll be one! As much as I love BFing, that freedom sounds AMAZING! Plus my butt might start to take up less space...0 -
I'm currently in the last week of weaning...I had enough frozen milk stored up, so the last few weeks I've dropped a feed a week (she was only nursing 4x a day). This week I'm down to the morning feed only...I might not have exactly enough breast milk left, but I'm close. I figure I can always supplement with some formula, or cow's milk since she'll be one next week.
I'm so glad I made it to a year, but I'm ready to be done. My supply dropped for a bit around 10 months, but I fought hard to keep it up. I love breastfeeding, but it's also freeing once you can drink as much caffeine as you want, wear whatever you want, and not be on a constant internal clock!!:) I think I'll treat myself to a new bra for making it this far;)
In the end, do what's best for you. Kudos for making it this far!!
Your post made me really happy! My baby will be 5 months next week, which is scary because then he's almost six months! I remember from the first time around (plus in talking to other parents if young kids) that the first six months drag on, but after that, time flies! So I feel like after another month, I'll blink, and he'll be one! As much as I love BFing, that freedom sounds AMAZING! Plus my butt might start to take up less space...
Glad my post was able to encourage someone! I'm a strong proponent of breastfeeding, so I didn't want it to come across negative...I just know that I enjoy my independence as well:) Good job, Momma- you're right, 6-12 months flies! You're in the home stretch now:)0 -
So I talked to my pediatrician today and she suggested just using all the breastmilk until it's gone. I'm still not sure how I feel about it, for some reason I think it would be better for him to have some throughout the winter. I will think about it, and now I think I'm ok with going a bit longer, even if I pump once or twice less a day.0
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We just got back from Max's 12 month appointment, and my doctor doesn't recommend switching to cow's milk until 18 months. She said to keep breastfeeding or switch to an older infant formula until 18 months. Her reasons being that some babies have a hard time digesting cow's milk, and that breastmilk or formula will ensure the baby gets enough iron.
Wondering if it's just because I'm in Canada? Has anybody else been told the same thing?
(I figured this was a good thread to ask in...)0
