Need help mamas!

juliekay25

so LO was 9 months on the 12th. I want to stop bfeeding at 10 months but have no idea how to go about this. Lo is strictly bfed and has never really taken bottles. I'm thinking ill go straight to sippy cups. I've gotten him to take milk out of them but how do I switch him to that and not breastfeeding. I feel a huge fight and lots of screaming coming on. Can anyone help me with advice for this transition?

kyrenora

Is 10 months a hard deadline, or is there a reason you chose 10 months? My thoughts are that it would be easiest for a gradual transition. Give the sippy cups more and more often and breastfeed less frequently over time, and eventually he'll get the hang of using just the cups. 

juliekay25

It's not a hard deadline. I have a really bad herniated disk in my back that causes so much pain and will probably require surgery to repair it. I would like to take my pain meds and not worry about LO getting it. I don't take them now but it's getting hard to take care of LO. I also would like to be able to have dh watch him for a day so I can go do stuff. Some reasons are out of necessity and some are selfish. I just think it's time to start weaning. Also the teeth are killing me lately too. 

corndogrobot

Our baby is EFB also and absolutely won't take a bottle. But we have been giving her water with a straw when we go out to eat. We capture the water in the straw with our finger at the top of the straw and put the other end in her mouth let her suck while gradually releasing water. She thinks this is a hilarious game. (And I think the cold water is soothing to her gums) so because of this game, she has gotten really good at straws so she will take a cup with a straw and get lots of milk or water than she will from the traditional sippy cup.
 I understand your need to wean. Don't think of it as being selfish-- think of  it as: you breastfed your baby for 9+ months and now you have to take care of yourself. Your baby will be fine in the transition. Just take it one day at a time, Or just one feeding at a time if needed.  But you may want to give it a little longer  just because you want to give your body time to transition too. You don't want a clogged duct or engorgegement. Best of luck to you and your little one!