XP: How to wean...

idacota

I posted this on BF but haven't got a response yet.  Can you help? 

My milk production has been really low ever since DS was born.  I have been supplementing with formula since day 2.  It is getting harder by the day and DS is needing more, which means we're supplementing more with formula at each feeding.  It's become a huge point of stress for me, which I'm sure the baby is feeling.  I really wanted it to work, but I think it's time to give up on the BFing and just use formula, for both our sanities.

So how do I go about weaning him off BFing?  I'm pretty sure we can't just go "cold turkey"... but I don't know the process.  How long does it take for my milk to dry up?  Any tips and advice are greatly welcomed.  Thanks!

Christina79

My doctor recommended weaning over a period of 4 weeks, 3 weeks minimum to avoid clogged ducts or mastitis.  I think you just drop a feeding every few days or week. I hear sudafed helps dry you up, as does the pill. When I did it, I just cut back on feeding/pumping sessions over a couple weeks time. It hurt at times but got much better.

MadameFancyPants

Sudafed and pumping/hand expressing just enough to relieve the pressure really helped me.  It took about 4 days before I stopped leaking and about a week or so until I stopped feeling the *sting* of letdown.

umbcpt

When I weaned DS, I initially dropped pumping while at work, and kept the morning and evening feedings.  Then about a month later, I dropped the evening feeding, and a couple of weeks later I dropped the morning session.  After about five days of no nursing, he started to cry in his sleep, and was totally inconsolable.  I was extremely uncomfortable, and decided to nurse him one last time.  It was as if we both needed it.  I was never uncomfortable again, and he never nursed again.  

I never asked the doctor's advice, I just did it that way mostly because when I pumped at work, I was no longer getting much milk, so those were the easiest sessions to drop.  He started getting exclusively formula at daycare.  DS stopped nursing well in the evenings, he was too busy to nurse, that being the reason I dropped that session next.  The morning session was the hardest to drop because that was the only time he nursed really well, but I really feel when it finally ended, we were both ready.

GL to you.