BF questions re: weaning & dropping feedings

seansgirl2006

Since I was off work all last week and didn't have to wake Ethan to feed before I left, he began skipping the morning feeding on his own (he sometimes wakes up himself instead of me waking him).  I would sleep in and just get up with him and nurse him then.  On work days this meant me getting him up around 5:30 or 6:00 and then him going back to sleep until maybe 7.  Last week he slept in on his own until around 7:45 almost every day.  I hate that I've been waking him and he's not sleeping as well so I think I need to go ahead and drop that first feeding.  He's almost 10 months old so it wouldn't be long before I dropped that one anyway.  I am nervous to do this because I was not able to keep up with pumping at work so he gets formula now so this morning feeding was important for my supply.  I am still able to BF morning and evenings as well as all weekend.  I just hope my body will adjust to no morning feeding and I'll still be able to BF when I get home from work and all day on weekends.  Also, I was very excited to try pumping again today since I nursed him with no formula at all for 9 days on the break and my supply was up.  Still couldn't pump but a few drops though.    So disappointed. 

When did you begin dropping feedings?  Any tips for weaning?  What are you other 9/10 month old moms doing now?  How many feedings are you down to?  I'm not ready to give it up completely so I think I will begin dropping some over the next few months but still let him nurse before bed until I'm ready or he's ready to give that one up.

hthomas02

I literally just got off the phone with the doctor to ask her a thousand questions but some including weaning and feedings.  At this point I've still been nursing Riley every 3 hours during the day and then one last one before bedtime (which is typically 2 hours after the nursing before) and I've been feeding him 3 meals a day.  And when a nursing falls at the same time as a meal, I give him the food first and then nurse him, which means he's nursing less at that time since he just ate.  She said that he would start to drop feedings soon on his own and/or he would take less at the nursings.  I'm planning to start the weaning process next week, but I'm going to just  substitute formula at each one of the nursings.  With Finn, I still gave him a bottle every 3 hours until he was 1 when we switched completely to table foods and milk and at that point he was drinking more milk at each sitting, but was only drinking it three times a day (with meals, or more sometimes with a snack).  So like instead of getting 6 or 7 ounces every three hours, he was drinking like 8 ounces of milk.  Does that make sense?  I don't know if I've answered your question or not and feel like I'm talking in circles now so I'm going to stop.  But basically, I'm not dropping any feedings until he stops taking them which he hasn't done yet.

jacensgirl

hthomas02:

I literally just got off the phone with the doctor to ask her a thousand questions but some including weaning and feedings.  At this point I've still been nursing Riley every 3 hours during the day and then one last one before bedtime (which is typically 2 hours after the nursing before) and I've been feeding him 3 meals a day.  And when a nursing falls at the same time as a meal, I give him the food first and then nurse him, which means he's nursing less at that time since he just ate.  She said that he would start to drop feedings soon on his own and/or he would take less at the nursings.  I'm planning to start the weaning process next week, but I'm going to just  substitute formula at each one of the nursings.  With Finn, I still gave him a bottle every 3 hours until he was 1 when we switched completely to table foods and milk and at that point he was drinking more milk at each sitting, but was only drinking it three times a day (with meals, or more sometimes with a snack).  So like instead of getting 6 or 7 ounces every three hours, he was drinking like 8 ounces of milk.  Does that make sense?  I don't know if I've answered your question or not and feel like I'm talking in circles now so I'm going to stop.  But basically, I'm not dropping any feedings until he stops taking them which he hasn't done yet.

Heather, you crack me up..as a future new mom, my head is spinning! What? When? How much?? LOL

slwprincess

I swear I think you and I have had almost identical BF experiences.  That damn pump.  From what you are describing, I am almost positive that you are not getting a letdown w/ the pump.  After I stopped pumping regularly, I was just not able to get a letdown for it no matter what I did.  The milk is in there, but your body just needs that baby to get it out- no machine is going to do the trick!  Anyway, don't worry about the supply- your body will adjust and will continue making milk for that evening feeding as long as you want.  Heck, I've still got milk in there and it's been over a year since I stopped BF.  Ha- bet no one told you that before, huh?  Yeah, good stuff.