Extended BF - advice on transitioning to milk/ other stuff

Re: Extended BF - advice on transitioning to milk/ other stuff

• MrsShackleford member

  November 2011

  JLKillion:

  DD FINALLY started drinking out of a cup this last week (14 months old) and is sucking it down! I've been slowly transitioning her all week using milk added to frozen breast milk, and so far so good. I've got a few questions:

  1. how do I get her to quit nursing so often? She still nurses about 8 times a day. I don't want to wean her, but would like to move towards only nursing in the morning / evening. (DD gradually dropped sessions, but she is also in daycare.  She was nursing in the morning, at bed, the middle of the night and at nap on weekends until I think around 2.  I had to encourage the dropping of the night, nap and bedtime feedings as she would not have done it on her own.)

  2. How quickly does my body react to less nursing? I ask because I'd like to go on an overnight trip with DH next month when family comes to visit, but I haven't pumped in 5 months (b/c I wasn't able to pump anything after I started staying home).  So, after I transition her to whole milk, I won't have any milk frozen and I won't be pumping while away. Will I quit producing? I really don't want to fully wean. (I would say an overnight would not hurt your supply much, though you may be a little sore. )

  3. When did you quit BFing? How did you decide? I love cuddling her and can't imagine not, but don't really have a goal in mind at this point. We both just like it.(While I was ready to stop all but the am feedings, I waffle on wanting to wean by the end of the year or continue until she's 3.  Or when she's done, whichever comes first.  We have skipped a day, but she still loves to nurse and I am not ready.)

  4. Any advice for helping her to gain weight? We went in to the pedi on Friday, and she's gone from consistently being in the 60% to 10% since the 9 month checkup. I'm sure it's b/c she's still relying on nursing so much. I'm hoping the transition to whole milk will help, but she'll drink a cup of milk, then come to me to nurse! Or, if she wants to nurse, I can't get her to drink the milk instead. (I am not a Dr, but as long as LO is gaining, at whatever rate, there shouldn't be an issue.  Not everyone fits in those blasted 'normal' distributions.)

  Sorry to ramble! Hope my questions make sense!

  You are the mom and you know your LO best.  However you continue BFing or wean will be the best for your family.

  GL 

   

  Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.

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• august8080 member

  November 2011

  JLKillion:

  DD FINALLY started drinking out of a cup this last week (14 months old) and is sucking it down! I've been slowly transitioning her all week using milk added to frozen breast milk, and so far so good. I've got a few questions:

  1. how do I get her to quit nursing so often? She still nurses about 8 times a day. I don't want to wean her, but would like to move towards only nursing in the morning / evening. Until about a month ago, DS was nursing when he woke, before nap(s) and before bed. Can you try to create some structure like that, or when she asks, say OK, we'll nurse before nap or something to delay her a little?
  

  2. How quickly does my body react to less nursing? I ask because I'd like to go on an overnight trip with DH next month when family comes to visit, but I haven't pumped in 5 months (b/c I wasn't able to pump anything after I started staying home).  So, after I transition her to whole milk, I won't have any milk frozen and I won't be pumping while away. Will I quit producing? I really don't want to fully wean. I think you'll be fine on an overnight. You'll probably get uncomfortably full and then you might have a supply dip for a day or two, but I wouldn't worry.
  

  3. When did you quit BFing? How did you decide? I love cuddling her and can't imagine not, but don't really have a goal in mind at this point. We both just like it. I've had some things going on with my body that have caused me to encourage him to cut down some sessions, but if it weren't for that, I think I'd just follow his lead. It's good for them, good for you. I would have never thought I'd go this long but he and I have both really enjoyed it and I don't work outside the home, so that makes it easy.
  

  4. Any advice for helping her to gain weight? We went in to the pedi on Friday, and she's gone from consistently being in the 60% to 10% since the 9 month checkup. I'm sure it's b/c she's still relying on nursing so much. I'm hoping the transition to whole milk will help, but she'll drink a cup of milk, then come to me to nurse! Or, if she wants to nurse, I can't get her to drink the milk instead.I would focus less on getting her to drink milk and more on solids. As DS has cut down on my milk, I have not replaced it with cows milk. He gets that about once a week (maybe)--the rest of the time it's water, sometimes kefir with breakfast. Remember that since she's over a year, her primary nutrition needs to come from solids, not cow's milk.
  

  Sorry to ramble! Hope my questions make sense!

  
  
  
  

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• JLKillion

  November 2011

  I didn't know that she should be getting nutrition from solids over cow's milk. I definitely need to read up on this more. This morning, she again sucked down her milk and then ate very little solids. Grrrr...

   

  Thanks for the help! It's nice to know that I can do an overnight. Maybe I'll try to pump a couple of times before the trip so that maybe my body will respond to it while traveling. 

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