Weaning

amhk · #1 August 4th, 2011, 12:19 PM

One word: ouch.

I am weaning her from the breast AND from my bed. I think something in me snapped yesterday... I need more personal space during the night and a more sleep. The doctor suggested pumping, putting rice cereal in her bottle before bed to help her sleep longer stretches, then after she sleeps better mixing BM with cows milk to transition. I just cannot get myself to pump, so first I am weaning from the breast to formula, then I will add rice cereal to help her sleep longer stretches, then I will transition to cow's milk. I hope this all happens relatively smoothly.

It's been a great year of nursing, but I am ready for this phase to be over. I think Kinley would nurse until kindergarten if I let her

noworries · #2 August 4th, 2011, 12:22 PM

Hope it all goes well. Rice cereal never helped my daughter sleep better at night.

amhk · #3 August 4th, 2011, 12:29 PM

I haven't heard rice cereal helping anyone, but I don't know if people usually even try that at this age. I am hoping that just putting her on formula will help too. The doctor said that she is probably not nursing long enough to the get the hind milk, which is probably why she is so small. Maybe formula will help her gain a little more and not need to eat so often at night. I don't know. I just need something to get a little better.

Luvgreen19 · #4 August 4th, 2011, 12:33 PM

I don't have any advice, but I really hope this transition goes smoothly for you. You're right you DO need sleep and a little personal space would nice too.
Good luck!!!

noworries · #5 August 4th, 2011, 12:33 PM

I'm hoping that once I wean Isaac he will sleep better too but I have no idea when that is going to be.
Good luck.

M-n-MsMama0510 · #6 August 4th, 2011, 12:57 PM

I have zero advice but good luck.

KMH · #7 August 4th, 2011, 02:29 PM

Good luck! I hope that this transition ends up making both of you healthier and happier!

TeresaSuperMama · #8 August 4th, 2011, 02:46 PM

Just my two cents, but at her age I wouldn't waste the step of weaning to formula then cow's milk. I'd just wean straight to cow's milk. That's what I have always done. You could always try it and if she reacts poorly then do formula. I always have just started giving a cup a day and then two cups a day and then 3 etc and weaned like that.

Celine · #9 August 4th, 2011, 03:04 PM

I like Teresas' advice. I tried to give Sophia cows milk in a cup but she spat it out right away. Ha, ha. She can taste the difference. I pump and give Sophia milk in a cup and make the cereal w/ it. I don't get that much anymore so I am adding a little cows milk into the cereal. Only 1 tbsp. I tried more and she refused the food. I am also doing lactose free milk for now. I will ask the Pediatrician if I should do regular milk or if it's ok to give lactose free milk. But Sophia has a sensitive system that's why I went the lactose free route.

amhk · #10 August 4th, 2011, 06:11 PM

The only reason I am doing formula as the same as what Celine said- when I give Kinley cows milk, she just lets it run out of her mouth. She has taken formula on occasion before, so this is a way for me to get her weaned from me right away. I don't know what caused me to feel so desperate to get her off of the breast (so suddenly) but it has been a pretty rough year sleep wise and maybe I am hoping this will help? I think my hormones are wacky right now, I just don't feel like myself. I am struggling with guilt over the decision to wean, also. Ugh.

stephie1012 · #11 August 5th, 2011, 07:48 AM

ugh i feel ya. Julia is still nursing multiple times a night and i am so done with it. i dont mind during the day, but heck i need sleep and i need her out of my bed. She wont take a bottle and i cant bring myself to offer formula.

good luck! i hope things work out well for you!!

rainbow_brite19 · #12 August 5th, 2011, 10:39 AM

I am right there with you- except my situation is a tad reversed because I would rather DAY wean than night wean right now. I, too, need more sleep and want my body back at night but I instinctively know that he is just not ready to give it up yet, he doesn't know how to put himself to sleep and needs me for comfort still.

That being said though, I am in the process of day weaning out of necessity because I'm starting work in a week or so and will be gone for 6 hour stretches. Coupled with the fact that he somehow developed thrush this week and I don't want it to be passed back and forth between us, and that I am sick of him hanging off me all day, we need to wean. I am so physically, emotionally and mentally ready for it to be over, so I understand the "snapping" thing.

I am in the same boat with the confusion with BM, formula, cows milk, sippy cups, bottles, etc. I don't know what to do. He hates cows milk as well, we have tried it 4 or 5 times now, heated it up a couple of times even, and he hates it. I really don't want to pump (I don't want to make more milk than I already do, which is a lot still) but it looks like I might have to, it's better than not weaning I guess. I also did not want to introduce a bottle at almost 13 months old, but it looks like that may have to happen too. He takes a sippy cup semi-well, but only with water and he chokes half the time cause it comes out too fast. He has taken a bottle as a newborn before and I am hoping he will again, so he doesn't starve. I can't bring myself to give him formula cause he has never had it and would probably react the same way as he does to cows milk. So, against all of my original planning I am back to pumping and bottles. I thought he would be weaned by now but things don't always work out how you want them to. Hopefully mixing BM and cows milk will work for him eventually.

As far as your giving her formula goes, do whatever works best for your family. It might be better in the long run to just switch to cows milk right off, but I totally feel you when you say that if she will take formula, it's better than the breast. I need my life back and my body back and if Jackson liked formula, I might consider it too. Good luck!