Stop Breastfeeding Gradually

Stop Breastfeeding Gradually

Opinions vary throughout the world regarding when to stop breastfeeding. Different cultures and customs fix different times for weaning away the babies from breastfeeding and even different women have their own ideas regarding this matter. WHO advises mothers worldwide to keep on nursing their babies for at least two years but it should really be the decision of the mother and her ability to feed.





Babies Might Resist Weaning





According to experts, some babies would not like to get weaned away from breastfeeding till the age of 7 years but the average age for weaning is between 2 ½ and 7 years. If you attempt to wean the baby against its wishes, it will naturally retaliate as it enjoys the taste of mother’s milk and it likes the warmth and emotional closeness of its mother. While drinking breast milk, your baby’s blood pressure comes down, its heart rate reduces and its stress level drops. This is good for the baby’s health.





Go Slow In Weaning Away Your Baby





There are far too many advantages of breastfeeding than attempting to stop breastfeeding unless you experience some problems that can also be tackled easily. At the end of the day, breast milk provides the much-needed immunity to a baby and until the baby acquires enough immunity towards all sorts of diseases, especially family allergies it is advisable not to stop breastfeeding. Moreover, the low cost of breastfeeding is also a big factor that must be considered. In any case, it is advisable to wean off your baby gradually. Slow weaning will also enable you to look out for any indications of allergic reactions to formula milk and it will enable you to avoid engorgement of the breasts.





How To Start Weaning Away Your Baby





The best way is to start slowly and give one formula feed either in the day or in the night and if you find that there is no reaction either to the baby or to your breasts, you can replace another nursing in a few days and so on. In the process of weaning, you should take care of your breasts, wear a supportive bra, and use ice packs to reduce swelling or engorgement of the breasts. You should allow your breasts to remain full and as such, you should express only the necessary amount of milk so that the suppressor peptides in the milk will act as inhibitors of further milk production. Drinking three cups of sage tea a day for three weeks will also inhibit milk supply.





You should watch the reactions of your baby when you start feeding formula milk exclusively and in the meantime, you should keep on expressing your milk. The common reactions of a baby who can’t get used to formula milk are: spitting, vomiting, gas, crying sessions, rash on the body, redness on rectum, watery stools, wheezing and runny nose.





Although the breasts might feel full for a few days after full weaning, you need not be worried and some experts suggest that you should start taking birth control pills, which will reduce the milk supply and help to stop breastfeeding. However, please consult your doctor or lactation consultant before taking such pills.





Irrespective of what you do to stop breastfeeding, it is important to go slowly and gradually wean away your baby from your milk.

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How to stop breastfeeding and the time to wean your baby away from breast milk is one question which most of the breastfeeding mothers ask. Visit the free online resource Breastfeeding for more information on this and other issues such as, cost of breastfeeding, tips to increase breast milk supply, engorgement, use of birth control pills and much more.