WEANING YOUR BABY. HOW TO STOP THE BREAST MILK

Weaning is when a baby transitions from breast milk to other sources
of nourishment. Weaning is easier if a child has also taken milk from
another source. So try giving an occasional bottle of breast milk to
your little one once breastfeeding is well-established. Even if you
plan to continue breastfeeding, this can ease weaning later. It also
lets other family members feed the baby and makes it possible to leave
your child with a caregiver.

It's important to remember that infants over 6 months should have
solid foods as well as breast milk. After 1 year, breast milk alone
does not provide all the nutrients a growing child needs; solid foods
must become a regular part of the diet.


Approaches to Weaning

To allow both mom and baby to adjust physically and emotionally to the
change, weaning should be a gradual process.

One approach is to drop one feeding session a week until the child is
taking all of the feeds from a bottle or cup. If you are planning to
continue to give your child pumped breast milk, you will need to pump
in order to keep up your milk supply. If you are weaning your child
off breast milk, slowly dropping feeds can help avoid engorgement.

You might begin by stopping the midday feeding because it's usually
the smallest and most inconvenient — especially for working moms. Many
mothers let go of the bedtime feeding last because it's still a
special part of bonding.

Another approach is to leave the decision of when to wean completely
up to a child. Once they're eating three meals of solid food a day
(plus snacks in between), kids often breastfeed less and less. In this
situation, you may find that your milk will dry up from lack of
demand, and pumping may be necessary if you want to keep the milk
flowing. If your child is breastfeeding less, make sure he or she is
getting enough iron-fortified formula or milk.
Babies breastfeed for comfort as well as food. Phasing out
breastfeeding gently will give you both time to get used to the idea.
Stopping gradually will also help prevent problems like engorged
breasts and mastitis.

Breasts engorgement is when the breasts become overly full, feeling
hard, tight and painful. This can result when you suddenly and out
rightly withdraw your baby from breastfeeding. Another one is
Mastitis; this is an inflammation in the breasts which happen as a
result of a blocked unrelieved duct. It usually comes with flu-like
symptoms.
You'll probably find it easiest to drop one feed at a time. It doesn't
matter which feed you drop first, so it will usually be a case of how
it fits in with your life. For example, some mothers may prefer to
continue night feeds so their baby can still have the comfort at
night. No matter the approach you embrace,always have your comfort and
that of your child in mind.


Credit: kids health.org/en/parents/weaning.html#