Breastfeeding: Ending it My Way

I breastfed my children until they were 24 months.  My pediatrician and I agreed that I would continue to nurse for 12 more months after my girl’s first birthday.  I enjoyed the bond that me and my kids shared, but at times I wanted a break.  Once, I started feeling like I needed more free time.  I knew that weening would be around the corner.  But at the end of the day, I wanted to make sure that we all were ready and not just me.  Below, I list the steps that helped make weening easier.

1.  Talk about ending it. I talked with my girls about it, I and I encouraged them that drinking from cups like Mommy and Daddy was great.

2. Decrease feeding sessions. I slowly decreased the amount of milk I was giving them by feeding them a larger variety of table food.

3. Help your child replace it with something. I started only providing milk at night.  My girls thought it was soothing and would fall right to sleep. As a result, I encouraged them to sleep with their blankie.

4. Encourage him or her to drink from a cup. Once breastfeeding was down to once or twice a day.  I encouraged them to drink milk from a cup at night.

5.  Spend some time away, briefly. When they were used to drinking from a cup, I took a 3 day trip, I think if I had stayed around them, I would have easily given in to their sad little faces.  I spent time with my girls, which helped distract me from weening.

6. Ask for support. I received support from my husband, family, and friends.  With their support I was able to stay strong and remain focused.

7. STOP! Lastly, I just stopped. I determined that No more, really meant NO MORE.
By following the steps above, I did not have to suffer with engorgement or pain. The process followed a steady progression and none of us suffered in the process.

I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU: If you a mother that has breastfed your child/children and weened them please share your tips.