Ah sigh.
I pumped for a year, and I am thrilled I am done. I still nurse. My son has never had formula. He's doing great. It was the right time for both of us to make the change.
I will nurse him straight-from-the-tap as long as he wants it. And he wants it at very specific times now, and not during the day (even when I am home, he often will give me a polite nibble and then ask for "banana" or whatnot). We have a routine that is working wonderfully for us all.
I think that so many women are pressured to wean that we (and I include myself here) in the proBF community can go a little overboard in response to what we perceive as weaning. Not every child will want to EBF for years. Some like textures and chewing. And even if my pumping has shortened my nursing time - so what? He is nursing now. I expect he'll nurse until I (hopfully) get pregnant again - and if he makes it though that then... he could be on me for a loooong time.
I think the danger in the whole not pumping thing is that is does bring freedom, and the child gets used to longer streches without milk. So he/she might not demand milk over water/juice/cow milk. And obviously that could lead to full weaning. But you know how to avoid that? Offer milk all the time. The opposite of the gentle weaning "don't offer, don't refuse" - offer offer offer!
So. As the original poster, I ask that this thread be a positive place for slowly quitting the pump, but not the breast. And We'll assume any pump-quitting mom is fully aware of the pros and cons, has made up her mind, and just wants to chat about how to do it or how it's going.
My bad, since this is not really about weaning. I'll see if the thread can be moved.
