Do I have to wean?

[neonalee]

DS is 16 months & we are working on night weaning (roughly midnight to, 530am) for my own sanity & to stop the resentment I'm starting to have. However, it seems like I'm not responding to the pump as well lately on one side. And sometimes it seems like the suction of the pump doesn't kick in right away, also maybe on 1 side. I honestly can't tell if the pump is the problem (purely yours ultra & less than a year old) or my boob is. But last week I had a bit of a scare when I couldn't pump anything from that side. We think that was multiple plugged ducts since ds was able to fix me

I work 8am - 530 (to cover the amt of time away pumping) & DS takes 13 oz of pumped milk to daycare. 2 oz get mixed with cereal & the rest is still bottles. He also eats solids.

So he nurses at 530am, he might or might not nurse when he first gets home, though I'm trying to make sure he usually does. He nurses to sleep & then once more, a couple hours later.

If I were to drop a bottle at daycare would he need formula? Does he nurse often enough that we could keep nursing?

Also complicating matters, sometime in February I start a month long training. I will be at work from 7 am probably until 6. No idea how we will handle this.

This post is kinda all over the place so thanks to anyone who followed the whole thing!

sent from my phone using tapatalk, please forgive typos

[graciegal]

Hi Neonalee, I night weaned my daughter when she was about 13 or so months. Previous to that I was a HUGE milk producer (and a full time working mom, too). But, in my experience, once I night weaned and went to only feeding her in the morning, I stopped making as much milk. I had to pump for about 4-5 days to make it through the 24 hour period but then, because pumping is so much less demanding than breastfeeding, my body figured it out pretty quickly. So, just wanted to say that i think your issue will right itself rather quickly. In a week I am going to get my daughter off the morning feed and be done all together. I'm excited :)

[nstewart]

Obviously you have to do what you're comfortable with for your DC (and this may depend on how you feel about dairy or if you feel like DS is getting enough calcium from other sources) but I'll give you my experience/perspective.

I went back to work when DS was 13 mos old.  I am away from the house from 8:30am-6pm.  During that time, DS drinks water but doesn't take any BM (or any other type of milk) or any other liquids.  He never took a bottle and refuses all liquids but water from a cup.  He does eat cheese and yogurt (and does get milk to the extent it's mixed with oatmeal or is in soup or something). 

DS nurses by bedtime (8pm) and sometimes right when I get home from work (if he asks).  He then nurses again around 11 and then (since he co-sleeps) a bit here and there throughout the night with more of a real nursing session before we get up in the morning.  I feel like with this nursing and with the other dairy and with his generally healthy diet he's getting the nutrients he needs.  I don't need to pump during the day (although I'm on "Full" by the time I get home) and gave it up gradually a few weeks after being back at work when DS showed now interest in taking milk from a cup.  He nurses more often (on demand) on weekends, and usually nurses 3 times during the day in addition to night time nursing those days.

Kelly mom suggests that as long as your DC nurses 3-4 times a day, this is sufficient nutritionally. http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/toddler-foods.html  So if you can get that amount in (you likely can even if you night wean) then I don't think you need to supplement with cows milk, goats milk, formula, etc. if you don't want to.  I also am pretty sure formula isn't necessary after 1 year of age anyway.

[transylvania_mom]

If he nurses, I would drop the bottles. He doesn't need formula. Water or any other liquid is fine, while he's away from you.

I went back to work when ds was 18 mo, then when dd was 12 mo. I continued breastfeeding until ds self-weaned at 4 years old; dd is still nursing. Neither of them took a bottle.

[neonalee]

Thank you! If he isn't getting breast milk during the day I probably wont need to pump at all?

I think I might start by dropping 1 bottle but keep pumping. Gradually going down until he only gets a nap bottle & I only pump once a day. I do worry that he will get more clingy though. I NEED him to night wean at least partially. Pumping once a day would be so awesome!

sent from my phone using tapatalk, please forgive typos

[graciegal]

If he eats food for every meal and snacks, there is -no- need to make sure he is also drinking BM throughout the day. After 16 months there's no nutritional need. Pump because you'll get engorged, not because he needs it.

[sosurreal09]

Originally Posted by graciegal 

If he eats food for every meal and snacks, there is -no- need to make sure he is also drinking BM throughout the day. After 16 months there's no nutritional need. Pump because you'll get engorged, not because he needs it.

Where is the proof of babies having "no nutritional need" for human milk past 16 months?! Even the World Health Organization recommends providing human milk for a MINIMUM of 2 YEARS. Where did you get that info?

[Summer1216]

I also worked (just quit). My son nursed morning time ~ 5am and before I left 8am. He usually nursed as soon as I got home and before bed. It really was more like frequent or constant nursing for 2hr in the morn and 2hr at night. Then on weekends on demand. He wouldnt accept anything but water from a cup or bottle. He refused formula. So far he has been fine. I wish I could get him to take BM from a cup but he wouldnt. So... I do my best. He is a healthy little guy. Rarely sick. In the 50th% for height n weight. I think it may not be ideal, but better than weening. But thats my opinion.

[nstewart]

Originally Posted by sosurreal09 

Where is the proof of babies having "no nutritional need" for human milk past 16 months?! Even the World Health Organization recommends providing human milk for a MINIMUM of 2 YEARS. Where did you get that info?

I might be wrong but I think PP meant "through the day" as in during the work day, not that there is no nutritional need at all. 

 

[ashleyhaugh]

i ended up in the hospital for a week when ds was 18 months old. thankfully he didnt wean, but when i got out, he had nightweaned while with my sister for the week, and dropped to only 3 sessions a day- morning, before nap, and before bed. i went to work when he was 2, and he was only nursing at wakeup and before bed during the week, and it was after a few months he dropped the nap time nursing on the weekends too. he self weaned at 2yrs, 10months. so i definitely think its possible to keep nursing without pumping. it will probably be difficult at first, but you guys can work through it

[sosurreal09]

Originally Posted by nstewart 

I might be wrong but I think PP meant "through the day" as in during the work day, not that there is no nutritional need at all. 

 

Oh perhaps I read it wrong and jumped to conclusions. She did say she was weaning soon in PP and her babe is almost 16 m/o as well so I thought that was her impression.

[Erin77]

Yes, I interpreted it as "nutritional need during the day." My son is now 15 months old and I feel fine letting him go to a sitter for the day without pumped milk. He nurses morning and night- I got rid of all the bottles at our house when he was a year old, and he drank up my stash of previously frozen milk at the sitter's from a sippy cup. I would stop pumping and just let him nurse when you're home.