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This blog post is about breastfeeding and weaning. I support all feeding choices and help families with all of them. This post was requested from a follower of my business. Happy reading!
All of those examples and more, the positives and the negatives, impact your desire to wean. There are several ways to go about weaning, and it's up to you and your baby to choose which is right for you. Weaning is an adjustment that both the breast/chest feeding person and the baby are going through and the process will take time to complete no matter what path you take. Knowing there will be times when baby/toddler misses the breast or that you may even miss the experience are all part of the process and the journey of weaning. Natural or Baby-led WeaningNatural or baby-led weaning is the method where baby will continue to nurse until they no longer have the need to as they grow and age. If you have a full-time nursling they can go for years desiring the breast for many reasons, but they will eventually outgrow the need. This method is treating weaning as a developmental phase and uses guidance to replace nursing with other activities and foods, letting the child lead the way. Partial WeaningThis method of nursing is typically done with a toddler. Nursing sessions are reduced gradually until there are only certain designated times for nursing. For example, baby nurses in the morning and at bedtime, but not throughout the day or the night. This can help with nursing times that are particularly difficult for the person doing the breast/chest feeding. Your baby/toddler may still request nursing if they need the comfort, which can be remedied by distraction, other forms of affection/comfort, and offering other forms of nourishment. Gradual/Planned WeaningIn this type of weaning there the nursing person uses other forms of nourishment and interesting distractions and other types of affection while to replace nursing sessions. Typically a session is phased out every few days until weaning is complete. The slower reduction in feedings gives time for the baby/toddler to adjust to getting their nourishment and comfort in other ways. This does not give a definitive date as to when weaning will end, but will end gradually when these days stretch on and feedings are removed. Setting a date to be "done" nursing is not something I would suggest because that can be jarring to a baby/toddler if the process is interrupted and the planned weaning actually becomes abrupt weaning. If your feedings are not phased out enough before that day you can experience lots of engorgement and the issues that may come with it. Abrupt WeaningThis is a sudden stop to breast/chest feeding without any planning or warning. Sometimes this happens because of unavoidable problems that arise like an illness in the lactating person or baby/toddler that makes feeds impossible, or necessary medications that are incompatible with nursing **check this with a lactation consultant before weaning for this reason. This type of weaning can be very difficult for the dyad of the parent and baby/toddler. It means that demand for milk completely stops yet the body slowly reduces the hormones that decrease milk production meaning physical discomfort like swelling and engorgement. There can be a big emotional impact on the parent especially if the weaning is happening and they wanted breast/chest feeding to continue, and the hormone shifts can make these feelings even stronger. In this method of weaning the baby/toddler has a sudden loss of an activity they are have used for their nourishment and comfort. It would be a distressing experience for an adult to go through this. I cannot imagine how it must make a baby/toddler feel. The parent who is abruptly weaning and the baby/toddler both need increased attention, affection, and support through the process. It Ends with One Last Latch
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AuthorHi, Jessie here. I'm a doula, mother, and wearer of many hats. All things birth related are my passion. It brings me great joy and satisfaction to serve clients and educate families. I am new to blogging, and excited to share with you all lots of different things about birth. Archives
May 2020
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