Breastfeeding has a social aspect. For example, women often listen to the opinions of those around them who recommend quitting feeding the baby after a year, because the breasts sag, it negatively affects women's health, the baby will be spoiled, milk is no longer useful, etc. For the mother, there should be only one criterion that determines the time of the baby’s weaning - her own desire to stop this form of communication with the baby.
How to wean a baby from breastfeeding so that this process goes painlessly for both of its participants? The production of breast milk directly depends on the woman’s desire to maintain such a relationship with the baby. Sometimes milk disappears a few months after the birth of a baby, because they either do not express a desire in this way to contact with him, or this is due to some other psychological or physiological reasons.
Many mothers are wondering about how to complete breastfeeding, if the baby is no longer full, more often asks for a breast, which has a debilitating effect on a woman? However, no one has the right to tell her when she should do it. Only the mother decides when this moment comes.
If the decision is made, which usually happens after the baby is one year old, you can choose several ways to stop breastfeeding. Here are the main ones:
- "Soft weaning" from the chest. A lot of recommendations that contain a list of tips aimed at helping the mother in this process, as a rule, come from the fact that this should be done gently. How to wean a baby from breastfeeding this way? Mother needs to gradually reduce the number of attachments to the breast during the day and then at night.
The positive characteristics of this method is that milk decreases gradually. At night, continuing to feed, you psychologically support the baby, who at this time of day is the most vulnerable and should find help in the usual way for him.
Among the negative aspects of this method are the difficulties that arise in the mother when she reduces the number of daily applications. This causes a negative reaction in the child, tears, he begins to demand what he should have been up to this time. Such stressful situations negatively affect the emotional state of the mother: she can break down at the baby, get tired of this weaning process, milk can disappear sharply. In addition, a woman constantly needs to have a conversation with the baby, why he can’t get the desired “tit”, I use expressions such as “milk has ended”, “tita hurts”, “milk has deteriorated”. The child cannot understand why he is not allowed to make sure that everything is in order and get what he wants.
To understand how to wean a baby from breastfeeding using this technique is the least painful, you can read the following recommendations:
- play with your baby more so that he feels your attention and love;
- do not let relatives comment on your feeding and its timing so that the child retains only positive memories of this period.
- The technique of "one-time excommunication." This method is often used when the mother needs to go to work, urgently leave or go to the hospital. That is, the mother at one point stops feeding. This can cause aggression on the part of the baby, he dramatically changes his behavior, in a word, such a technique can negatively affect the psychological state of the child.
In this case, the mother has problems in how to stop the production of breast milk. For this, doctors recommend either taking special pills to stop lactation, or applying cabbage leaves to the chest, taking painkillers. If severe pain exists, you can even take a cold medicine, which has a decongestant property.
In a word, it is better to consult a doctor for the necessary recommendations. He can also recommend a way to wean a baby from breastfeeding. However, it is better to choose the option itself, based on your own situation.