Breast milk is the most useful product for a newborn. But sooner or later, a time comes when a young mother needs to stop lactation. How to wean a baby from the chest with minimal loss? Any mom can cope with a difficult task. One just needs to be patient and stick to some rules.
When to wean a baby?
Opinions of experts on this subject differ. Some believe that after a year there is no longer any beneficial substances in breast milk and continued lactation does not make sense. Others advocate that the baby needs to be fed as long as possible. In this case, the child himself refuses to breast by three or four years. What about mothers who plan to go to work? Parents should make their own decisions. All pediatricians agree on one thing: everything must be done so that lactation lasts up to 12 months.
At what age should wean a baby from breast? If the baby is weak, born prematurely, often sick, lactation is recommended to be kept as long as possible. Experts are right that the nutrients in breast milk are no longer enough for the full development of the baby. Along with this, it contains immunoglobulins that contribute to strengthening the health of the child. While the baby is breastfeeding, there is a much lower chance of encountering dangerous infections.
Previously, weaning is always associated with stress. In this case, not only the baby suffers, but also the mother. For a woman, this is terrible pain in the chest. Often young mothers are faced with stagnation of milk, lactostasis. Children receive psychological trauma. Why do they take what is pleasing to them? After all, the mother’s breast for the baby is not only a source of nutrition, but also a sedative. During sucking, the baby forgets about discomfort and fear.
How to wean a baby from the breast correctly? It becomes clear that the cessation of lactation for the baby is associated with a blow to the immune system. Therefore, many experts recommend completing feeding in the demi-season. Ideal in April or October. In winter it is too cold, and the baby can catch a cold. In the summer, the risk of intestinal infections increases.
As for age, everything is individual here. If possible, you should feed the child up to three years. But even if, after a year, the lactation is completed correctly, no problems will arise.
Common Moms Mistakes
How to quickly wean a baby from the chest? Very simple! You can spread the nipple with green or mustard. Would the baby want to go back to the chest? Probably not. But such actions are likely to lead to unpleasant consequences. Fright of the child will not be in vain. Psychological trauma can cause stuttering, isolation, speech impairment. How to spread breasts to wean a baby? Nothing! Such actions will only do harm.
Many older women advise their daughters and daughters-in-law to leave for a few days to complete breastfeeding. Such a technique will really help a young mother easier to survive a difficult period. But the baby will have to go through the same psychological trauma.
Replacing classic breast attachments with a bottle of mixture is another common mistake. You can do this only if lactation must be stopped abruptly due to maternal health. Otherwise, the process should take place gradually. The breast-fed baby is transferred to a full-fledged diet. The use of mixtures is not necessary.
If the baby refuses breast
Sometimes it happens that the baby independently refuses the breast. This can happen for several reasons. Most often this happens after the infant tastes water or milk from a bottle. Indeed, with the help of this device it is much easier to “get” food. If the baby refuses the breast closer to 10 months, you should not panic. At this age, the baby can easily be transferred to adult food - cereals, vegetable soups, dairy products.
What to do if the baby is less than 6 months old? If attempts to offer the baby to the baby are unsuccessful, you can continue to express and offer the baby milk from the bottle. Transferring a baby to a mixture is a last resort.
Lactation Pills
Before weaning a baby from breast a year, many mothers study a lot of information. Not everyone at the same time consults with professionals, prefer to discuss the problem on forums on the Internet. Often you can find recommendations on the use of special pills to quickly stop lactation. Such drugs are indeed offered in pharmacies. However, they are not intended for young mothers at all. Such pills help stop lactation that occurs against the background of hormonal or other disorders in the body.
Drug suppression of milk production can be shown to young mothers in exceptional cases. So, if there are health problems that do not allow you to continue feeding, while milk continues to be produced in large quantities. Only a doctor can prescribe special pills.
Gradual cessation of lactation
How to wean a baby from the chest? The process may not be complicated at all, but rather long. The abrupt end of lactation is a mistake that 80% of mothers make. Each woman with breastfeeding comes a moment when it seems that there is no more strength. Sleepless nights, lack of free time - all this causes negative emotions. At this stage, many mothers decide to abruptly stop lactation. This manifestation of selfishness can lead to bad consequences.
How to wean a baby from the chest gradually? How long can the whole process take? Such questions arise in women who have decided to follow the right path. Everything is individual here. It all depends on the immunity of the baby, as well as his temperament. The whole process of completing lactation can take up to 6 months. The older the child, the easier it is to cope with the task. In some cases, it is possible to negotiate with the baby in just a few weeks.
Plan for the cessation of lactation in such a way that the complete completion of the process occurs in early spring or autumn. By the year the baby usually has a feeding schedule. Mom should gradually replace classic applications with regular meals.
Last night we remove the feedings
Feeding the baby at night tires the young mother the most. It is from such attachments that many women seek to refuse in the first place. Indeed, after the baby stops taking breasts during sleep, the night becomes calmer, without awakening. But for those who do not know how to wean a baby from breast a year correctly, it is worth understanding that at night, lactation is very important.
There is another misconception that eating at night overloads the baby’s stomach. This is justified only in relation to mixtures, cereals, compotes or kefir. Mother’s breast milk cannot harm the baby, no matter how many times it is applied per night.
Awakening at night in breast-fed babies is the norm. A baby up to a year can wake up from two to four times. In winter, the number of attachments may increase. Central heating dries the air, thirst can torment the baby. This is another reason why it is not recommended to plan weaning for the winter.
What are the benefits of night feeding? Why should they be abandoned last? First, prolactin, the hormone responsible for lactation, is produced at night. In the absence of night feeds, the amount of milk in the chest decreases sharply. Secondly, an infant up to a year that feeds on breast milk at night, completely replenishes the need for drink and food. Such children have strong immunity, gain weight well, and rarely get sick.
Special attention deserves the habit of laying the baby to sleep with the chest. Closer to a year, there is no need for feeding immediately before bedtime. It is enough for the kid to sing a song, to tell a fairy tale, to pat on the back. How to wean a baby from the chest before going to bed? It’s just not to offer feeding for several days. Within a week, you can completely get rid of the habit.
Night feed replacement
Stopping lactation, some mothers decide to offer the baby a friend a meal instead of breast milk. Before weaning a baby from the chest, it is worthwhile to understand your goals. Mom doesn’t want to get up at night? Does the child have a restless sleep? Then replacing the breast with another food will not give any result. Moreover, preparing a bottle with a mixture or with kefir requires more effort.
While the baby is ready to go to the common table, he no longer needs nightly feeding. Any food will not be properly digested at night. Many babies who eat kefir or semolina porridge at night are further overweight. What to do when you wean a baby from the chest? The maximum that you can offer your baby is a bottle of water. It is possible that the baby is thirsty.
It is recommended to refuse to feed the child immediately before bedtime. Nothing should stop the baby from falling asleep normally. If the baby falls asleep at 9 pm, the last feeding should be planned for 7-8 hours.
Inconsistency is a huge mistake
How can wean a baby from the breast correctly and as quickly as possible? First of all, mom must finally decide on the completion of lactation. Of course, the baby will be capricious, demand breasts. To endure children's tears is very difficult. Some mothers break down and give the baby a few breasts. Then excommunication starts from the very beginning. Such inconsistency does not give good results. From an early age, the baby understands that tears help manipulate his mother. A woman drags out the process of completing lactation for several months.
The first thing a young mother must do before weaning her baby from the breast is to prepare psychologically for the time-consuming process. A difficult few weeks will have to endure. Avoid them if the woman wants to complete the lactation relatively quickly. It is important not to succumb to the guilt in front of the baby or the vagaries of children. Disruption will not benefit either the mother or the child.
Natural completion of lactation
How to wean a baby from night breastfeeding? How to quickly suppress lactation? Such questions arise in women who plan to stop the natural process ahead of schedule. The natural completion of lactation is the most appropriate choice. This happens when the mother’s body is completely ready to stop breastfeeding, and the baby does not need maternal immunoglobulins. When does this happen? Everything is individual here. Some children themselves give up breasts already in two years, some have to feed up to four. And there is nothing to worry about!
The correct completion of breastfeeding is a natural process. With age, the baby has new activities, interesting hobbies. He receives all the nutrients from an adult table. Every day, the number of attachments is getting smaller. Accordingly, milk in the maternal breast is produced in smaller quantities. Gradually, lactation fades. Once the baby completely forgets about the breast, he no longer needs it.
But even if the mother decided to naturally complete breastfeeding, it is worth adhering to some rules. It is necessary for a child older than two years to explain that feeding is an intimate process and it is impossible to demand "cis" in public places or with outsiders. The baby must clearly understand the rules of breastfeeding. Ideally, in the last months of feeding, only nightly attachments remain. Thus, the baby receives all the nutrients from the products from the general table and strengthens the immune system due to lactation.
Weaning should not be related to stress. Often, mothers decide to complete lactation when the baby goes to kindergarten. It is not right. The kid is very stressed. At this time, the number of attachments, on the contrary, should be increased.
Those who want to complete lactation before the child begins to attend preschool should start the process within a few months. Initially, daytime attachments are removed, then nightly.
Breastfeeding after three years
In 80% of cases, lactation ends naturally closer to three years of the child. Breast milk is a valuable source of protein, carbohydrates and fats. If mom eats properly, there is nothing wrong with lactation. Long lactation is especially useful for painful children, babies suffering from allergies. In addition, scientists argue that prolonged feeding has a positive effect on the formation of the maxillofacial apparatus.
Lactation is useful not only for the child, but also for the mother. Statistics indicate that the likelihood of encountering breast cancer is much lower in women who have been breast-feeding their babies for more than a year. In addition, lactation reduces the risk of coronary heart disease, improves the emotional state of a young mother.
In some cases, it happens that the baby is not going to give up breast after three years. Attachment to the mother leads to the fact that a woman cannot lead a full-fledged lifestyle, she cannot go to work, meet friends. This situation is possible if the young mother initially incorrectly built a behavior strategy. It allows the child to be capricious, to demand a breast at any opportunity. If you can’t agree with the baby, you should think about stopping the lactation.
The process of cessation of breastfeeding takes place individually for all. It will be completely painless if mom does everything right. Vagaries, lactostasis, stress - all this is a consequence of a sharp abnormal termination of breastfeeding. If you can’t cope with the task yourself, you should use the help of a breastfeeding consultant.