If you're reading this chances are, you are, will, or have been a breastfeeding mom, and this post is for you or anyone who wants to learn more about this experience. I have just successfully weaned my daughter, Lights, at 21 months old and this whole process has been incredible. I'm happy with the timing because I was able to provide sustenance for her as long as she needed it.
I knew from the beginning I wanted to breastfeed. The first three months were the hardest because I had to use a nipple shield. Looking back, I wish the lactation consultant at the hospital would have let me try without it longer before shoving it in my hand and leaving. It got much easier once I was done with those and up until she was eight months old, I was providing all her nutritional needs. Obviously, once you introduce solids, the feedings reduce gradually.
We started trying baby led weaning, which was a good fit. Lights started feeding herself small bites of banana, avocado, steamed veggies, and her favorite food, beans. We are all plant based and she didn't really like baby food, so I just fed her whatever I was eating.
During this time, we would start the day with about a 20 minute feeding session and then we would share a glowing green smoothie. If she was hungry before lunch, she would snack on fruit or nuts. Lunch was usually avocado, rice or quinoa, beans or lentils, and a steamed veggie like cauliflower or broccoli. Throughout the day she would often want a snack and half the time I would just nurse her. She would always try whatever we had for dinner where we learned she loves pasta, bread, soup, and even greens. Many people were shocked when I told them I breastfed her for at least an hour before bed, but I didn't mind because she has been sleeping through the night since she was between three and four months old. Making sure she was full before bed was definitely worth it!
By the end of 2018, she was only feeding about four times a day. These included a morning feed, a feed before her afternoon nap, a short feed after dinner, and the bed time feed. Any other time she asked for milk, by tugging on my shirt, I would offer her a drink or a snack.
In January of this year (2019), my husband and I started trying new techniques to guide her towards weaning completely. We thought this would take longer than it did, but it went smoothly because we were all ready.
The first significant step was changing our bed time routine. Instead of laying down nursing in my room for an hour, after showers we went into her room with dim lighting and read books for about 30 minutes. During this time she would eat Kite Hill Unsweetened Almond Milk Yogurt and then she would nurse for about ten minutes before going to sleep.
The last week of February, we took it a step further and explained to her she was getting to be a big girl and would only nurse right before bed. This was hard because she would wake up and expect that morning feed, so we started this on a weekend so my husband could get her up and make breakfast right away. Not seeing me helped her not immediately want the milk. It was also around this time she started to love unsweetened almond milk, so she would drink that around bed time too.
Only feeding once a day went on for about a week. On March 5, the day after she turned 21 months, she didn't ask to nurse before bed. I slipped out of her room and let my husband put her down. I didn't know it at the time, but she was successfully weaned. For the next week she still asked for milk from me and I would offer her something else. This became easier each time as she began to understand.
It has been bittersweet for me to wrap my head around because on one hand, I'm no longer starving all the time and I have more freedoms (like eating peppermint chocolate again!). On the other hand, this means she's growing up and no longer a baby. But I'm ready for the next phase of our lives.
I hope in sharing my experience with nursing and weaning, you read something helpful. There really is no right or wrong time to wean. It's when you and your baby are ready, and you will know when that time comes.
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