Stop Breast Feeding Your Baby: How to Begin Weaning your Nursing Baby off Breast Milk to Dry Up Lactation & Avoid Engorgement
How to Stop Lactation Avoiding EngorgementIf you want
to stop breastfeeding and are wondering how to dry up your
milk supply, take heart. There's nothing special you have to
do for drying up your milk; just stop using it. For many
women, the unused milk is reabsorbed by the body and dries
up in around a week, although some find that leaks continue
for several weeks more. Nursing pads can protect your
clothing while your body adjusts to the change.
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The most comfortable way for (mother and child) to stop
lactation is to wean your child slowly and gradually, dropping a
breast feeding or two each week until eventually you have
replaced all feedings with the bottle. When you skip a feeding,
your child will be surprised by the appearance of the bottle,
and your body will also be surprised by the sudden lack of
demand. Your breasts may be heavy and sore, filled with milk. If
the engorgement bothers you, you can pump them and store the
breast milk for a bottle feeding. Don't pump them completely
dry, though, or you'll be signalling your body for a refill.
Only express enough milk to relieve the pressure, and you'll be
telling your body that you don't need as much milk to be
produced. Over time, lactation will stop naturally.
Breast Feeding without the Breast
Giving up breast feeding doesn't necessarily mean not feeding
your baby with breast milk. If you want to stop breast-feeding
your newborn, either because of work responsibilities or
problems with nursing, try using a breast pump to get your
infant the breast milk that's so important to a child's early
development. Weaning your baby from breast to bottle should be
done slowly and patiently, and giving your baby an occasional
bottle feeding early on will help set the stage for later
weaning.
Lactation Support Before You Give Up Breast Feeding Your
Infant
If you're thinking of stopping breast feeding because of
problems feeding your child, ask for assistance before throwing
in the towel. "Mothers should feel comfortable asking either
their doctors, doctors' staff or a lactation consultant about
being observed so that they know if they are doing it right,"
says Dr. Sudha Prasad, a pediatrician from Garden City, New
York. I… watch my patients' mothers breastfeed and give them
tips on how to be more physically comfortable." Dr. Prasad
points out that an expert, observing how the baby latches on,
sucks and swallows, can help mothers make simple changes that
simplify the process of nursing. Feeding your baby with your
feet raised, and raising the child to your breast instead of
hunching over to meet his or her mouth can prevent strain on the
lower back and make the process more comfortable and enjoyable.
Dr. Prasad also stressed the importance of breastfeeding during
the first year of life to maximize IgA (a secretory antibody)
protection that protects babies from the otherwise too-common
Otitis Media (middle ear infections) and upper respiratory
infection.
If you stop breast feeding, for a week or more, it may be
difficult to resume again, but some women have been able to
start nursing after as long as a month. In some cases, newly
adopted babies or infants who have lost their mothers can
greatly benefit from breast feeding by a surrogate. In these
cases, it's vitally important that the substitute is not on
medication that can cross to the infant in the milk, or that the
surrogate doesn't have a disease transmittable through breast
milk such as HIV.
Continue reading more information about
Breast vs.
Bottle Feeding
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