Weaning Babies from Breastfeeing
When is the correct time for weaning your baby from the breast.
This is a very personal decision and one that you should make based on what is best for both yourself and your baby. When you do decide it is the right time it really does have to be a gradual process. It can be a very emotional time and it signals an ending to your special bond. By taking it very slowly it allows for the change in your relationship while still keeping your bond.
In effect weaning starts as soon as anything other than breast milk is introduced to your baby. As a society we tend to refer to weaning as the time when our babies need to be breastfed less and look for other sources of nutrition.
Once your baby is introduced to either formula or solid foods they will slowly move away from breastfeeding until eventually this stops altogether. Some women prefer to keep at least one breastfeed a day, more for bonding than nutrition, which is perfectly fine if it works for you and your baby.
]]>
Sometimes babies will wean themselves off breast milk which can be quite a shock for some mothers. When the decision is made for you it can be a very emotional time and can almost feel like a grieving process. This may only be temporary but more often than not it triggers the end to breastfeeding.
Some women feel pressured by others to wean even though breastfeeding is working well for the both of them. People will always have an opinion on what they think is best and more often than not they can be quite misinformed. Often women are led to believe that if their baby is unsettled it is due to low milk supply. This may be the case but there are many other factors which can make your baby unsettled. Don’t let an unsettled baby trigger the end of breastfeeding without exhausting all other causes. It could easily be wind, reflux or in some cases your baby needing more contact.
With the arrival of your babies teeth there is always a temptation for weaning breastfeeding due to the fear of being bitten. Most young babies with first teeth don’t tend to bite and it normally happens with older babies who tend to suck hard and clamp down.
Hopefully the decision for weaning breastfeeding will me made entirely by you and not be governed by your babies refusal to take the breast or other people’s opinions. Breastfeeding your baby is an amazing bonding experience so once you have begun weaning breastfeed you will need to replace this with lots of cuddles.
For more information on weaning babies please visit www.weaningbabies.org.
Article Source