Wanting to wean

[abbergoose]

I am wanting to wean my son, but he isn't taking a bottle or sippy cup from me. Sometime she takes a sippy cup (he knows how) and he'll kind of take a bottle from others. Any suggestions?

[RedheadbyChoice]

How old is babe? How often does babe nurse? Do you pump at all? What kind of time frame are you looking at here?

[abbergoose]

He is 6 months old. He nurses 4 times a day. I sometimes pump, but not usually (I could!). I am pregnant and wondering if quitting nursing would help with the exhaustion. Don't really want to mess with bottles, but I'm hoping it will be easier on my body. My dr wants me to quit by 20 wks (which is around 6 wks away), but I am thinking by 19 wks so I don't have to worry when my DH & I go out of town.

[TheNewMogey]

I am sorry that I am no help in this area :hug:

[RedheadbyChoice]

So, he's just nursing 4 times a day....does he get solids then as well? Or formula or EBM in bottles? Wait, you said he doesn't get bottles, right? So there would be solids then as well, during the day?

Just an FYI, one does not need to wean due to pregnancy, unless there are preterm labor concerns. There are a lot of mothers who nurse while pregnant. Some go on to nurse both babes, some just the newest babe. Milk supply WILL drop while pregnant, though, so many need to supplement, depending on the age of their baby. I just wanted to let you know that, not to pressure you, but just so you can have all the information necessary to make a decision that's best for you and your family.

Pregnancy, though, is pretty darn exhausting anyway, isn't it? :hug: Hard, too, with a little one that needs your constant attention. I'm not sure if weaning now will ease that exhaustion or not, depends really on how babe reacts to weaning.

Weaning is best done gradually; better for both momma and baby. Since your babe is under a year old, babe will need to have formula until he is at least a year. So, that's going to need to be in a sippy or a cup or a bottle.

Here's a good link about weaning with different methods, reasons, alternatives, etc. Read it and see what applies to you. Linky: weaning (http://www.kellymom.com/bf/weaning/how_weaning_happens.html)

Congrats on your upcoming pregnancy, BTW. :) Stick around, if you're inclined, we'd love to get to know you better.

~ginger

[threefunboys]

My best advice is to keep trying to give him a bottle. I babysat a baby girl who wouldn't take a bottle at all the first week--talk about awful! I was afraid I was starving the poor child. But one day she figured it out (I think it was a bottle of apple juice) and took it like a pro after that. I would be inclined to try something really good, like juice (you can dillute it), to see if that gives him a little bit more incentive to try it. My DS wouldn't take a bottle or paci or anything when he was younger, and I still haven't fed him a whole meal from a bottle (haven't really needed to) but he'll sort of chew on a bottle if I give it to him. Try giving him a bottle while he's sitting in his high chair or something--maybe that would help him not want to nurse. (My DS thinks if he's laying in my lap he has to be nursing, no matter how hungry he isn't. Being in his high chair made him more willing to take the bottle.) I also found that the sippy cup nipple was better for him because of the shape of it (I have the nuk brand bottle nipples and the nuby sippys). He didn't want to close his lips all the way down around the smaller bottle nipple.

It sounds like he *could* take a bottle, but just won't. I think basically you just have to keep trying, and stand your ground as much as is reasonable. But like redhead said, you don't HAVE to wean just because you're pregnant. I'm not sure if it would help in the exhaustion area...pregnancy is exhausting anyway, whether you're nursing or not. I've never nursed while pg though, so I woudn't know for sure.

Good luck with both babies! What a blessing!

[Nipple_nectar]

I agree with Red, I wouldn't wean just to alleviate the exhaustion, it may not help. Honestly the first trimester is a hard one while tending to a young baby but I bet once you hit your second trimester, things will improve. Are you sleeping when baby sleeps? I highly recommend this.

How pregnant are you? My supply dried up by my fifteenth week of pregnancy and my DD1 reluctantly weaned herself as she was not into dry nursing.

You mentioned you are trying to go away with your DH, how long will you be gone? I strongly recommend that you read The adventures of tandem nursing by Hilary Flower, this can help you with your decision, since you may know that for the first entire year breast milk or formula needs to be the primary source of nutrition.

Congrats on your pregnancy, I look forward to seeing you around!