When to Stop Breastfeeding (and Why You Should Do It)
Pregnancy is an emotional and physical journey a woman goes through for 9 months, but it just doesn’t stop there. Breastfeeding is the only way to give your child the proper support and nutrition he needs for his health and well-being. So stopping breastfeeding in favor of weaning is a major decision every mother goes through. Pressure from well-meaning people (family, friends, relatives, etc.) doesn’t help since the decision to stop will come from you (with helpful and positive influence from your baby through signs).
Unfortunately for the undecided mom, there is no set time or age for a baby to wean. There are only suggestions – some based on scientific facts, and mostly based on other moms’ experiences in breastfeeding and weaning.
You, as the mom, can have a host of reasons as to why you want to stop breastfeeding your baby. Maybe you’re even confused and you don’t know why you want to stop. Based on my experience, let me give you 3 of my top reasons:
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The baby was already showing signs that he was ready to wean. In my case, when my daughter started developing teeth, tried to sit on her own with her head held up high, demanded more milk (even at the wee hours of the morning and at night), salivated and imitated the chewing actions of the people eating solid food, and tried to paw at the food on my plate, then I knew that it was time to introduce her to the wonderful world of solid food.
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I had sore nipples. They were so sore to the point of seeing so much blood that I wanted to faint, especially when my second daughter’s teeth were emerging at an alarming rate. Sometimes, when she’s latched on to me, she doesn’t want to let go and bit on the nipple. (I guess she felt that it had the same consistency as her teether – which she throws away once she sees me.) And I’m not ashamed to say so; I really had a hard time with all the biting and the blood. Unfortunately, I’m not ignorant of breastfeeding practices so I can’t use that as an excuse for the little one latching on perfectly but with dire results. (Though I was both happy and in pain while breastfeeding her, I went through with the 6-month breastfeeding recommendation with the simplest solution – expressing breast milk in feeding bottles.)
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I had work … and had to continue working. Our office did not allow babies on the floor and there was no day care center nearby so I had to stop breastfeeding my eldest. Still, I made sure that I expressed enough milk for her and put it in the fridge for her feedings. While I have the highest respect for wet nurses (imagine giving away milk to a child other than your own), I also believe that I (as the biological mother) will be able to give my child better nourishment since we come from the same genealogical line.
But that’s just me.
The most important thing to remember though, is that the decision to wean lies on 2 people – you (who will implement the weaning changes) and your baby (who has grown enough to send you signals that yes, he is ready to wean). And why you should stop breastfeeding to wean your baby? Well, because eventually he will self-wean. Even if you defer it for 2,000 years, the fact remains that your child is growing – and that growth will spur the need to become independent. Weaning does just that. Why prolong the agony? It is better that he learns to wean from you as you guide him in the path that he’s supposed to take for his betterment. |
