Breastfeeding weaning: when and how to stop breastfeeding your baby?

Whether or not to breastfeed your child is an important decision to make before the baby is born, and for which it is necessary to be informed. If you choose to breastfeed your child, it is also essential to plan when you will stop breastfeeding. Weaning is indeed an important and normal stage of breastfeeding. The transition can be natural or planned. For example, a mother may choose to breastfeed her baby throughout her maternity leave and then switch to bottles when she returns to work. Either way, this change in your baby's diet should be smooth. When to wean an infant? What preparation does this weaning require and how to manage this transition? We answer all your questions about weaning from breastfeeding, with Véronique Darmangeat, lactation consultant and founder of the eponymous breastfeeding center.

Breastfeeding weaning: what does it mean and at what age?

“Weaning your baby means stopping breastfeeding. For some people, it may also mean stopping breast-feeding,” says the expert. Note that if he is over 6 months old, weaning from breastfeeding should be part of dietary diversification.

At what age should an infant be weaned? According to the specialist, “the official recommendations are to exclusively breastfeed your baby for 6 months and then to continue breastfeeding in parallel with a diversified diet until at least two years old”. These include advice submitted by the World Health Organization.

Nevertheless, there are not really any rules on the subject. You can wean your child whenever you want! “If we let a child suckle as much as he wants, he stops alone between two and five years old.

This leaves a lot of leeway for parents to make the choice that suits them,” adds Véronique Darmangeat. If you want to wean after 2 or 10 months of breastfeeding, the decision is up to you. The important thing is to listen to yourself and your body. Breastfeeding your baby also has its share of difficulties. So you feel that you can't do it anymore, don't feel guilty about stopping breastfeeding before the goal you had set for yourself. Do not hesitate to seek the help of a lactation consultant.

Breastfeeding weaning: how to do it gently?

“From the moment the parents decide to wean the baby before it is ready, it is always a difficult moment for the child. It is therefore important to accompany him. The smaller a child is, the more difficult weaning is for him,” says Véronique Darmangeat. The mother's breasts can also suffer during weaning. Care must be taken to avoid clogging, she says.

With a baby who is exclusively breastfeeding, the expert advises introducing a bottle of infant formula every 24 hours. This can be done by eliminating one of the daytime or nighttime feedings. "When the mother's breasts are comfortable with this feed less, we can introduce a second bottle of infant formula every 24 hours and so on," she continues. And to warn: “The first few days, some babies will refuse the bottle. This is completely normal and usual. We always find solutions to help him get used to it. »

For the specialist, it is important to compensate for weaning with a maximum of physical contact with the infant, because he needs to feel your presence. For example, you can do more skin to skin, or cuddle him a little more than usual. Be careful not to start weaning if he is sick, because the baby is looking for comfort. Note that a smooth weaning generally takes 2 to 4 weeks.

If your child is already eating solid foods, it is also advisable to shorten the duration of the feeding and change the context of the feedings. For example, changing the time or place where you usually breastfeed.

What do we give the baby instead of the breast?

“If the baby is less than a year old, breast milk should be replaced with infant formula.

If the baby is over a year old, we can give him whole milk or dairy products at his convenience,” says the lactation consultant.

Breastfeeding weaning: what if the baby does not want to be weaned?

“A baby who doesn't wean himself when he no longer needs it never agrees to be weaned. This is completely normal. He may also have difficulty taking the bottle. Depending on the age of the baby and its difficulty, we can choose a particular shape of bottle teat, we can choose to introduce it on the side of the mouth instead of putting it in the middle of the mouth, there are a certain number tricks to help a baby take a bottle", informs the expert. You can also warm the pacifier to create a feeling of human warmth. In any case, never force him to drink a bottle. Be sure to comfort him so he doesn't see the withdrawal as deprivation or separation. Each baby has their own rhythm of bondage.

According to the specialist, an infant can also refuse infant formula because the taste is not good. “We can start by giving him a bottle of breast milk. Once he accepts well, you can mix a quarter of infant formula with three quarters of breast milk,” she explains. Before adding: “Once he accepts well, we do half and half, then three quarters and a quarter, finally 100% infant formula. Do not go too fast and give the baby time to get used to the taste at each stage. »

Breastfeeding weaning: on the mother's side, how do we manage?

During the weaning period, the mother may also experience some physical complications. As explained above, the biggest risk is engorgement if you stop feeding too quickly. “We must therefore reduce feedings as gradually as possible so that the breasts have time to adapt lactation to this new rhythm,” she advises. If your breasts are sore and swollen, you can also unclog them in the shower by squeezing them out.

Beyond the physical consequences, weaning from breastfeeding can also be psychologically complicated by the mother. It must be said that it is a special bond that she maintains with her baby, she is one with him, as during pregnancy, and she can see this period as a separation. In some cases, she may even feel guilty. “Weaning can be badly experienced by the mother. Especially if she has not really decided it herself, but has weaned her baby under pressure from the doctor, the family, the entourage or through ignorance of other solutions. In addition, at the time of weaning, the breastfeeding hormones will drop sharply and some women experience it badly, have the impression of no longer supporting their baby”, warns Véronique Darmangeat.

"It's temporary, but it's important that the mother be reassured that she has nothing to do with it and that it will pass on its own," she continues. Listen to yourself, trust yourself, and understand that it's okay to have sad or conflicting feelings.

Breastfeeding weaning: once the child is weaned, can he go back to the breast?

"Absolutely, yes," says the lactation consultant. Before tempering: “That being said, it takes a lot of time and effort, because you have to stimulate lactation at least every three hours either with a baby who agrees to suckle well at the breast, or with a breast pump. Moreover, you can never be sure that the baby will agree to take the breast again. »

4 misconceptions about weaning from breastfeeding: