What to expect as you begin to wean
Weaning can happen at any time, whether it be because your baby is starting to eat more solid food, switching to formula or you decide to stop breastfeeding. Weaning should be taken with a slow approach and can take a month or longer to fully wean your baby.
As with everything else, change can be uncomfortable. Weaning can be hard emotionally and full of ups and downs for both the parent and the baby.
Emotional changes
Weaning can be an emotionally difficult process. For the baby or child, nursing was a bonding and comforting place for them, and losing that can be hard. As for the parent, this process can bring on guilt for deciding to stop breastfeeding or denying your baby nursing time, hormones changing, and a shift in bonding time. While weaning you may find it helpful to seek out your support person or a mental health professional to help with all the changes.
Physical changes
A physical change to look out for when weaning is the size of your breasts. At the beginning of weaning, you may notice that they are full because your baby is no longer sucking the milk from them. This can lead to some discomfort, soreness, and pain for some parents. To help ease the discomfort, you can take over-the-counter pain medication, pump your breasts just enough to reduce fullness, and wear supportive bras.
Another physical change to keep in mind is breasts going back to the size they were before pregnancy once breastfeeding is stopped and weaning is over. This is because your breasts are no longer producing milk to fill them.
Bonding with baby
While weaning, it is important to set up new ways to bond with your baby or child. Having the nursing time taken away from them can cause a lot of distress. Some new ways to bond with your child can look like setting up more play time, experiencing new things together or snuggling during the time that you usually would be nursing.
Guilt is a common feeling while weaning, but know that, at the end of it all, this new change can also bring a lot of happiness to both you and your baby. It’ll give you both time to explore new things.