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I have a ten month old daughter who has decided to wean herself. She has not nursed in about 30 hours and before that was only nursing once or twice a day. She refuses to drink the pumped milk I have frozen from a bottle or a sippy cup. Should I start her on formula or wait it out and see what happens? Also, how long before my milk supply dries up and what can I expect as I go through this process? Thanks!
Dear Amber,
First, congratulations for giving your daughter the best start in life by breastfeeding!
I'll give you a short answer, but I have an entire chapter about weaning and what to expect during the process in my book (see below), so if you want more details you can go there. Also, in Chapter 15 of my book I talk about babies who refuse the breast.
It's not that unusual for babies your daughter's age to signal their readiness to be weaned, but I would keep trying for another few days, either to nurse her directly or to offer your frozen milk. (You don't have to waste that milk even if she rejects it -- you can give it to her in her cereal.) If she continues to reject breast milk, I would suggest giving her formula for another couple of months at least, since the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breast milk or formula up to one year of age.
Since you have not been nursing more than once or twice a day, it shouldn't take long -- maybe a couple of weeks -- for most of your milk supply to dry up. If at any point your breasts become overfull, you can express just enough milk to ease your discomfort. Don't bind your breasts and don't take any medicine to dry up your milk -- neither of these "remedies" works.
Good luck!
Sally
Sally Wendkos Olds
Author, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING: Eiger & Olds, 3rd edition 1999, published by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books, and available in most public libraries, bookstores & La Leche League chapters.
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Answers by Expert:
Sally Wendkos Olds
Expertise
What do you want to know about breastfeeding? I can tell you what`s good for the baby, what`s good for the mother -- and the father, how it`s related to a woman`s sexuality, how working moms can nurse, how to overcome obstacles, and lots more. As the author of THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING and author or coauthor of 8 other books and more than 200 articles about child and adult development, I can offer sound, sensible advice on breastfeeding, child care and family issues.
Experience
I nursed my 3 daughters and am the grandmother of 5 breastfed children. My book THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING (written in consultation with pediatrician Marvin S. Eiger, M.D.) was first published in 1972, and in 1999 came out in an updated 3rd Edition by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books. It is now a classic, with over 2 million copies in print. I am now revising this book for a fourth edition, consulting with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D. This new edition will be published September 2009. I welcome any and all suggestions for the new edition. I coauthored college textbooks A CHILD'S WORLD: INFANCY THROUGH ADOLESCENCE, and HUMAN DEVELOPMENT; both are leading texts in their fields and have been read by 2 million students. I am the coauthor of HELPING YOUR CHILD FIND VALUES TO LIVE BY and RAISING A HYPERACTIVE CHILD, and author of THE WORKING PARENTS' SURVIVAL GUIDE & THE ETERNAL GARDEN: SEASONS OF OUR SEXUALITY. My newest book, A BALCONY IN NEPAL: GLIMPSES OF A HIMALAYAN VILLAGE, published in 2002, tells the story of the way of life in a remote village in Nepal, where all the women breastfeed! My book, SUPER GRANNY: COOL PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES, AND OTHER GREAT STUFF TO DO WITH YOUR GRANDKIDS, will be published March 2009. I speak often to professional, parent and general audiences and make many radio and TV appearances.
Credentials I received my B.A. in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, where I minored in Psychology, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude.
Other points of interest
I have received national awards for my writing, and am a former president of the American Society of Journalists & Authors. I am listed in the World Who's Who of Women, International Authors & Writers Who's Who, and Contemporary Authors, and am a member of several professional and civic organizations. I believe: that all parents are working parents; that parents employed outside the home need special support; that mothers' well-being is crucial to their children's welfare; and that the family is the best institution in the world and the one for which we are least prepared. My thrills come when parents or kids tell me they were helped by my writing or speaking or just understanding.
To find out more about me, go to
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