Can and Should are two different things - Yes, you can, but No, you shouldn’t, unless entirely necessary.

Breastfeeding isn’t a difficult concept - the sucking and pulling of your baby or your breast pump tell your body to make milk. You empty the milk, it fills back up again. If that stimulation and suction stop, it tells your body you don’t need it anymore. BUT, this is not an overnight process. And unless you just love sore, engorged, possibly mastitis-laden breasts, you should follow a gradual and slow weaning process to help your body and your baby adjust. You don’t quit prescription meds cold turkey - you don’t quit breastfeeding cold turkey.

Quitting breastfeeding or your milk drying up is called weaning - and you are allowed to wean whenever you or your baby decides it is time. However, weaning your baby cold turkey is going to make your life a living hell - both physically and mentally.

The Emotional Rollercoaster of Abrupt Weaning

Gradual weaning is always the preferred means of weaning, it allows for a gradual shift in hormones, and reduces the risks of plugged ducts, mastitis, and discomfort associated with more rapid weaning. However, there are times that breastfeeding comes to an end abruptly. There may be medical situations, or personal circumstances that drive the need for abrupt weaning on the parents’ side. Sometimes the situation prohibits a family from working through a nursing strike. Abrupt ending of breastfeeding is not uncommon, but requires attention to both the emotional and physical needs of the dyad.

For the parent, care needs to be given to the emotional impact of the end of a very important relationship, as well as the physical impact of rapid weaning. There is a high risk of clogged ducts, mastitis, engorgement, and physical discomfort. Active efforts to reduce milk supply quickly to alleviate the physical aspect may need to be managed.

Feelings of depression that can be a normal part of the weaning process may occur, as well as intense grief at the loss of a special relationship. Abrupt weaning often prevents the nursing parent from meeting the goals they initially established for themselves, and this can compound the grief. These feelings are completely normal, and attention to these grieving processes should be given the care they deserve.

Some parents find that they feel the opposite about the unplanned ending of breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is a lot of work, and weaning can bring about a new sense of freedom for the breastfeeding parent. If breastfeeding was difficult there may be a sense of relief at moving onto the next stage in your child’s life. Sometimes, these feelings in themselves become a feeling of guilt at not grieving the loss of the relationship like other parents.

Whatever your response to an abrupt ending to breastfeeding, you should know that your feelings are normal, and not a reflection on your relationship with your child. Parental relationships are made to move past breastfeeding at some point, and while the transition can be difficult, you will find new ways to interact with and comfort your child. There will be a new normal, and this is a good thing.

What is a good way to gradually wean my baby?

Parent-led weaning can be done in several ways, depending on your baby’s age, your timeframe for weaning, and your baby’s temperament.

If your baby is under the age of 1, your baby will need to have expressed breastmilk or infant formula in place of nursing in order to meet their nutritional needs. Infants will likely need bottles to meet their needs, but over the age of six months some children happily wean to a sippy cup. Over a year, sippy cups should be used instead of bottles, and you should consult with your child’s health care provider to determine what replacement milk to use with your baby.

All 3 of these parent-led strategies can be viewed here.

Child-led weaning can done in several ways as well. The biological norm for child-led weaning is 2 to 2.5 years, with self-weaning rarely occurring before 1. If a child before 1 is showing signs of weaning, it could be mistaken for a nursing strike. A nursing strike can occur for many reasons. View here.

Can I take a medication, vitamin, or eat a food to dry up my milk quickly?

There is, unfortunately, no set answer for this. Each person's body responds differently to weaning, and some will lose their milk supply rapidly but others take much longer. Typically, it takes a few weeks to bring milk production to an end, but it can be done more rapidly. If you need to wean rapidly, you would greatly benefit from a weaning consultation to make sure you are able to help avoid clogs, mastitis, and manage the engorgement that will occur with rapid weaning. Often times, if rapid weaning is medically indicated, a health care provider will be consulted to help with the medicinal options for drying up the milk supply.

Here are some basic strategies to assist your body in reducing your milk supply:

Just as there are foods and herbs that support healthy lactation, there are foods and herbs that are reported to reduce milk supply and assist in the weaning process of drying up the milk supply. The challenge with these recommendations is the evidence-base for these practices is lacking.

Peppermint candies like Altoids (natural peppermint flavor)
Sage or jasmine tea. Begin with ½ cup tea daily and increase gradually until results are seen
Peppermint tea 2-4 cups per day until results are seen
Tea Designed for Milk Supply Reduction (Earth Mama Brand or Pink Stork get positive reviews)
Parsley, cilantro or sage in food

Apply cabbage treatment to reduce engorgement:

Wash chilled green cabbage leaves and gently score the surface of the leaf to release juices
Wrap leaves around breast & areola: Leave on 20-30 minutes, repeat 3-5 times per day

Apply cold compresses to reduce engorgement

Don’t place directly on the skin. Use a cloth barrier.

Medications to discuss with your doctor if other measures are ineffective in reducing milk supply:

Pseudoephedrine
Vitamin B6
Oral Contraceptives containing estrogen

How Do I Wean from the Pump?

Much of the discussion about weaning surrounds the nursing relationship, but what about mothers who are exclusively pumping, or pumping to reduce supply after an abrupt end to nursing?

What about the practical matters of weaning off the pump? When weaning from the pump, the goal is to reduce and space out the number of pumps until the milk supply is reduced, while pumping only enough to be comfortable without engorgement.

We want there to be milk remaining in the breast while weaning in order to signal to the body that less milk is desired.

**PTC = Pump to Comfort (not to empty). √ = Regular Pumping Session**
Schedule is based on someone pumping 8 times per day and allowing 6-8 weeks to dry up their milk supply (slower is better to control the hormonal shift).

You want to avoid pumping between 11pm and 5am if at all possible as the higher prolactin levels at that time will extend the time required to wean. See The Pumping Weaning Schedule on this page.

I Feel Stressed about How to Wean!

Scheduling a weaning consultation is a great way to talk through you lifestyle, concerns, and the temperament of your child in regards to your breastmilk. Don’t hesitate! Schedule a consult today!

Schedule a Weaning Consult

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