Exclusive Pumping Weaning

**I normally show y'all a craft of some type on Thursdays, but for this month I'd like to share my breastfeeding experience in hopes that I might help someone else out there**

***ALSO, please note that I am not in any way trying to put down those who formula feed.  Every mother must do what is best for her and her baby.  I know there are many reasons for why each mother chooses how and for how long she does her chosen method.  This is a place to support each other and help each other, thank you***

The past few weeks I've been telling you all about my experiences with being an exclusive pumper.

Well there comes a time in each Mommy's life when she decides for many different reasons that it's time to wean.

It is not an easy process.

Some Mommy's opt for medication from the doctor, and if that is what you choose to do no worries.

If you are looking for a more natural way to wean this is the story of how I transitioned from pumping 3x a day to 2, then 1 and then eventually to every other day until I felt I didn't need to pump at all.

Here is what you'll need:

No More Milk Tea- I swear it works!

I purchased 2 boxes, drank it for 2 weeks, and based on other peoples experiences with weaning mine was drastically less complicated.

Source

Honestly, that is all you will need.

It helps to have a husband who understands that there will be a few days of discomfort.

It helps if you warn him ahead of time that you will do your very best not to be grumpy AND if you actually try to keep your attitude in check!

I helps if you choose to do this in a block of time when you don't have a lot going on.

You don't want any added stress if you can help it.

My reasons for weaning were simple.

Bud and I want to have our babies close together.

That meant that I needed to get back on cycle before we could start trying again.

I decided to wean when Bitsy was about to turn 8 months old.

This meant that with our freezer stock pile I could provide for her until she was 10-1/2 to 11 months old.

Whatever your reasons for weaning, they are yours and yours alone, don't let anyone else pressure you one way or the other.

When I decided to begin weaning I transitioned to pumping 2x a day for 1 whole week.

I couldn't believe how knocking out that one session gave me what felt like hours of my day back!

I pumped until I could pump no more at each session and still quickly noticed that my supply was dropping, by nearly 10 oz a day already!

The next week I went to pumping 1x a day, in the evenings and again pumped until I could pump no more.

Again I noticed a drop in supply the first few days, by about 10 oz.

It was then that I started drinking my tea.

I had it twice a day, two bags per cup.

Before my week of pumping 1x a day was up I was already down to only 15 oz a day.

The worst transition for me was the day that I first waited to pump for a full 24 hours.

That was when I was the most uncomfortable.

I did feel a couple of blocked ducts that were just forming so during my sessions and especially during showers, I was sure to massage those spots to break it up and avoid any complications.

When I talk about massaging those hard nodules, I don't mean a relaxing gently massage, I mean you really need to consider a deep tissue massage.

Being that I suffered from Mastitis in my early days I didn't want to encounter anything remotely close again!

The next 24 hour day was more tolerable, and after that I was fine.

The next hard transition was when I decided to go to pumping every other day.  

I pumped late Saturday evening and then waited until Monday to pump again.

I was pretty uncomfortable so I did allow myself a reprieve.

I pumped for 5 minutes mid-day Monday to take the edge off.

That night I pumped until I could pump no more and then I was done.

I had thought I would continue to pump every other day, but honestly I waited and waited and decided to let my body tell me what to do next.

Wednesday came and went and it would have been the next time I was scheduled to pump, but I didn't feel I needed to.

I manually expressed some in the shower, but not much.

Friday would have been the next day and by that point in the week I was only dealing with a little leaking...you may need those pads a little longer after you finish just until you know you aren't leaking anymore.

I'd hate for you to have an embarrassing situation.

So, as you can see I went down to 1x a day for a whole week, then I waited 2 days to pump and I did that only once.

Then I was done.

Wouldn't you know it....a week after I last pumped my cycle returned.

I'm not saying that this will be a fail proof way to wean and it may not work the same for everyone, but this is just a guideline of how I did it and I figure if it can help even one weaning Mama it'll will have done it's job.

I hope that this post has helped answer some questions about exclusive pumping, what it is, who we are and how it can be done.

If you have any questions or if you think I've forgotten to cover a particular area (which I may or might have)...please leave a comment or shoot me a message!

I want to make sure this is a thorough and helpful guide for anyone who is struggling with breastfeeding and thinks that the only other option is formula, there are other options.


I hope you all have a Blessed Thursday!

additional sources:
http://pumpingrules.blogspot.com/
Exclusively Pumping