Weaning:
It is the cessation and termination of the process of breastfeeding the child, it is recommended to breastfeed the child for a year or more.
When to wean:
Mothers choose to stop breastfeeding at different times and for different reasons. Most of the time, the mother chooses the date of weaning, but it happens before the date specified by the mother; This is because the baby no longer wants to breastfeed.
Weaning Methods:
- When the mother decides to wean, she should not stop breastfeeding at once, but should try to reduce breastfeeding gradually and slowly, and to achieve this:
- Reducing one breastfeeding session by making it every two to five days.
- Reducing the duration of the breastfeeding session.
- Increase the time between appointment sessions.
- Some women start weaning by first stopping daytime feedings and continue at night or before the baby sleeps, so night feedings or before bedtime are the last feedings to be stopped.
Mother's problems with weaning:
- Many breast problems occur during weaning (such as: breast engorgement, blockage of the milk supply ducts, or infection), especially if the mother stops breastfeeding once, so it is advised to wean gradually and slowly to avoid these problems.
- It is natural for a woman to feel sad when she weans her child, but the matter should be taken simply and remembered for the many benefits that the mother has given her child.
- After weaning, a woman may feel a small size of the breast and the presence of stretch marks on the breast, but the stretch marks usually disappear over time. After stopping breastfeeding, the breast will stop producing milk, but it may be normal for some milk to remain in the breasts for months or years after weaning.