Breastfeeding may be the easiest and fastest way to settle your child back to sleep when they wake. However, you may be ready to stop breastfeeding as it has become unsustainable. Whatever the reason – you are the one who can make the decision of when to stop – without any pressure from friends, family or social media.
There are many reasons why a mother may decide to night-wean including:
- Nursing aversion
- Fertility
- Trauma
- A crisis situation
- Feeling ‘touched-out’
- Baby falls asleep on nipple without drinking milk
- Feeding has become stressful with no enjoyment
The above is only a short list – whatever your reason, celebrate your breastfeeding journey and be confident in the decision you have made to stop nursing.
There are situations where you may need to re-consider weaning off the breast. Many of these are listed below:
The reason for you weaning is society pressure as your child is ‘over 6 months’. If you are currently enjoying breastfeeding and can cope with any constant demands without feeling touched out – then there is no need for you to wean your child off your breast!
You may wish to improve your sleep situation quickly. Weaning off the breast will not necessarily make your child sleep longer stretches straight away, there may be other factors to consider regarding their night wakes.
Although you may desire more sleep – you may feel sad or ambivalence about stopping breastfeeding due to enjoying the special bond. In this case, you may want to introduce boundaries instead of fully weaning.
If your child is under 6 -12 months they may still require the nutrition so weaning off the breast may not reduce night wakes as your child may require a bottle feed instead.
You are going through a major life change (new job / moving home) and not emotionally stable to or ready to stop nursing.
If your child is under 1 years old it can be harder to wean due to their undeveloped language skills. In this case, you may want to introduce boundaries instead of fully weaning if the weaning journey has proven to be difficult over a number of weeks.
This blog is in no means encouraging you to continue breast or bottle feeding – instead I am hoping for you to make an informed decision on what is best for your family at this time. Whatever your situation right now – I know your doing the best you can!
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