What Are The Risks Of Abrupt Weaning

Weaning begins when the baby is offered food other than breast milk. This is usually the period around the 6th month of the baby's life. Then, most often, the introduction of solid foods begins and this continues gradually over months or years until the baby is completely weaned.

Sometimes, however, the mother is in a situation where she has to stop abruptly. This can be a very emotional moment, as it is most likely not planned.

While gradual weaning gives time for breast milk to decrease and stop, and for the baby to adapt to eating other foods, abrupt cessation can lead to potential problems. Whatever the reason for this, there are a few things you need to know and do.

You will need support

Early weaning can not only be physically painful (due to breast enlargement from bleeding), but can also be very emotional. A breastfeeding mother is usually everything in the baby's world and she will not understand why breastfeeding is no longer possible. The mother will probably feel guilty and will need time and support to recover and make the transition as smooth as possible for both her and her baby.

Change your daily practices

A quick transition to bottle feeding will be required. If you are the one who always puts the baby to bed at night after breastfeeding, it may be useful to take on this task from someone else (father, grandmother or other relative). Instead of breastfeeding, you can offer to sing songs, read books, and cuddle with your baby until it's bedtime. Then it is best for someone else to take over the feeding and putting the baby to bed.

During the day, if again you mainly take care of the child and he is constantly looking for you to breastfeed, again it will be good to have a person with you to rely on bottle feeding (with another person the child will not look for breast milk and probably will be calmer). You can offer him a variety of new foods (if he is more than 6 months old) and plan fun things - a walk in the park, the zoo, a playground, etc.

Do your best to keep the baby engaged and not thinking about breastfeeding for a few days. If it is still very small, hold it more often in your lap to feel the closeness it has during breastfeeding. This will help him understand that you have not rejected him and there is still a lot of love between you, and the milk is different and can be offered by someone else.

Monitor the condition of your breasts

The possibility of blood filling, blocked ducts and mastitis is very high when abrupt weaning takes place. You can observe the signs of your body and actively take precautions to prevent such conditions. Applying cold compresses to the breasts in the presence of pain can soothe her. You can also take an anti-inflammatory medicine such as ibuprofen. You need to wear a suitable bra that provides good breast support. Also, many women believe that drinking sage (sage) helps reduce milk production.

At any time, if you feel your breasts tense, you can express enough milk by hand to relieve the pain. Remember that if your breasts are too full for too long, you increase your chances of blockage of ducts and mastitis, and what you want to avoid while weaning.
 

More risks of sudden weaning for the mother:

• emotional instability - feelings of sadness, loss, dissatisfaction. Increased stress;
• the mother's chances of getting pregnant again if she does not use contraceptives increase;

Risks of sudden weaning for the baby:

• the risk of infections increases;
• loss of comfort and closeness to the mother;
• stress from a sudden change of diet (complete switching from bottled or solid foods).

Is it really necessary to stop breastfeeding?

It is often the case that mothers are advised to stop breastfeeding for medical reasons. Due to health problems that require tests and therapies with certain medications. However, before doing so, look for detailed information on whether this is really necessary. Each situation should be checked individually, as many drugs are compatible with breastfeeding.

Mothers often hear that it is necessary to wean their babies because of the risk to their health from the need to take the drug and its release into breast milk. But what is the reality:

• the risk to the baby is much higher during pregnancy than during breastfeeding;
• if the child is offered breast milk only a few times a day, the effect of the drug on him through milk will be much less than it would be in a newborn;
• many drugs are considered compatible with breastfeeding and are not thought to cause harm. Some of them do not pass into breast milk at all, while others pass in minimal amounts.

Therefore, if you are advised to stop breast-feeding before you plan to breastfeed, it is best to discuss the following options with your doctor:

• Can a medication compatible with breastfeeding be prescribed?
• Can therapy be postponed until the child is weaned?
• Will the baby's exposure to the medicine for a short time be safe, which will allow for more gradual weaning?

Can you wean temporarily and then return to breastfeeding?

If short-term therapy that is not compatible with breastfeeding is required, temporary weaning is an option. In this case, you can express the milk (manually or with a pump) to maintain milk production, and then dispose of it. Once the treatment is over, you can breastfeed again without any problems.

When weaning is necessary

Unfortunately, there are cases in which you will really have to wean the child. When breastfeeding suddenly stops, the body continues to produce milk. A good way to slow down its production is to gradually express small amounts of milk at regular intervals to avoid discomfort. In this way, milk production will decrease slowly.

Maintaining small amounts of milk protects the breasts from overfilling and tension, which can lead to duct obstruction , mastitis and even a breast abscess. Squeeze by hand or with a pump until you feel relief in the chest. The smaller the baby, the more care you will have to gradually reduce milk production. Let the pumping be less frequent than breastfeeding to reduce lactation. If you have breastfed every two hours, it is best to express your breasts every three hours in an amount that relieves tension.

Squeezing may also be necessary at night. Gradually reduce the squeezing time of each session by one minute, but watch for signs such as overfilling and chest tightness.

If you feel your breasts are hard, red, painful, take immediate measures to relieve the symptoms:

• applying warm compresses or a warm shower can facilitate the release of milk;
• cold compresses can relieve the symptoms of swelling. Use ice cubes wrapped in a towel to protect your skin. Hold the compress for about 15-20 minutes;
• pain and swelling can also be relieved with appropriate medications. For them it is best to consult a doctor or pharmacist.

Symptoms of mastitis

If an area of ​​your breast is red, you feel hot and you have a temperature above 38.4 ° C, you probably have mastitis . You will need to continue expressing breast milk until it softens. If this does not improve, contact your doctor.

Once you have stopped breastfeeding and expressing

It will take some time (individual for each breastfeeding woman) after you have stopped breastfeeding, during which the breasts will continue to produce a small amount of milk. It is not uncommon to be able to express milk droplets months and even years after weaning. But if the amounts are larger, you may have a problem with hormonal balance, so you will need to consult a doctor.

If you did not have a choice and it was absolutely necessary to stop breastfeeding, it can leave you and the child feelings of disappointment, sadness, dissatisfaction. Sometimes sudden hormonal changes after abrupt cessation of breastfeeding can trigger depression.

When the child is older and you think he will understand you, you can talk to him by telling him: “This will be difficult for us. I would really like to continue, but we will have to stop. But I still love you.

Be proud of the milk you gave!

Every drop of breast milk matters. You may not have breastfed your baby for as long as you hoped, but be sure to give him the best possible start in life. Breastfeeding has developed a great bond between you, but now a new stage in your relationship is coming.