When to Wean

With the release of the May 11 Time Magazine breastfeeding cover and the question of when to wean on the forefront of people’s minds, the women of Mommy Mindset had a discussion online about weaning:

Leila: My daughter and I struggled with nursing so it wasn’t a big deal. My son and I… oye. I nursed for 4 months, but due to my work schedule and the pressures at work (I worked at a medically supervised weight loss clinic and couldn’t do the program to lose weight until I wasn’t nursing any longer), I weaned at 4 months. I was miserable physically and emotionally. To this day (he is now 4) I wish I would’ve nursed longer and let him wean himself. I just keep telling myself “next time”. 🙂

LaVonne: Long I made the decision to breastfeed for 2 years. There were many difficult times, I will admit, but it was worth it. I quit breastfeeding 2 weeks after my Princess turned 2, and I think she did better than I did with the cold turkey change. Thankfully, I am able to stay home and could breastfeed when I wanted. I am pregnant and almost due with baby #2 and have already made the same decision for this one. Unless of course, he self weans.

Ghada: With my first, I had decided that I wanted to wean him when he was 1. For me that felt like the magical number. I was working from home – only having to go out to meetings a few times a week, so it was easy. He started to get bored of breastfeeding around the one year mark so it all worked out, we were done at about 13 months. This time around, I don’t know if I will make it to a year with Miss 6 months. Somehow their seems to be so much more going on…but I can’t seem to get her to take a bottle…that’s a whole other problem. LOL!

Mary: I don’t think baby girl would let me wean if I begged, pleaded and bribed her with shoes. She is very attached to my boob but at least I am down to evenings and morning. She 26 months and if you told me before getting knocked up with my first that I would be a nursing mom but one for this long I would have laughed! My son weaned himself at 8 months. It was devastating but I continued to pump for a little longer. Part of me wants to be done but she just wants it way to much and I do love the closeness we share. I have to keep reminding myself that this is only a moment in comparison to her lifetime… besides pretty soon she will be a teenager, hating me and wishing I was not around and I will remind her of this, in detail bahaha

Emily: Oh, I wanted to cry when The Boy self-weaned at 16-months. I wasn’t ready at all! When he turned one, we nursed only in the morning and at night. Around 14-months, he wasn’t as interested in the morning sessions. By 16-months he was done. It was tough emotionally, I wasn’t ready to give that up. Having said that, if we’re fortunate enough to have a second child, I’d self-wean again.

Darcy: Before having my daughter I thought 1 year was the magic mark. We are still nursing at nearly 19 months. She is NOT ready and gets upset is I try to refuse a session. We nurse 3-4 times a day still but mostly morning and night. I want her to self wean but sometimes I’m just done, especially being preggo with #2. I kinda want her to be do e by the time baby gets here…she will be 2 then. I never would have thought I’d be an extended bfing mom!

Ghada: ‎Emily, I don’t think we are ever ready for it. Even when it’s kinda planned somehow it is the end of something very special. Mary, I like the idea of reminding them when they are older how much they used to loooooove us lol

Mary: ‎Darcy, how funny our girls seem so similar! I must admit, on weekends baby girl nurses more because I am there – I am sure if I did not work she would want it just as much. Ghada, I love that you agree! Thanks!

Leila: I agree – even if it’s planned, it’s still emotional. I miss it! 🙁

Emily: I’m envious of the mamas still nursing, and the pregnant mamas that will be doing it soon. {I think it’s time to try for another one!}

Leila: I second that!

Darcy: Sometimes nursing while preggo is no fun though! I’m tender from the pregnancy and I fear jealousy from Rissa when baby gets first dibs. Not sure I can handle tandem nursing…. Yeah I never thought this would be me!

I think when to wean should be a personal decision. There is not “right” age, but what your family wants to do. I do no think we need to attack other mothers for their decisions though. Being a mom is hard enough. But what about mothers who breastfed their kids past age 3, or 4, or 5? What do you think about that? When did your family wean? How did you decide?

Thank You Leila of Life as Leels, Mary of iNeed a Playdate, LaVonne of Long Wait For Isabella, Emily of Nap Time is My Time, Ghada of Mama goes BAM, and Darcy of Tales From the Nursery for sharing your thoughts.