Whose decision was it to wean?
My husband and I both spoke openly about it feeling like the right time to wean. I was very supported throughout my breastfeeding journey by my husband, he was very in touch with how I was feeling. I was feeling done and ready to wean.
What played into this?
There were so many compounding factors at play for us. It started with my son teething and biting me often. However, another factor was that we were travelling to New Zealand and wanted the family to be able to care for our son freely + for me to roam freely.
What were your initial thoughts/feelings?
I was not sad about losing such a special connection with him but also excited to feel less touched out and more myself hormonally.
How did you go about it?
At 6 months, we travelled to New Zealand for a month. Over that time we slowly weaned from the breast to formula by utilising family for care. This allowed me to step away when it was too emotional and also for him to feel as though there was so much going on that he didn’t miss it too much. It was the first time he met his family so it was quite the adventure for us all. I stopped offering him the breast and offered him bottles instead. If he did ask for the breast and I knew he was hungry I didn’t stop it, however. For us, this worked and it was quite a natural change.
What was the hardest thing?
For us, the mornings and first feed were the hardest to drop. He loved a snuggle and was also an early riser. So dropping it meant physically getting up and making a bottle rather than snuggling into bed together and feeding.
What came with ease?
His love for bottles! Thankfully my son didn’t have any concern about enjoying milk from his bottle nor did he mind being fed by others.
How do you feel now?
I feel so thankful I was able to feed my son for the time I did. I do have the odd intrusive thought, making me feel as though we could have persisted for longer.
Are there any reflections you would like to share?
Only that every mother should try to seek help if they feel done and want to wean but are unsure how. Mum guilt can be so prevalent in our society and the more we steer away from it the more we empower ourselves and one another.
Ayla began weaning Mananui at age 6.5 months and he was fully weaned by 7.5 months. Thank you to Ayla for sharing your story and insights with us.