So you feel you may need to wean your baby? But you may have been given incorrect information, so let’s first review some misconceptions to see if you indeed need to wean your baby. Let’s go through the most common reasons women feel they need to wean.

  • Pregnant – You do not have to wean if you become pregnant. Most woman can breastfeed after they become pregnant. If your body is still producing milk, you can nurse all the way through your pregnancy. Your body can safely produce milk for the baby and also leave enough nutrients for the fetus. Some women’s first sign that they are pregnant is either decreased milk supply or intense nipple pain that is not from a yeast infection. But, if you do not have either one of these challenges, then you can continue breastfeeding without complications. I do suggest that woman stop breastfeeding by the seventh month of the pregnancy, so your older baby has a chance to find other comforts, and will not be jealous of the new baby. I personally do not think that tandem nursing is the best choice. I feel that the dynamic and intimate relationship you have with a baby is a special time that helps the child develop properly and builds self-confidence. I have found in my practice that the older child tends to use the breastfeeding manipulatively and use the breast as a way of getting attention from the mother, which allows for increased jealousy toward the new baby!
  • Baby has teeth – If your baby has teeth you do not have to wean. Most babies will learn very quickly how to nurse with their new teeth, without hurting their mothers. If your baby is biting you and using you as a teething ring, the best way to handle it is to look into your baby’s eyes, when she bites you, and firmly say no biting. Next, put your baby down safely—on a blanket on the floor, or in a baby seat—and walk out of the room for a moment. Then walk back into the room, pick up the baby and while looking into the baby’s eyes state that biting hurts you; then continue nursing the baby. Babies are very smart and will learn quickly that biting you while nursing is not part of your relationship. What usually happens is that a baby will bite her mom, who screams in pain—a reaction that draws a shocked look on a baby’s face—a look of confusion which mother attempts to sooth with a kiss. However, mom’s loving approach only reinforces the bad behavior, rather than shut it down. Consider too that a mom’s scream can be accompanied by a funny or oddly contorted face, which often makes a baby laugh—which now becomes an established pattern of yell, funny face, and kiss—which baby looks forward to repeating! The best way to stop the biting from becoming a habit is to stop the behavior quickly after the first bite. And know that kissing your baby after a bite is inappropriate, and gives the wrong message to your baby.
  • You are going back to work – If you are going back to work you do not need to wean. A lot of women are not successful with pumping milk from their breasts, so they feel that if they are going back to work full-time, they have to quit nursing. It is important to note that one reason why women do not pump well, even though they often have a wonderful supply of breast milk, is because there are only a few flange sizes available, and often women cannot find the proper flange size that fits their particular shaped breasts. If a woman has established her breastfeeding properly, and the baby is thriving on the breast; she does not have to quit nursing if she cannot pump successfully at work. When it is time to go back to work, you can still continue breastfeeding in the mornings before work, when you come home from work, and during the night. Even if you do not pump during your working hours, your body will still produce enough milk during the time you have provided for nursing your baby. And if you want to, you can nurse exclusively on the weekends, because the breast does not ‘store’ milk from feed to feed, rather it is made immediately as the baby compresses the breast. Fresh milk is produced as the baby is suckling, so you can still produce milk on your days off.

After all that has been said, if you feel you need to wean your baby for other reasons, we will discuss proper weaning methods in our next discussion on this topic.

As the weather gets warmer and mothers and babies begin to spend more time outdoors breastfeeding mothers always wonder whether their babies need to be supplemented with water. The answer to this question is no! Breastmilk contains 88% water and breastmilk is perfected formulated to satisfy baby’s needs no matter what the weather is. Giving water to a breastfeeding baby 6 months and younger is actually more dangerous than helpful. A breastfeeding mother who herself is well-hydrated and is allowing her baby to breastfeed as often as the baby desires will stay perfectly hydrated no matter how hot the weather becomes. A number of studies have been done in various locations (both humid and dry) at temperatures ranging from 22-41°C (71.6-105.8°F) and 9-96% relative humidity and these studies have determined that an exclusively breastfed baby does not need extra water . Giving supplemental water to a newborn (under 5 weeks old) can actually be dangerous. Too much water can dilute the sodium in the baby’s bloodstream to the point where “oral water intoxication” develops. Oral water intoxication can lead to symptoms like low body temp, bloating, and seizures. Breastfeeding babies that have reached the 6 month mark also do not need water, but it is not harmful if they occasionally sip water from a cup.

Although breastfed babies do not need any supplemental water, it is interesting to note that formula fed babies sometimes do require some water. Formula fed babies may need water supplements due to the renal solute load of formula (the higher salt level is harder on their kidneys, and they may need extra water in order to excrete it). Formula fed babies also have less efficient metabolisms than breastfed babies, so they use up water faster.

Women can maintain a career and breastfeed, but it is very important that the breastfeeding is well established before the introduction of the bottle, if that has become the mother’s choice for getting back to work. A bottle should not be introduced before six weeks, but if possible, waiting until eight to ten weeks is even better. The reason for this is that most babies take a minimum of six weeks to learn how to master and become a professional on the breast. The mistake women make is they are afraid that if they do not introduce a bottle in the first few weeks of life, their baby will not take a bottle. The truth is, conversely, that a baby who is nursing well and truly being satisfied on the breast, will be able to figure out and learn how to take a bottle in the mothers absence. However, when the time is right for the bottle to be introduced, it is better for someone other than the mother to introduce the bottle so that the baby identifies the bottle only with another caregiver and not with the mother. The problem of bottle verses breast occurs when a baby is struggling on the breast, not getting the amount of milk he needs, and then is given a bottle as a supplement or substitute. When this happens, the baby will often reject the breast thinking, “Wow I was struggling on the breast and this bottle is so much easier. Now if I throw a tantrum when my mother offers the breast, I will get that ‘easy’ bottle instead”. Breastfeeding is a learned art and some babies learn the skill faster than others. If the baby does not seem satisfied after breastfeeding, get help from a professional as soon as possible. After the baby gets a few corrections and is given the time to practice, most babies will master the breast and then be able to transfer back and forth from bottle to breast.

  • It is very important that the breastfeeding is well established before the introduction of the bottle, if that has become the mother’s choice for getting back to work.
  • A bottle should not be introduced before six weeks, but if possible, waiting until eight to ten weeks is even better. Most babies take a minimum of six weeks to learn how to master and become a professional on the breast.
  • A baby, who is nursing well and truly being satisfied on the breast, will be able to figure out and learn how to take a bottle in the mother’s absence.
  • It is better for someone other than the mother to introduce the bottle so that the baby identifies the bottle only with another caregiver and not with the mother.
  • Breastfeeding is a learned art and some babies learn the skill faster than others. If the baby does not seem satisfied after breastfeeding, get help from a professional as soon as possible.

After the baby gets a few corrections and is given the time to practice, most babies will master the breast and then be able to transfer back and forth from bottle to breast.