Termination of lactation: general recommendations, pills and folk remedies. How long does breast milk burn out? Indications in women for early termination of lactation

Until recently, a new mother was nervous that breast milk was not enough or that it was of the wrong quality. But somehow everything worked out smoothly, the baby has grown up and is already actively eating porridge, pureed meat, and fermented milk products. He has his first teeth, and his mother intuitively understands that it is time to stop breastfeeding.

How to do this painlessly for the child and your own body is a serious question. In addition, on women's forums on the Internet, where a woman will definitely go looking for answers, they are always ready to intimidate and intimidate her to such an extent that she will change her mind about weaning the toddler altogether. Famous children's doctor Evgeny Komarovsky tells how and when to stop breastfeeding and what to do with lactation.

When to stop?

Breast milk is a very nutritious and valuable product for a newborn, and no formula, even the most modern, expensive and adapted, can compete with nature itself as the food provided for the baby. Evgeny Komarovsky claims that after teeth appear, a person no longer has a biological need for breast milk. When he can already eat thicker food, his body begins to require a qualitatively different composition of food than mother’s breasts can offer. This occurs after the child turns one year old.

When deciding to stop breastfeeding, a mother must remember that she is not only a walking milk factory, but also a member of society, a social being, and she needs to perform not only her biological functions (feed the child), but also perform her social functions (going out in public , work, communicate, study).

She may eventually get sick and need medications that are incompatible with breastfeeding, a possibility that cannot be ignored.

If adherents of breastfeeding up to three years want to forget about the social functions of the mother and her personal desires, then that is their business. Breast milk will not harm either a two-year-old child or a five-year-old child. But also of great benefit.

Komarovsky believes that a mother who honestly fed her baby for up to a year can be calm - she fulfilled her biological duty in full. It’s time to think about how to wean a child from breastfeeding after a year.

Where to begin?

It’s difficult to start, warns Komarovsky. A baby who, at 12-14 months old, knows perfectly well what his mother’s delicious tita is, is unlikely to want to give it up without a fight. He will fight like it was the last time, yell, throw tantrums, demand.

Not everyone, even a very nervous mother, can withstand such conditions. At some point she will give in, allow you to suck a little, and everything will have to start all over again. There is no way to stop milk lactation while the baby is irritating the receptors on the nipple.

To begin the action of weaning your child from the breast, you need to be determined and understand that the baby’s dependence on breastfeeding is no longer physiological, but psychological, and he will live quite normally without breast milk. Mom and grandmother, as well as other relatives living in the same living space, need to stock up on valerian.

It is best to separate mother and child for several days, says Evgeniy Komarovsky. Sending the mother to the country house or to a sanatorium for 5-7 days will be enough for the child to learn to do without breast milk. After the mother’s return, there may be inclinations of the child to take away the pleasure, but they should be resolutely stopped. Of course, the child will be unhappy and may cry. But the mother should not change her decision, otherwise the weaning process will last for months and years and will cause everyone in the household a lot of moral suffering.

If persuasion does not help, try ruining the taste of the milk. To do this, according to Komarovsky, it is enough to eat garlic or smear mustard on the nipple.

If a child receives a breast with such a “product” several times, next time he will think carefully about whether to ask for it again or to make do. Although this method does not work for everyone: some babies really like their mother’s “garlic” milk, and the pungent smell does not bother them at all.

The information that for a child, refusal to breastfeed is severe stress and trauma for life, according to Evgeniy Komarovsky, has no basis. All this is speculation of mothers who are fans of breastfeeding up to five years and are far from medicine and even psychology. The stress will be minimal and will be forgotten very quickly by the baby if the mother does everything correctly. This means quickly, decisively and irrevocably.

Best time

You can stop feeding at any time of the year, says Evgeny Komarovsky. Whether it's winter or summer outside, it doesn't matter. But it is important whether the child is ready for change. There are several situations in which it is better to postpone weaning:

• Baby's illness. If he's feeling bad, it's not a good idea to make things worse.
• Painful teething. If the process is in full swing, it is better to give the usual breast and not injure the already inflamed gums. In addition, breast milk contains a large number of antibodies to various infections, and it has antibacterial properties.
• A change of scenery. If you are going to move with your child or go on vacation in a week or two, you should not start weaning. It is better to leave it for later, when the child gets into a familiar environment.

After recovery, in a few days, you can begin your plan.

For a very long time, people believed that it was impossible to stop breastfeeding during the hot season, and at that time it was quite reasonable - after stopping breast milk, the incidence of intestinal infections almost always increased. Now is the 21st century, and basic compliance with hygiene standards makes it possible to stop feeding without problems when the mother needs it.

Termination of lactation

Stopping breast milk production is quite difficult, since its psychomotor mechanism is very stable. But nothing is impossible, says Evgeniy Olegovich, and if the first stage - weaning - has taken place, and the mother has withstood the persistent ordeal of the child for several days, then it’s time to make sure that there is as little milk as possible.

To do this, the doctor recommends drinking less fluids. This doesn't mean mom needs to dry herself to death. You just need to follow the drinking regime as it was at the time of the formation of lactation and its maintenance; it is no longer necessary. Under no circumstances should you express milk, even if it happens that the child gets sick a few days after the start of the campaign to wean him from the breast. Pumping starts the production mechanism.

Komarovsky strongly advises mom to take up active sports - run, do push-ups, pull-ups, lift weights, do anything to sweat more. The more sweat you have, the less breast milk you will produce.

Sooner or later, any nursing mother wonders when and how to stop breastfeeding. You won’t find any kind of advice on the Internet - stop drinking liquids, put mustard on your nipples, take pills and a lot of other things that cause problems of various kinds in the future. We will talk about how to properly wean without stress for mother and child in this article.

Two years is the minimum age until which the World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding be continued. But at the same time, if there is a desire of both mother and child, then you can and should continue to feed until the natural end of breastfeeding. As for weaning, two years is the age when the child is more or less ready.

GW completion process

This procedure is not easy and occurs in stages.

• The first is reducing daily feedings.

First, learn to give love to your child in other ways (after all, breastfeeding is a way of communicating with the mother) - hug, cuddle, kiss, give more tactile contact. At this age, it is easier to distract children by playing, give them fruit or cookies, or maybe just water. By the way, children are least likely to remember latching on the street when they are walking or visiting interesting places - shopping centers, various zoos or children's rooms, which is a good option for spending time especially in such a difficult period of time.

Mom should wear clothes in which it is impossible to reach what she wants, these could be T-shirts or sweaters with a high neck. Do different things so that the baby does not have time to get bored and ask for the breast out of boredom. If the baby is not interested in anything and he still insists on latching, then in this case there is no need to refuse.

• Second - daytime dreams

When the daytime indiscriminate feedings are finished, all that remains is feeding on dreams - daytime and nighttime, as well as during sleep. As a rule, difficulties arise here. First you need to teach yourself to fall asleep during the day on your own. To do this, it is worth including new actions in the ritual of falling asleep, for example, stroking the head or back, singing a song. Constant repetition of these actions will create a sleep association for the baby.

Another option you can use is to lengthen your mother’s absence. It looks like this: the mother puts the baby to bed for the day and, as if remembering an important unfinished task, talks about it, promises to return soon and leaves the room. At first, the absence time can reach no more than 30 seconds, after which the mother returns and puts her to bed in the usual way. Each time the time of absence needs to be increased, and one day she will find the baby sleeping.

There is an important point here; if you told your child that you were going, for example, to wash the dishes, and if he suddenly goes looking for you, he should definitely catch you doing this.

Another additional option for teaching sleep on your own is to ask other family members to put the baby to bed during the day.

By the way, so that the baby does not latch on immediately after waking up, it is necessary that the mother is not in sight. When the baby finds it, you can first try to distract it with something interesting, be very busy with something, or simply apply it not immediately, but after a few minutes.

• Third night sleep

After the baby knows how to fall asleep on his own during the day and goes the whole day without latching on, it’s time to teach him to fall asleep on his own at night. You should proceed in the same way as with daytime styling. In this matter, the main thing is not to rush and be calm, then the child himself will stop latching at night.

• Fourth - duration of sucking

The final stage of the gradual cessation of breastfeeding will be a decrease in the duration of sucking. When the baby has eaten, sleeps and lightly sucks on the breast, then it should be taken away if it does not wake up from this attempt. Soon he will be able to sleep through the night without any pain at all.

If a woman likes to breastfeed, if both mother and baby are comfortable with it, then there is no need to complete breastfeeding at two years. The natural completion of breastfeeding is a physiological and natural process inherent in nature. In addition, this is a healthier option for the woman’s breasts and the baby’s immune and nervous system. But. With longer feeding, the frequency of attachments still decreases and gradually disappears. This is facilitated by the mother’s regular absences, including overnight absences. In long-term feeding, as in everything, it is important to be without fanaticism.

Why is breastfeeding usually completed?

Of course, mothers do not always breastfeed as recommended by WHO. And everyone has their own reason to stop doing it. Let's discuss the most common ones.

The shape of the mammary glands will change

In fact, for this reason, many women often switch to mixed or artificial feeding, thinking that this will help prevent changes. In fact, properly organized breastfeeding does not affect the shape of the mammary glands, due to the fact that all changes occur with the onset of pregnancy. It is then that they increase in size, adipose tissue gradually changes to glandular tissue in order to subsequently produce milk for the newborn. And early termination or weaning leads to the fact that the glandular tissue does not have time to change back to fatty tissue, as a result of which the mammary glands look “saggy.”

“After a year there is nothing useful in breast milk”

Another misconception that is unfounded. Its distributors are often doctors, which causes a storm of anger in me. A baby at 1 year of age is just beginning to actively eat complementary foods, which means that mother’s milk is still a source of nutrients for him. And on top of that, it helps strengthen the immune system.

Pressure from relatives or doctors

This also happens quite often. It is worth remembering that it is time to “wind down,” those who raised their children during Soviet times tell us. At a time when children were sent to nurseries at 2-3 months because they had to work, and therefore were transferred to formula and early complementary feeding. And for them, a longer GW causes such resistance. If your doctor tells you that breastfeeding should be stopped, this is a reason to think about changing your doctor. Because it turns out that the doctor is not aware of the benefits of breastfeeding, and therefore the doctor does not develop as a specialist.

Not enough milk

In the life of a nursing woman, there may be periods of false lack of milk, which are called lactation crises. As a rule, the first time such a period occurs is 3 months. It is at this time that a certain leap in development occurs and the need for nutrition increases. And if there is little milk, the mother simply needs to latch on to the baby more often. This period takes about 2-3 days, after which the mammary glands begin to increase milk production to meet the baby’s needs.

Baby is too attached to mother

The strong attachment of a child to his mother is influenced not by breastfeeding, but by what is happening in the mother’s head. At an early age, strong attachment is absolutely normal, gradually, the child becomes less dependent on his mother, he separates, and his mother supports him in this. This is a long and smooth process. A child, having lost breastfeeding, will demand a lot of attention in order to once again make sure that his mother still loves him and is nearby, and to get the attention he has not received. If the reason for hyper-attachment is the mother’s unresolved issues, then stopping breastfeeding will not solve anything - then you should contact a good psychologist.

Even those babies who were breastfed for a short time or not at all also have such an attachment.

Urgent necessity

Perhaps this is the only reason why you can complete GW and it is very rare. This could be an illness of the mother for which she is in the hospital or a serious illness of the baby. But if you want to continue breastfeeding in the future and maintain lactation, then you can discuss the issue of more gentle treatment with medical workers.

Answers to questions about weaning

At what age is it best to wean?

The age of the child when the mother decides to complete breastfeeding is different for everyone - this happens at 2 months, and 11 months, and at 1.5 years, and sometimes later. It is necessary to understand that early termination, for example, at 4 months, is not physiological. No wonder the WHO says: “For the entire population, exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, followed by breastfeeding with adequate complementary feeding for two or more years, is recommended for infant feeding.”

Will it really be more difficult to wean a child after a year because he understands everything?

This is fundamentally wrong. At 2 years old, the baby is better prepared for this than at the age of ten months, due to the fact that the body and psyche are already more prepared for the completion of breastfeeding.

What if the child weaned himself before the age of one year?

There are cases where children excommunicate themselves at the age of less than a year.

This is breast refusal. It is facilitated by the use of pacifiers, early complementary feeding, a reduction in the number of feedings (not according to age) and the desire to “quit” breastfeeding at night. Changing this behavior is not easy, but it is possible if you consult a specialist.

The opposite option is when the mother goes overboard with the number of attachments and the child rebels. A feeling of refusal is created, although it is false. Here, too, a specialist will help you understand the situation.

What time of year is best to finish feeding? Is it true that you can’t do this in the summer?

To answer this question, I quote from an article by Irina Ryukhova, a lactation consultant with international certification: “It is believed that in the summer it is better not to wean a child from the breast - an increase in the amount of fresh vegetables and fruits in the baby’s diet contributes to gastrointestinal disorders and infections. But if weaning takes place after two years, the time of year no longer plays a big role.”

In view of all of the above, consider whether it is worth stopping breastfeeding ahead of time. If the age is appropriate, at least prepare the child for this process.

In any case, whenever the completion of breastfeeding begins, in order for it to be painless for mother and baby, this must be done gradually.

• If the baby is less than a year old or there is an urgent need, then you cannot do without expressed milk and adapted milk formulas. They will gradually replace breastfeeding. If you feel fullness in your mammary glands, you need to express milk until relief occurs. Attempting to completely empty it will only lead to an increase in its production, which is not necessary in this situation. This sequence of feeding replacements will significantly reduce the likelihood of lactostasis and mastitis and gradually complete breastfeeding.
• If the child is between one and two years old, then you should start with the same actions as when weaning after two years, just as gently and gradually.

What you shouldn't do at any age!

Any forum for mothers is replete with various tips for completing breastfeeding. Therefore, below we will look at those that can cause harm and are definitely not worth using.

• Take pills to stop lactation. This method is very dangerous and has many side effects, such as myocardial infarction, vomiting and nausea, dizziness, depression, psychomotor agitation, stroke and a large number of other things. Plus, the effect of such drugs is temporary or they do not work at all. The pill option exists for very serious isolated cases.
• Tighten the mammary glands. This option is very harsh and harmful. When using it, the amount of milk does not change, blood flow is disrupted and the flow in the mammary glands is blocked, swelling appears, and later more serious problems. Therefore, to avoid mastitis and lactostasis, using this method is strictly prohibited.
• Replacing night feedings with a bottle of water or any other liquid is a direct path to the formation of caries.
• Limiting fluid intake. Reducing the amount of drinking does not help stop lactation. This can only lead to dehydration of your body, and as a bonus, the risk of lactostasis increases.
• Apply something repellent and unpleasant to your nipples, such as green paint or mustard. Such actions can irritate or burn delicate skin, but for the baby this can become a negative association in the future.
• Leave the child or give it to the grandmother for a few days. For the baby, this option will be a huge stress when not only the beloved breast suddenly disappears, but also the mother. Of course, after a few days he really won’t want to kiss, but after that there is every chance of getting a “tail” that will follow him around for fear that his mother might disappear again.

When a woman says “I want to stop breastfeeding,” it is important that her desire and actions do not occur at a time when the child is sick, teething, or goes to kindergarten. Against this background, stopping breastfeeding will be ineffective and will bring additional stress.

Let's summarize. It is impossible to quickly and safely complete lactation. This is a natural process that takes some time. It is better to approach any process consciously, friends.

In this article:

More than enough has been written about the benefits of breastfeeding (BF). On this issue, there is enviable unanimity among pediatricians, psychologists, mammologists, gynecologists and, of course, mothers. Breastfeeding until at least one year of age is now considered natural and even necessary for the normal development of a child.

But life sometimes makes its own adjustments, and there are reasons why a mother has to make the difficult decision not to feed her baby breast milk. This is stress for the female body, especially when everything is normal with lactation and you also have to decide how to remove breast milk after childbirth.

Reasons for refusing breastfeeding after childbirth

There are only two reasons for stopping lactation immediately after the birth of a child - these are medical conditions and the mother’s reluctance to breastfeed. A mother’s conscious refusal to feed her baby is a fundamentally wrong action, but this is her body, she has the right to decide what to do or not do with it, and let it remain on her conscience.

Medical indicators for a ban on breastfeeding are announced by a doctor. This may be a disease of the mother, especially associated with taking antibiotics, hormones and drugs that pass into breast milk and harm the baby.

Some diseases of the newborn do not allow him to be fed naturally. You will have to stop lactation if the baby dies.

In such extreme cases, the doctor will often prescribe medications to stop lactation. These are mainly hormonal pills that depress the pituitary gland and suppress the production of the hormone prolactin, which is responsible for lactation. These include; bromocriptine, parlodel, orgametril, dostinex, duphaston, cabergoline, utrozhestan and microfollin. The drugs have a lot of side effects and contraindications, so their independent use is strictly unacceptable.

It should be noted here that in fact there are very few cases when it is really worth completely abandoning breastfeeding for medical reasons. Often you need to wait out a certain period, maintaining lactation at a sufficient level by expressing. For a baby, breast milk is the best and most irreplaceable product, so it is worth making an effort to preserve it.

Weaning a child up to 1 year of age

According to the latest recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), a child should be exclusively breastfed for up to 6 months. No complementary foods, juices, or bread are not only not recommended, but prohibited. Moreover, some studies confirm that even up to a year old, a baby can grow and develop only on breast milk. Therefore, weaning a child from breastfeeding before one year is early and is not recommended by doctors.

Objective reasons for early weaning may again be the mother’s reluctance to continue feeding or medical conditions. Of course, there are times when a mother needs to leave urgently and for a long time, but this is more a matter of priorities, what is more important for the mother. To maintain breastfeeding, many travel with infants, use slings, ergo backpacks and special clothing.

Stopping breastfeeding after one year

Sooner or later, you have to make a decision about completely stopping lactation and weaning. According to WHO recommendations, breastfeeding should be continued until the physiological cessation of lactation, but try to maintain it for up to two years.

Making the decision to stop breastfeeding, especially if it lasted 1.5–2 years, is not easy. In any case, this is stressful for mother and child. Therefore, the most important thing in this case is the mother’s psychological readiness to let the baby go, to let him move on to another stage of life, where there is no such dear, warm and tasty mother’s breast.
There are two diametrically opposed weaning strategies - extreme and gradual.

Gradual weaning from breastfeeding

You need to be prepared that gradual weaning may take at least 15-20 days, but the best time is 4-6 months. With this method, there is no need to specifically remove the milk; it disappears on its own.

Briefly, this technique looks like this. The child is gradually transferred to three feedings - in the morning, at lunch and in the evening. Intermediate feedings and “hanging” on the chest are completely eliminated. Then the morning and lunch feedings are gradually eliminated, and the remaining evening and possibly night feedings are reduced in time to a minimum, completely eliminating falling asleep with the breast. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure that the child is busy during the day, physically active, and eats and drinks enough. It is believed that a healthy, well-fed baby will gradually lose interest in breastfeeding.

At the same time, to gradually stop lactation, the mother should reduce fluid intake to a minimum. Lactation is greatly stimulated by sucking, so the less often the baby is put to the breast, the less milk remains. A woman should wear thick underwear, which will also reduce lactation.

When a child is naturally weaned from breastfeeding, there is no issue with complications in the form of mastitis, and problems with the endocrine system do not appear. The milk leaves gradually, painlessly and even unnoticeably.

The disadvantages of such excommunication include a long time and constant struggle with the child. Psychologically, this process is not easy. Persuasion, tricks, and negotiations are used. Mom will need resilience and emotional stability.

Emergency weaning of a baby

But not all mothers have the patience and character for gradual weaning. The strategy of instantly weaning a child from breastfeeding when the mother leaves, goes to work or study is widely practiced. The most stressful option is the mother leaving for several days. In such cases, serious changes are possible: the child’s behavior may completely change, either aggression or depression will appear, food refusal or sleep disturbances may appear.

Simultaneous weaning is quite possible and will not cause significant psychological harm during contact between mother and child. At the same time, the mother must do everything to remove lactation, but stay close, explain, persuade, massage, and maintain close physical and bodily contact.

Removing milk during emergency weaning is not easy. The simplest recommendations: reduce the amount of liquid, especially warm liquid, wear thick underwear. The barbaric method of tying the chest cannot even be considered. You can express milk only in case of unpleasant sensations in your engorged breasts, but at the same time express it as rarely and as little as possible. In emergency cases, it is possible to take pills to stop lactation, but only with a doctor's prescription. The use of drugs is dangerous not only because of serious side effects, of which there are enough, but also because of the possible impact on lactation during a second pregnancy.

Folk remedies for stopping lactation

As a rule, milk disappears on its own within 15–20 days. But if after stopping feeding, milk flows even after three months, you need to consult a specialist.

Among the folk remedies, cool compresses and cabbage leaves help to reduce pain in the chest. Among the herbs that help stop lactation are sage and peppermint and fragrant mint.

A unique folk remedy for stopping lactation is sage. Since sage is a phytohormonal agent, it has a beneficial effect on many processes in the female body (painful menstruation, menopause and even infertility). In the case of lactation, sage is a reliable assistant. It helps reduce prolactin levels without causing pain, burning, or lumps in the chest.

Sage can be used as a decoction or essential oil. A teaspoon of sage per glass of boiling water is infused for two hours and applied three times a day. Sage oil is used in the form of compresses and applied to the chest for an hour and a half a day.

Breastfeeding is an important physiological process, and when choosing a method of weaning a child, it is important to take into account all objective and subjective factors, consult with a gynecologist and choose a method that will preserve the physical and psychological health of mother and child. However, the decision about how much breast milk to feed a newborn baby always remains with the mother.

Useful video about the end of the GW

As everyone knows, breast milk is much better than formula, but many prefer to feed their children with it. But even if feeding is natural, sooner or later the mother will be faced with a situation where she needs to stop lactation. At such moments, the main problem is how to painlessly wean a child from breastfeeding.

Let's try to understand all the nuances of this “event”. So how to stop breastfeeding?

The best food for a newborn baby is mother's milk, all experts say this. If you feed your child in this way, he will have enough vitamins and minerals necessary for normal development. One year is the recommended lactation period.

When the period ends, mothers think about introducing complementary foods. But many do not know the basics of proper introduction of complementary foods; in this case, contact your pediatrician. A medical professional will analyze the baby’s condition and advise on the process of cessation of lactation that is suitable for the child. To wean your baby from the breast, you need to follow the following steps.

Decision-making

To stop breastfeeding, it is important to make a final decision. You need to prepare for this, first of all, yourself. Think about it, and then proceed: after excommunication, you can’t come back. Of course, you can resume lactation, but then you can disrupt the psyche of the newborn.

It should be mentioned that when you “replace” the food, the baby will certainly start crying and demand to return it back. Everyone goes through this very hard. You should not succumb to provocations and should not resume lactation. When the child realizes that you are ready to take everything back just because he cries, he will begin to manipulate you.

When a mother can no longer cope with her baby and is ready to breastfeed him again, it is worth resuming lactation after a few weeks. Now you can see why you should prepare for this.

Age

When should you start breastfeeding? The optimal age to wean a child is one and a half years, not earlier! At 1.5 years old, the child can already eat regular food. But he still needs dairy products in his diet.

Many mothers feed their babies breast milk until natural involution. In other words, they feed until they completely lose the ability to produce milk. Medicine advocates a long period of lactation, but there is a line beyond which you need to stop feeding.

Doctors say: the younger the baby, the more difficult it will be for him to stop breastfeeding. When the baby turns one year old, it is time to think about ending lactation. There are times when you need to stop using breast milk prematurely, that is, before the baby turns 1 year old. Feed your baby milk for at least 6 months - this is the doctors' verdict.

Milk replacement

If you have already started introducing complementary foods, then the foundation for the transition to regular food has been laid. Breast milk definitely needs to be replaced with something. It should be mentioned that at all stages a consultation with a doctor is required. Sure, your baby will eat the food you prepare, but he also needs dairy products.

Mother's milk, as mentioned above, contains a large amount of vitamins and minerals that children need. Therefore, the mother needs to choose a dairy product that contains the same vitamins and minerals. Various cottage cheeses, yogurts, cheeses and sour cream can replace breasts. If you want to introduce something into complementary foods, use the table:

Season

Autumn and winter are the most optimal seasons for. Why not in summer? In the summer, the baby loses a lot of fluid, which can be replenished with breast milk. If you still want to stop lactation in the summer, it is recommended to give your baby more fluids and get your baby accustomed to water. But it’s still better to stop lactation in cooler times.

For those who have already decided

If you have read all the points and are ready to begin the almost irrevocable process, then follow the simple rules:

1. The day is not the time for breastfeeding. To wean your baby off the breast, you need to do everything gradually. First of all, it is necessary to “cross out” daytime feedings from the to-do list and replace mother’s milk with regular food. After several days, you can cancel morning feedings and feed the baby, for example, porridge. If he does not go on strike and calmly endures all the hardships associated with stopping breastfeeding, then this is a signal for further action. A few days - and it’s worth starting to get rid of feedings in the remaining half of the day.
2. Sleep without milk. Many mothers feed their babies before bed. Milk calms and relaxes the baby, he is ready for sleep. But now he will have to fall asleep without milk. To begin with, you can try giving your child a bottle of formula or tea. A pacifier can also help with this. When the baby stops asking for the breast for the whole day, we can say with complete confidence that almost all the weaning work has been done, and there is very little left. Three months is the optimal period for stopping lactation. You will not succeed in a few weeks; this is a long and labor-intensive process for which mothers must be prepared. Give yourself a little rest and don’t change anything in your child’s diet. When three weeks have passed, you can stop night feedings.
3. Night. This is a difficult time for mom. You should not sharply limit your child. Start by stopping feedings at the beginning and end of the night. The best option is a pacifier. Instead of breast milk, offer your baby a pacifier. When the baby is more than six months old, he will be able to sleep peacefully all night without feeding. If he is on strike and demands his usual food, it is enough to give him some drink from a cup. If the baby cries a lot, then the mother is required to calm the baby down. Most likely, mom won’t sleep a wink for a couple of days.

Reduction in output

Using a compress is a universal way to stop the production of breast milk:

• apply a cold cloth to your chest;
• Cabbage leaves have also gained popularity in solving similar problems. Wash the plant and apply it to your chest for 2-3 hours. This method can also help resolve bumps that form as a result of stagnation.

Pulling the breasts is the latest method, which is prohibited by all specialists. Tightening the breasts aggravates the process.

If the mother cannot cope with the problem of milk production on her own, she can start taking certain medications, before using which you must consult with a mammologist.

Rapid weaning

If a mother urgently needs to stop lactation, this should be done as follows:

1. Give the baby to relatives for a couple of days, you will have time to do your own things. During this period of time, you should not come into contact with the baby. When there is neither mother nor milk, he will simply forget about his usual diet.
2. When you return, follow the tips above. Children should not see bare breasts, wear closed clothes, and wash them as often as possible.

To summarize: now you can successfully complete lactation. For all mothers, this process is considered a strong psychological burden. Some women, without thinking about it, immediately take action. Subsequently, they succumb and begin feeding again. In such conditions, the baby is quickly misled, which has an extremely negative effect on the baby’s psyche. That's why your own decision is so important. Monitor the condition of the mammary glands during this period. If problems arise during cessation of lactation, consult your doctors. Lactation stops when exactly one year has passed since the end of breastfeeding.

There comes a time in the life of every breastfeeding woman when, for some reason, she wants to stop breastfeeding. The question of how to properly stop lactation becomes relevant and very exciting for any mother. This is a very difficult psychological moment for both the woman and the child, so it deserves due attention. How to stop lactation naturally will be written in this article.

Timing for completion of breastfeeding

The duration of breastfeeding is not an arbitrary decision of the mother, but certain physiological criteria that follow each other and are intertwined. In other words, the duration of breastfeeding should be determined by the natural needs of the child, which fade away over time, giving way to new ones.

It is generally accepted that breastfeeding should last at least six months, and then it is allowed to replace it with formula milk and the introduction of new products. Six months is too short a period to stop lactation, since the sucking reflex in a child fades away only by the age of two, and in some children by three. All this suggests that natural feeding should continue for at least two years.

Reasons for stopping breastfeeding

There are many reasons why a breastfeeding woman wants to stop breastfeeding, for example:

There may be thousands of other reasons pushing a woman to take this important step, but she must be aware that stopping lactation means depriving her of a child forever. Therefore, if mommy feels doubts and uncertainty, then it is better to postpone this moment to a later date.

Basic Rules

In order not to harm either yourself or the baby, you need to know how to stop lactation naturally correctly. There are several basic rules for stopping breastfeeding. By following them, the woman painlessly moves on to a new stage of feeding the child.

If the baby is over one year old and already eats adult food, then the best option would be to gradually replace it with another liquid. You can offer your baby baby juices, compotes, or plain water. In a situation where the baby refuses to take anything other than his mother's breast, he should be given a bottle of formula.

After replacing all daytime feedings with another liquid, night feedings remain. In just a few weeks, you can wean your baby off nighttime latching by replacing the breast with a pacifier or bottle.

Such a gradual decrease in lactation will save the child from psychological trauma, and the mother from mastitis and other problems with the mammary glands.

Products that reduce lactation

Another way to answer the question of how to stop lactation naturally is to eat foods that help reduce the production of human milk. The most popular are sage, mint tea, infusions of lingonberries and parsley. Some people advise eating more smoked and canned foods, but these will be harmful to the baby receiving them through breast milk. They may be able to reduce lactation, but they should not be consumed even by a non-breastfeeding woman.

When deciding to take various herbal infusions, follow some rules. For example, if you are wondering how to stop lactation with sage, you should take the prepared decoction little by little. This is done so as not to harm the child. After drinking a few sips of sage infusion in the morning, the mother should carefully monitor the baby’s reaction: whether he has developed an allergy, whether his health has changed, or whether other unusual symptoms have arisen.

Traditional methods of stopping lactation

Previously, women stopped feeding their children, following the advice of their mothers and grandmothers, since medicine did not pay special attention to breastfeeding. Therefore, nursing mothers, in order to reduce the amount of milk, consumed less liquid or, instead of regular drinks, drank infusions of herbs that reduce lactation.

The most common method that has survived to this day is breast tightening. It is believed that the compressed breast does not receive milk, and thus lactation stops. However, lactation consultants do not recommend using this option due to the occurrence of frequent mastitis and inflammation of the mammary glands.

Some mothers simply give their child to his grandmother for a week and do not show him the whole time. This method is not correct and does not answer the question of how to stop lactation naturally, as it has a very negative effect on the child’s psyche.

Medication methods

If you urgently need to stop breastfeeding (for example, for health reasons of the mother), and there is no time for gradual weaning, then you can resort to medications. Today, pharmacy chains offer many drugs to stop milk production. However, only a doctor should prescribe. The price for them may be high, but it is better to buy a better quality drug. It is important to remember that drug cessation of lactation has contraindications and side effects.

Consequences of stopping lactation

If a nursing woman decides to stop lactation before the due date for breastfeeding, then she should know the consequences of her decision.

For women, abruptly stopping breastfeeding can result in mastitis. Sometimes in advanced cases, doctors resort to surgery.

Another unpleasant consequence may be depression in the mother. It occurs due to a sharp change in hormonal levels. Women often say that after weaning, they felt as if the child had been taken away. This is due to the fact that the body reacts to the cessation of milk production and latching of the baby as its loss. In this regard, a massive release of stress hormone occurs, and the woman falls into deep depression. For two to three months she may be accompanied by tearfulness and melancholy.

For a child, untimely weaning also carries a number of negative consequences. This can be either psychological trauma or inadequate development of the immune and digestive systems.

Which option is better to choose and how to stop milk lactation with the least consequences for mother and child? First of all, you need to approach this process with confidence and inner peace. When the mother is calm and consistent in her actions, the child feels it. And vice versa, the baby will always feel his mother’s concern and respond in kind.

A woman should dress in tight-fitting clothes without deep cutouts in the chest area, so that it is difficult for the child to reach her.

Of course, younger children are much easier to wean from the breast by replacing it with a bottle. Even if the child refuses it at first, when he gets hungry, he will eat the formula. Children over one year old can already explain what they want and will seek their mother’s breasts in every possible way. Therefore, every time the child tries to get to what he wants, the mother must explain to him that the milk has run out and offer him a bottle.

Weaning is recommended to be carried out during the period of involution. It occurs when the baby is one and a half to two years old. Involution can be recognized by such signs as a woman’s irritability when feeding, sudden fatigue if a woman has not fed for a long time, and a small amount of milk.

If you wean a child for two to three months, then the milk will decrease little by little, there will be no thickening of the mammary glands, the hormonal levels will gradually change, and mother and baby will easily endure this important period in the lives of both.