What is weaning

Weaning is the process that ends breastfeeding. Just like breastfeeding, weaning has an evolution and specific “times” to be taken into account during the process. At LactApp, we want to accompany this process no matter how it is or whenever it is for you. That’s why this article summarizes all the information so that all the ideas and resources you may need are available to you.

During pregnancy, we emphasize the need for women to get informed and have as much knowledge as possible about breastfeeding, and so in a similar way, during breastfeeding it is important to prepare for the weaning process. The desire to wean often appears suddenly, and when this happens, and you do not know anything about weaning, it can be complicated to manage all aspects of the process.

That’s why even if you don’t think about weaning right now, you can start to get informed about it. We help you to prepare so that you know how to wean your baby when the time comes for you.

Types of weaning

There are many types and situations of weaning and the most common is weaning at the initiative of the mother. Or so we are reminded by statistics on breastfeeding duration. Mothers are usually the ones who decide to end their breastfeeding journey. However, there are also other types of weaning that are different and deserve to be explained so that you know about each of them.

Natural weaning

Natural weaning occurs between the ages of two and a half and seven years. Dr. Katherine A. Dettwyler, an anthropologist at the University of Texas, conducted research on the natural age of weaning in humans in 1994. She used a variety of lactation data from large primates. She evaluated aspects such as when the offspring triples the birth weight, at what age they reach one-third of the adult weight, in relation to the time of pregnancy, according to when they get their tooth and so on.

For all these reasons, Dr. Dettwyler established the natural age of human weaning as between two and a half and seven years old. This type of weaning is rare, and only a very small percentage of mothers and babies will reach this stage.

It is important not to confuse this type of weaning with the so-called “respectful weaning,” which is a later-established cultural construct that advocates that the weaning process cannot begin until the child is two and a half years old.

Weaning led by the child

It is very rare for a baby under the age of one year to stop breastfeeding. This is because, on a nutritional level, a baby under 12 months depends on milk. As adults, we know that we can buy commercial formula milk in any supermarket, but babies don’t know that. Therefore, a baby who stops breastfeeding before the age of 12 months is a baby who could put their life at risk because of nutritional deficiencies. When a baby under 12 months stops breastfeeding, the causes of this are usually associated with inappropriate management of breastfeeding by the adult:

• Wrong start in introducing solid food by prioritizing solids and eliminating feeds at the breast.
• Mixed feeding, in which the baby often ends up rejecting the breast.
• The baby is in pain when feeding at the breast, which causes them to stop feeding temporarily.
• Misinterpretation of the baby’s behavior
• Others

In such a case, if weaning is not desired by the mother, it is possible to help the baby to start breastfeeding again. You need to have a lot of patience and can apply the tricks that you find in this article.

Mother-led weaning

Mother-led weaning is where the mother decides on her own to take the initiative and start the process of weaning from breastfeeding. This type of weaning can be:

• Complete: daytime and nighttime feeds are eliminated.
• Partial: in this type, only day or night feeds are eliminated.

In partial weaning, whether it is nighttime or daytime, the mother needs to decide which one she wants to do. Usually, the night feeds are dropped so that another person will take care of the baby’s sleep and night feeds and not only depend on the mother.

Emergency or early weaning

Premature weaning or emergency weaning, which must be done immediately, usually within a few days, is related to a situation – either the mother’s or the baby’s -which makes it impossible to maintain breastfeeding. Some experiments in mice have shown that abrupt weaning can increase the risk of breast cancer later in life.

These are usually situations in which the mother is not prepared and needs emotional support because, many times, mothers are more impacted by the weaning itself than by the situation that has made it necessary to wean.

In these cases, if a baby is very small, there is no other option but to refuse to breastfeed and switch to commercial formula feeding. The mother will have to remove breast milk for a few days and then express less and less milk until the breast does not feel uncomfortable anymore and weaning is finished.

In older children, it may be necessary to take other steps, as they can probably already find the breast by themselves, so you can apply other ” discouraging” methods: apply band-aids to show your child that your breast is sick, apply something with a bad taste onto your breast and so on. The issue of applying something with an unpleasant taste onto your breast is usually a measure with many cons, but we can understand it to some extent. At LactApp, we know that when a mother wants to do something, she will do it. Therefore, we prefer to inform you about what you can put on the nipple to stop breastfeeding.

Forced or unwanted weaning

This form of weaning is usually also a type of weaning that is not desired by the mother. It happens when a mother feels pressured to wean because her environment, whether from the family or healthcare professional, not only does not support her desire to maintain breastfeeding but also boycotts her breastfeeding with discouraging unfounded comments, such as:

• “Your milk is not good enough”
• “You can’t breastfeed when you are pregnant again“
• “Breastfeeding is useless now”
• “Your baby doesn’t grow enough; your milk is not enough”
• “It makes no sense to breastfeed a child this age”
• “You are taking it to far with breastfeeding”
• “You are causing your child psychological problems”
• “You are not helping her”
• and many others

All this type of feedback that mothers receive makes them finally stop breastfeeding because they cannot stand the amount of outside pressure they receive. Of course, the fact that a mother stops breastfeeding does not imply that she wanted to do it, and this usually creates a lot of sadness and misunderstanding because then the very people who are pressuring the mother are the ones who should offer an empathetic environment, in which the mother can be listened to what she feels.

Respectful weaning

As we said above, respectful weaning is a cultural construct that only takes into account the baby’s needs, but not the mother’s. This type of weaning is based on Katerine Detwayler’s research, which states that weaning should never occur before the child’s age of two and a half years. In most cases, it suggests to mothers that they should not complain and must put aside their desires and needs. At LactApp, we believe that respect always involves informing and accompanying women so that they can decide what they want to do, regardless of their baby’s age.

Montessori weaning

Maria Montessori talked little about weaning. She considered extending breastfeeding between one and three years of age was unnecessary as the baby could already be nourished with solids. Therefore, it was the mother who was not able to detach from her baby literally. There is not much more information, nor anything specific about the weaning process, that we can relate to her teachings.

Weaning by age

Weaning is a complex process that requires adapting to the mother’s needs and also adapting to the baby’s age because it is not the same as weaning a 3-month-old baby as a 3-year-old child.

When weaning a small baby, there are fewer resources than when doing so with a toddler, with whom you can use stories and strategies, get help from family and friends, and so on.

We could break down weaning into many age groups, but there are two major categories: before the age of one year and after the age of one year. By doing this, we can observe the unique aspects of each stage and help you understand the challenges and options of each one of them. In general, the criteria will be:

• Can you offer the baby/child alternative food appropriate for their age?
• Can you use tricks to get them to accept that alternative food?
• Decrease breast milk supply

Weaning before 12 months

When weaning before 12 months of age, the main challenge and, at the same time, the objective is for the baby to accept the chosen milk and how to give it to them. If your baby is under six months old, you will likely try to offer milk in a bottle. This is normal, as it is a comfortable and familiar system for adults. Some babies accept this form of feeding without difficulties – which undoubtedly makes the transition easier – but some babies find it difficult. If this is your case, you need to have a lot of patience and try to get your baby to take the bottle. Sometimes, you need to try different bottle teats and different brands of formula milk until you find the perfect combination for your baby.

Tricks to get your baby to take a bottle:

• Offer milk when the baby is not too tired, not too sleepy, and not too hungry.
• It is usually easier for a person other than the mother to try the first few times because the baby is used to the breast and might not understand the new situation or still look for it.
• The adult offering milk can sit the baby on their lap and try to get the little one to accept the bottle facing them.
• This article provides more useful information on how to get a baby to accept the bottle.

Weaning after 12 months

Weaning after 12 months can also be challenging and should be planned in advance. The important thing is having a lot of patience, and if you think you need it or lack the tools, ask for help.

You should be aware of certain key aspects of this stage that can interfere with the weaning process:

• The one-year and two-year breastfeeding crisis
• When the family is moving
• Living with other relatives
• Beginning of daycare or nursery
• Increase in childhood illnesses and common infections

All of these circumstances may increase the child’s demand for breastfeeding.

Opportunity windows

Weaning is a complex process that raises many questions and needs planning. Often, we might not consider all the key details when weaning. For example, you might consider weaning at 12 months of your baby’s life without knowing the specific characteristics of this stage. Or you might want to wean before starting nursery without keeping in mind that it takes some time, and then you find yourselves doing both at the same time. This often makes it necessary to revisit and postpone weaning.

When is it easier to wean?

Mothers often ask us if there are times or situations when it is easier to wean. Considering the developmental milestones of babies and children, we can say that there are stages in which it may be simpler to achieve weaning and that there are other phases and ages where weaning may be more complicated. This does not mean that if you are in one of these stages, it is impossible to wean, only that it is likely that you need to dedicate more time to the process.

The timings we consider best for weaning are the following:

• Before three months of the baby’s age: at this stage, it is usually somewhat easier for babies to accept other forms of feeding than the breast. As they grow older, many babies are reluctant to suckle from a bottle, which, in most cases, is the preferred feeding method.
• Outside of breastfeeding crises, growth spurts and/or developmental leap stages: during these times the relationship with breastfeeding is very intense, once these phases are overcome, the weaning process can be more straightforward.
• Between 9-11 months of the baby’s age: during this stage, they usually show less interest in breastfeeding, at least during the day, and it is usually easier to achieve at least daytime weaning.
• When you have the opportunity to dedicate your full attention to weaning. Weaning requires time and dedication, so having time is key to carrying out the process.
• When the weaning process does not happen together with other life changes for the child. Sometimes, weaning is triggered by tiredness or need of the mother; if these moments happen at the same time as changes in the baby’s life, such as starting daycare or a nursery, getting potty trained, moving house, and so on. Then, weaning will be more complex, so ideally, try to give weaning a unique period of time.

When is it more difficult to wean?

Growth spurts and breastfeeding crises

During developmental leaps and breastfeeding crises, which are when you and your baby are experiencing changes in your breastfeeding relationship, it can be more difficult to initiate and successfully complete a weaning process. It’s not impossible to stop breastfeeding during these stages, but it’s better to be familiar with what happens during each of them so you can evaluate if you should wait before weaning. Developmental leaps and breastfeeding crises happen for different reasons and when they are related to the baby’s maturing process, then the course and achievement of weaning can be more difficult. These phases are:

• The three month growth spurt / breastfeeding crisis
• The 4 month sleep “regression”
• Separation anxiety at 8 months
• One year breastfeeding crisis
• Two year breastfeeding crisis

Therefore, it is also important to consider these phases if you want to wean at any particular stage. Being familiar with each stage’s specific characteristics can help you to decide the best time to wean for you.

Other situations

You should also take into account other moments or live events in which it will be more difficult to stop breastfeeding. These situations relate to the changes the child may experience in their life:

• moving house
• holidays or spending time in a new surrounding
• start of daycare or nursery/kindergarten
• arrival of a new sibling or new people in the home
• other circumstances

During these stages, attempting weaning can be challenging and it would be desirable, whenever possible, to settle the child’s routines before starting with the weaning process.

Nighttime weaning and daytime weaning

This is one of the most frequently asked questions we receive at LactApp: When is it best to wean first: during the night or during the day? In this section, we will explain the advantages and disadvantages of night and daytime weaning so you can make an informed decision for yourself.

Daytime weaning is usually slower and more gradual than nighttime weaning because, during the day, there are more distraction strategies you can offer your child. In the end, daytime weaning is related to many circumstances that make the child want to breastfeed: hunger, tiredness, being bored, to sleep, out of frustration and so on. On the other hand, nighttime feeds are only related to nourishment and sleep. And, depending on the age, only with sleep.

So, during the day, you can use strategies such as “don’t offer – don’t deny”, which we will discuss later.

During the night, weaning is more intensive and faster, because in the end, what you are looking for is for the child to learn to fall asleep without suckling at the breast.

Remember that night weaning is only feasible from the age of one year. When you stop breastfeeding before this age, the baby will still need to continue to be fed at nighttime, and therefore, breastfeeding must be replaced by bottle feeding.

Nighttime weaning

As the term suggests, nighttime weaning is to stop breastfeeding during the night. This type of weaning requires less time than daytime weaning, but it does take a few sleepless nights (or little sleep) for all, the child and the parents. Keep in mind that for the baby, the association between breastfeeding and falling asleep is very strong, and it is difficult for them to stop doing something they have been doing for such a long time.

Ideally, nighttime weaning requires help from your partner or another adult, but of course, you can do it on your own if you want. However, it will be more challenging for your child to understand that their mother is her and does not give them the breast than the fact that mom is not there, so they have to sleep without the breast.

What is the partner method for night weaning?

The so-called “father/partner method for night weaning” refers to the process in which another adult -usually the father or partner- who is not the mother, cares for and calms the child during the nighttime so they learn to fall asleep without the need to breastfeed.

Make sure you prepare this adult for the process and that they have the resources to face it. In many cases, partners are very involved in the care of the child and already have a good hand in helping the child fall asleep without breastfeeding. But sometimes, this contact has not taken place, and the adult feels that they are not able to carry out this process. This generates worries and unsuitable actions at night that do not facilitate weaning. This is why we recommend that if you want to try night weaning, you are both getting informed beforehand or if you would like more personalized attention, you can get more support in our consultation channel or consult with your IBCLC of confidence.

Can I do night weaning on my own?

Yes, of course, you can; the only thing you should know is that the process is likely to be more difficult. Sometimes, mothers cannot count on the help of their partner, family, or friends to carry out night weaning. On other occasions, the mother decides to do the weaning alone for other reasons. As we said, it is perfectly possible to do it, but you should know that children may find it more difficult to accept the new situation, and you may have a hard time if you are not very resilient in the process. When we talk about resilience, we are referring to the mix of feelings that can arise and that can interfere with the process, especially if the child cries a lot or is very upset. In these cases, you will probably start to try weaning several times until you are really ready to follow through with it.

Can I stop breastfeeding and continue with co-sleeping?

Yes, of course! Weaning a child does not imply to stop co-sleeping if you don’t want to. At a certain age of the child, many families are fed up with night nursing but not with maintaining nighttime contact with their children. Once nighttime weaning is done and settled in, which is usually a week or so, the mother can go back to co-seeping with her child and partner. However, it is likely that when you return to co-sleeping, your child will try to ask for the breast again, and this will make nights difficult again. But in any case, this will be temporary because if you do not give in to breastfeeding and you accompany your child in this new situation, they will regain their ability to fall asleep without nursing.

What should I do first: weaning or stop co-sleeping?

This is a very common question: What should I do first: weaning or stop co-sleeping? Can I wean and stop co-sleeping later? Yes, you can. The only thing is that both processes are big enough to give each of them an appropriate time frame. Our recommendation is to wean first, and once nighttime weaning is achieved and settled in, then start the second phase: stop co-sleeping and let your child sleep in their own room.

Daytime weaning

Before starting with daytime weaning, you can analyze the situation and ask yourself some questions that you might not have thought about before:

• When or at what moment does your child ask for breastfeeding?
• In what location or space does your child most often ask you to breastfeed?
• How many feeds are you usually doing during the day?
• Which of these feeds do you think you can replace with other things such as food, distraction, walks, and so on.

Children and adults as well are creatures of habit and you can easily observe patterns of behavior in your little one. This way, you can start to plan the weaning process with your knowledge and see if you can swap breastfeeding for some of them. If you think that your child asks for nursing because of being hungry, then maybe bring forward their lunch or dinner time. If you think your child is bored, start with an exciting activity to distract them. If they ask for nursing when they get nervous, try to offer resources or strategies to calm your child down according to their age and so on. There will be circumstances that you won’t be able to control because they are asking for the breast in multiple situations, but at least you will be able to control or redirect some of those and reduce the breastfeeds.

Don’t offer – don’t deny

The “don’t offer – don’t deny” method is the most famous method for daytime weaning. This method is based on not offering the breast and waiting for the child to ask for it. If they ask for it, then you nurse. But what seems to sound like a simple concept has important nuances. When you want to wean, we all know that we don’t want to offer the breast anymore, but it is also very obvious that children will continue to ask for breastfeeding. It is a matter of relaxing, being conscious that the child will ask for nursing, not wanting to disappear when they ask for it, and being there for them.

Once the child relaxes and sees that the breast is always there for them, the next step is to start deciding how long to leave the child on the breast. Here each mother will decide whether this is 2-3 minutes or 10 minutes. The time chosen should be less than the time the child usually takes to feed. When this time has passed, offer an activity, surprise your child with something they are not familiar with, and focus their attention on that instead.

When the child accepts this pattern of the feed, the next step will be to apply the distraction and delaying method. As the child will be calm knowing that you are giving the breast, when they ask for it, you say yes: “Give me a second, I’m going to the kitchen to get some water”, “Sure, I’ll be right back, I have to put something away”, “right now, just a second, I’m going to the bedroom to close the window”. Whatever the excuse, always avoid a “no” and let your child know that you are on your way. It is likely that the first time, this will only work for a few minutes, but little by little, they should be able to hold on to it for a little longer. And if your family also helps in this process, they may even get distracted and forget about the feed altogether.

How long does the weaning process last?

It’s hard to give an exact figure on the length of the weaning process. Some weanings can last days, often due to an urgent need, others months or even years. In general, nighttime weaning is usually faster and more intense, while daytime weaning is slower but more peaceful.

Night weaning with the father/partner method should not last more than 5-7 days, while daytime weaning can take much longer. You have to keep in mind that in any type of weaning, there are many setbacks. These setbacks are normal and to be expected, but why do they happen? For several reasons:

• Once you have started, you suddenly feel it’s not the right time for you
• Your child gets sick during the process
• The circumstances under which you started the weaning process change

It can easily happen that your child gets sick at any time during the weaning process, which makes you want to offer the breast again. Because if they don’t want to eat anything else, at the very least, you may want to offer the breast again. There’s nothing wrong with that, and you’re not going to confuse your child or make it more complicated when you want to try to start again. If you think you need to break off the process, then always follow with what you feel.

False weaning or nursing strike

There are circumstances where the child may seemingly refuse breastfeeding or try to suckle and not succeed in doing so. This causes the child to cry and be fuzzy at the breast; which is often interpreted by the mother as the child “refusing” to breastfeed.

A nursing strike and/or false weaning is a situation that can happen in the breastfeeding journey and both involve challenges to continue breastfeeding. If you don’t want to stop breastfeeding, it’s important you seek support from a professional to overcome these difficulties and get the child back to breastfeeding.

What they are

A nursing strike is when a baby who was breastfeeding suddenly refuses to breastfeed. The reasons behind a breastfeeding strike can be various:

• Pain in the baby’s mouth due to teething
• Throat or ear infections
• Cold sores or ulcers in the mouth
• Changes in the child’s or mother’s routine
• Something has surprised the child while breastfeeding and scared them
• Others

If you want your child to start breastfeeding again, it is important that you find out the cause of the strike and seek help to resolve the problem in order to reestablish successful breastfeeding.

How to deal with a nursing strike?

As said before, if you want your child to breastfeed again, you need to establish a plan of action, which you will achieve with patience and a gentle hand so that your child accepts breastfeeding again. This is a process that can last weeks; sometimes, it is very long and can last up to one month. You need to be very patient and always keep your objective in mind. We cannot guarantee that you can always resolve a nursing strike, as, unfortunately, some children stop breastfeeding completely, but in many cases, it can be managed to get the child to return to normal breastfeeding. But it is important to never force the child to breastfeed, and you must provide space and the necessary time for the child to do so.

Emotions in the weaning process

The mother’s emotions

Weaning can bring up multiple emotions for the mother, some of which may be unfamiliar and even unpleasant, and some of which are the usual ones.

• Ups and downs: This is often the first feeling that occurs when a woman considers weaning. She can be very sure she wants to wean and, a few hours later, change her mind completely. These changeable feelings about weaning are the first step in preparing for weaning; they are normal and prepare you for what is to come.
• Guilt: Some mothers may feel guilty about stopping breastfeeding or even just thinking about stopping breastfeeding, especially if they intended to do so for a longer period of time or if their baby seems to find it difficult to give up breastfeeding.
• Breastfeeding agitation or aversion: One aspect when many women want to wean is the appearance of a rejection of the baby’s demands. Breastfeeding agitation or aversion usually occurs in three situations: breastfeeding older children, pregnancy, and tandem feeding.
• Sadness: Weaning can be a time of emotional transition for many mothers, and it is natural to feel sad to leave this stage behind. Even if you are looking forward to weaning when it finally happens, sadness can be strong, and for a few weeks, you might feel emotionally very weak, thinking a lot about the weaning process and all the events you experienced with breastfeeding. But gradually these feelings should disappear.
• Reassurance: On the other hand, many mothers may also feel reassurance once they have completed the weaning process and have established a new feeding routine for their child.

In any case, when these emotions generate a lot of anxiety or can not be redirected, we recommend that you make an appointment to see a psychologist specialized in perinatal health, who are experts in these types of emotions and can give it the importance they deserve and help you to find the tools to cope with them.

The child’s emotions

Depending on their age, your child will also go through many emotions during the weaning process. And this is normal. For the child, breastfeeding is much more than nourishment, and therefore, they will have to find a new way to calm down and communicate without the breast. It is important to understand these types of changes in their emotions, as they can be very frightening:

• Irritability: Especially in very young children and babies or when partially weaning an older child, you may feel that they are fussier or that everything throughout the day seems to cost them a little more.
• Sad: Older children, who can already express their emotions and even talk about them, might express feelings of sadness. It will be important that you accompany them, acknowledge them, and talk about them. This is a good time to learn to name these emotions, and it is ideal to work on emotional intelligence.
• Angry: Other children, also older children, get very angry, then they avoid looking at you and may even prefer physical contact with another adult, which can hurt your feelings.

These emotions will pass, and therefore, they will only last for a few days. Within a few days, your child will be back to their usual self.

Medication to stop breastfeeding

Cabergoline: medication to dry up breast milk

There is a medication that, although it was not designed for breastfeeding, reduces prolactin in the blood. This drug is called Cabergoline. It has the opposite effect of the generation of prolactin, so it can reduce milk supply. This drug is known as “the pill to dry up breast milk”. This name might make you think that your milk supply will disappear when you take it. But no, this is not always the case. This medication can get results if it is prescribed and taken just hours after the baby is born. However, it is unnecessary and completely ineffective after about the third day of the baby’s life, once the mature milk has come in.

What if I regret taking it?

If you have taken this medication and you regret it, you can offer the breast to your baby again whenever you want. If you check on the e-lactancia.org website, you will see that the drug is classified as high-risk, which apparently contraindicates breastfeeding, but it only appears. This drug is classified as high risk for breastfeeding but not for the baby. It is classified as risky because it can potentially decrease prolactin, which is the hormone in charge of the milk supply. As the text on the e-lactation website says: “No undesirable effects have been reported in breastfed newborns and infants despite taking a single dose to inhibit lactation (by mistake or subsequent changing of mind by the mother). Therefore, if you want to resume breastfeeding, you can do so immediately and put your baby at the breast.

How to recover your milk supply – relactation

If your milk supply has decreased and you have changed your mind, you may want to go through a process called relactation. Relactation is the process of restoring breast milk supply after it has decreased or disappeared partially or completely. This process seeks to increase the production of breast milk while decreasing the production of formula milk that the baby takes. Relactation is carried out in a gradual process, and formula milk can never be eliminated at once. You can find a personalized and free plan for relactation in the LactApp mobile app.

How to stop breast milk supply (without medication)

As mentioned before, it is very common that this medication does not work to stop the milk supply and that it is necessary to decrease the milk supply in a physiological (natural) way:

• Apply cold on the breasts, if possible, continuously
• Remove the necessary amount of milk so that your breasts are comfortable (by hand or pump)
• This amount will depend on the needs of each woman and will be enough to notice that your breasts do not bother you
• Repeat the extractions whenever necessary and try to express less milk each time

This way, usually within a week or 10 days, your breasts stop bothering you, and it won’t be necessary to do anything else. 

What methods to stop milk supply are NOT recommended?

There are some questionable methods that are widely used but are not recommended at all to reduce breast milk supply. These methods generally seek to suppress milk supply but cause a lot of unnecessary pain. Those are:

• Binding or bandaging the breasts tightly
• Limiting fluid intake and stopping drinking water
• Stopping any milk removal

All the things above are never scientifically recommended and can lead to complications such as obstructions or mastitis.

Weaning and mastitis

When considering stopping breastfeeding, a common worry is suffering from mastitis during the weaning process. And we don’t want that to happen at all!

As mentioned above, methods to reduce milk supply that are not recommended for weaning can lead to mastitis. But in general, weaning does not have to lead to mastitis.

If, in the end, the dreaded mastitis occurs, it is also important to know what to do and to act as soon as possible to avoid the need to take antibiotics and to resolve it quickly through self-care measures.

How long will I have breast milk?

Breast milk does not disappear as easily as you might think. Some mothers worry because their milk does not go away after weaning and they wonder how long they will have milk. Involution, which is the process by which mammary tissue disappears, begins 40 days after weaning. If your breasts feel uncomfortable when you stop breastfeeding, make sure you express milk. Remove small amounts of milk so your breasts understand that they must reduce milk production. If you were giving many feeds a day when you stop, then this process can extend to a week and a half, which is when the breasts stop feeling uncomfortable, and it is no longer necessary to remove milk.

If you were breastfeeding only a few times at the time of weaning, it is likely that you won’t need to remove milk, and your breasts might not feel uncomfortable.

In any case it is likely that if you try to remove milk by hand after you stopped breastfeeding, you may still see some small drops of milk of different color on your nipple: this might be yellowish, transparent or greenish.

If breast milk comes out spontaneously months or even years after you stop breastfeeding, we recommend that you consult with your doctor.

How do I know if it is normal or not that I still have breast milk?

If breast milk comes out when you handle your breasts, and it comes out on both sides, this may be normal, and you don’t need to do anything special. If the milk comes out spontaneously without you touching your breasts, we recommend that you consult with your healthcare provider.

Involution of the mammary gland

What is breast involution?

Involution is the process where, approximately 40 days after stopping breastfeeding, the tissue that produces milk begins to break down and, therefore, disappear. This causes breasts to undergo changes in volume, and often, breasts become “soft” and may feel very empty. It does take a few years for the subcutaneous fat to regain space, and then your breasts regain some of their previous “shape.”

Do breasts recover after breastfeeding?

How to recover your breasts after breastfeeding is a common question to which we can not give any answers. The process of breast recovery is slow and not fully complete. All of the changes that occur in the body during pregnancy and breastfeeding change the structure of the breasts, and they don’t get back to being the same.

Resources for weaning

Children’s books

There are many children’s books on sale about weaning and stopping breastfeeding for toddlers. All of them can be a useful tool in the weaning process, but in order to be useful, the child must understand them, and often, this does not happen until they are older, between one and a half and three years of age. These stories can also be useful for mothers to prepare and to get an idea of what is coming. However, don’t expect that when you read them the story, they immediately understand what you are telling them and accept the weaning, or wean on their own.

Books for adults

There are only a few books dedicated to weaning and written from different perspectives and points of view. Check out the different options and you can prepare for weaning with them. These answer questions, provide testimonials and explain about situations that you might not have taken into consideration and will help you to end your breastfeeding journey. LactApp recommends the book of our co-founder Alba Padro: “Weaning, end of an era”, which is currently only available in Spanish.