Update #2 (Four Stages of Weaning)

As I posted before, JJ has successfully gone from 2 feedings a night to one. That was a while back when that happened. About a month or so ago, when he was ten months old, we stopped night feeding all together and that has worked out wonderfully. So we are 2 for 4 on successful weaning.

One of the other stages, sleeping all night in his crib instead of our bed, has been absolutely successful in the past 3 days. However, I believe it is due to a couple of factors. First and foremost, he has been able to sleep as late as he wants in the morning because it is my spring break. He goes to sleep around 930 or 10 and sleeps until 7 for his morning feed and then back to sleep until 8 or 9 am. He’s rested and not over tired so it’s easy for him to stay in his crib. Secondly, I haven’t been putting him in our bed on his first wake up. I give him the binkie first and if he’s still crying after a long while or wakes up again, only then will I put him in our bed…but it’s been a while.

The last stage, putting himself to sleep, well that has worked for 3 out of the past 4 days. We get him relaxed with us in our bed…not asleep mind you, just relaxed, and then stick him in his crib. He whines for a few minutes–1-5 minutes, then crashes and sleeps all night. I don’t think this stage will be fully met until I stop with the bedtime nursings and I’m not sure when that will happen.

Currently, we are on 3 nursings a day–wake up, get home from work, and bedtime. During the weekends, I add one more in. My supply is decreasing dramatically. The past two weeks at work, I’ve only been able to pump less than an ounce each day. It’s sad. This week I’ve been trying to pump during spring break so that I don’t have to pump when I get back to work and it’s been disappointing–I pump 3 times a day for 15 minutes at a time and I got a grand total of 2 oz….I’m so close to my goal–JJ will be 1 in 14 days. I don’t have enough frozen milk to get him through that time. On his birthday, we’re cutting out all feedings except wake up and bedtime and who knows when those feedings will go. I know I’m going to miss it though. It’s nice having those mommy and baby bonding times.