There are many questions a new mom has about breastfeeding and usually needs a lot of help to get off to a good start but what about when you decide it's time to quit breastfeeding, then what? You may have decided that you were too uncomfortable breastfeeding and want to stop. Your baby is old enough that now you want to wean him off the breast and introduce him to solid foods. It could be that the baby has developed an allergy to your breast milk which is rare but does happen. Whatever your reason, there are a few things that you should know that will make that transition easier.

Do not stop cold turkey if you don't absolutely have to. If you must stop abruptly, it is advisable to use a breast pump to gradually reduce your milk supply. If you are unable to give the expressed milk to your baby you can freeze it and donate it to a milk bank to be given to premature and ill babies whose mothers are unable to provide milk themselves. You can find a milk bank close to you by going to www.hmbana.org.

Begin to wean the baby off gradually. It is a supply and demand concept. As long as your baby is nursing, your body will produce an adequate supply of breast milk. Gradually tapering off allows the body to slowly cut back on the amount of milk produced. One suggestion is to breastfeed every other feeding for 3-4 days, then every 3rd feeding and so on. As the demand reduces so will the amount of breast milk produced.

Your body will continue to produce milk for a while even if you gradually wean off. This can lead to engorgement. You may develop mastitis which is inflammation of the breast usually due to a plugged milk duct. Signs and symptoms of mastitis include a breast that is swollen, red, tender, hot to the touch and extremely painful. You may have flu like symptoms. Mastitis is not always an infection. If the cause of the mastitis is a plugged duct, you should only experience these symptoms for a few days. However, if you are feeling worse or running a temperature above 101 degrees, it's important to see your health care provider as antibiotics may be necessary.

It is also very common to experience some depression during this time due to a decrease in the level of prolactin, a hormone that stimulates the production of milk in the mammary glands. In most women this will go away as the hormone levels return to normal. Don't hesitate to see your physician if you feel you are experiencing depression that is not decreasing in severity.

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