How to wean the baby?

Even 15 years ago, doctors recommended that mothers wean the baby from the breast in 11 months. This was in accordance with the medical standards adopted in our country. Today, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), the baby should be weaned between 1 and 2 years. Other sources say that it is necessary to wean the baby from 9 months to 3.5 years. In fact, it all depends on the physiological characteristics of the baby and the period in which it is deprived of breastfeeding. Young mothers should know that there are periods in which to wean the baby from the breast optimally, and the time when this can not be done categorically.

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How to properly wean the baby from the maternal breast?

First of all, do not listen to those who advise stressful situations of weaning the baby from the chest. For example, the departure of the mother for a week, lubricating the nipples with mustard or green, or a sudden forcible cessation of feeding. All this - a huge stress for the baby, the consequences of which can be irreversible.

In the excommunication of the baby from the breast it is very important to observe gradualness. And my mother - to keep calm. A very good way is to replace one day's feeding with artificial ones. If the child does not want to take the bottle from the hands of his mother (which is quite normal), and reaches for the chest, you need to give him a bottle of milk from the hands of his grandmother or father. During the week, you need to replace the day or morning feeding with artificial, then you can replace the evening feeding and artificial. It will not be so stressful for the child. As if my mother suddenly abandoned him or left or at once stopped giving breast milk.

Mom should know that the breast is not just a food source for the baby. It is a symbol of comfort, satiety, prosperity, a ritual in which a child feels protected and contented. Therefore, the deprivation of this ritual can cause irreparable harm to the psyche of the baby.

There is another important thing in the excommunication of the baby from the breast. To deprive him of something good, you need to give something in return. This replacement can be 50 grams of milk formula without preservatives (up to 8 months, further the dose increases to 80-150 grams). This replacement can be vegetable juices, baby kefir (after 8 months). Or cow's milk, diluted in 2 times (it is too fat).

Another method when the baby is weaned from the breast is a violation of the feeding ritual. If you are accustomed to feeding crumbs in one place, now change it. The new situation will not become stressful and will destroy the usual circumstances of feeding. Then the child will simply transfer the bottle instead of feeding.

It is important for a young mother not only to learn how to wean a child, but also when it is best done.

When is it better to wean the baby from breastfeeding?

To weaning from the crumbs was painless and without unnecessary stress, and my mother did not bring health problems, it is worth to learn more about the periods of lactation and their characteristics. The lactation period can be divided into three stages.

The first stage of lactation

It is called the period of formation. Lactation is formed even before the child was born - in a few more months. In the body of the mother, special hormones are produced, which also trigger the production of breast milk. Chief among them is the hormone prolactin. Within 2-3 months after the birth of the child, the mother produces as much milk as the baby needs for satiety. The indicator of the readiness of the mother to feed her child - the swelling of the breast glands, the production of milk. Do not be afraid of this and transfer the baby to the mixture within 2-3 months after pregnancy - just at this time the milk production is being established definitively.

The second stage of lactation

This period is called the stage of maturity. On the 3-4th month after the birth of the baby, the mother's soreness disappears in the breast - her body adapts to the process of feeding. Until one and a half to two years, the mother produces the optimal amount of milk for feeding - no more and no less than the child needs. True, this process can bring down stresses, colds or improper feeding regimens. But, if everything goes well, during the mature stage of lactation - from 3 months to 18 months - the mother can safely and fearlessly breast-feed the baby, not being afraid that she has too little or too much milk.

And the mixture can not be bought, if you do not have the goal to wean the baby from the chest. In addition, the mother's milk saturates the body of the child with all the substances that it needs for strong immunity. A child who eats mother's milk as much as his body needs, much less suffers from his whole conscious life.

The third stage of lactation

This is a very important stage for weaning the baby from the breast. It is called the period of involution of lactation. At this time - from 1.5-2 years after childbirth - the production of milk in the body of the mother is on the wane. This is the most suitable time to start weaning the baby, because physiologically the mother and the baby are ready for this. Milk at this stage changes the composition: it becomes more like colostrum. Of course, the child can not already be satisfied with it, as before. In addition, his biochemical composition is now not so useful to the baby, it means that he has already taken all the necessary hormones from his mother and no longer needs to breast-feed the baby.

How to determine the stage of involution?

First, in time: this period can begin after a year and a half after childbirth. In addition, the child during this period sucks more actively, because he has a growing need for satiety. Therefore, it is more often and more actively applied to the breast.

And the stage of involution can be determined by the state of the mother. She has increased drowsiness, fatigue, nipples hurt more. A woman can be dizzy or headache, sleep becomes more restless, there may be fainting. During this period, you need to protect yourself from stressful situations and fully eat.

To check if you entered the phase of involution, you need to leave the baby for half a day and leave it to someone reliable. If for 12 hours the breast is filled with milk until painful sensations, then it is not time to wean the baby from natural feeding. It is necessary to wait until the time of separation is painless for the mother herself.

In no case should one practice a sharp weaning when the mother is still full of milk. Tips to tie breasts are harmful, it can lead to inflammation and mastitis, or even worse - the development of tumors. Be guided by the natural processes that take place in your body, and weaning from the baby's chest will not be stressful for you and for him.

When can not we separate the baby from the breast?

There are cases when it is absolutely impossible to wean the child, because it will cause irreparable harm to both mother and baby.

• The period of early spring or deep winter, when a child's immunity is reduced and he can often get colds. Mother's milk helps the baby to protect against colds, because it contains a lot of antibodies and immunoglobulins.
• Heat (summer), which contributes to the risk of infections, especially intestinal infections.
• High temperature in the child, which often happens during colds or eruption of milk teeth. During this period, the baby's immunity is weakened, and it is impossible to expose him to additional physiological and psychological risk, depriving mother's milk.
• You can not stop breastfeeding your baby if less than 30 days have elapsed since the cessation of his illness.

The baby is not weaned from the breast, and in the event that he has undergone stress, cries and is capricious for unknown reasons. At this time, the mother's breast is a powerful sedative that will help the baby cope with a difficult period.