Totally Weaned

Yang was totally weaned off breast milk end of May 2013. So this is a very back dated post. I just want to jot this down as a closure of my previous post 'Weaning in Progress'.

Drinking his last bottle of breast milk

It was an easy transition. Probably due to hubby's involvement in making him sleep at night so Yang did not relate dad with 'milk'. As I weaned him off slowly, there was no problem for me as well. I just prolong duration between pumping sessions (pumping only when necessary) and after a few days, milk supply disappeared.

I felt free (although with some guilt involved as some mothers were diligent enough to extend breastfeeding as long as possible). I managed to spend more quality time with my girls at night when hubby brought Yang to sleep. I accompanied them doing their homework, reading from books and kids encyclopedia, drawing lots and lots of pictures, chatting with them and teaching them to pray with me before sleep. I became more patient with them with less yelling and threatening. Yang grew up to be happy, healthy and very active.

 He wants to do whatever his sisters are doing.

 Playing with our pots and utensils is his favorite past time. Toys are just not good enough.

Since he likes climbing so much, we bring the kids to playground to spend their energy.

In conclusion, we were all happy. Hubby said I was more stressed when breastfeeding because I did not have enough time to do what I wanted. Then I felt guilty because of not doing them. 15-16 months of breastfeeding was good enough, he said.

Weaning in Progress

I started to feed Yang with formula milk once a day since he was 13 months old (2 months ago) to replace expressed milk. Just to make sure he would not reject formula when I started weaning. Being an easy going baby (where foods are concerned), he would finish the whole bottle but he would laugh as if to show he knew what I was trying to do.

When he was 14 months old (1 month go), I stopped breast feeding him directly before bedtime which I knew if he could get use to this, weaning would not pose any problem. First night, we went out before bedtime and fed him formula milk in the car and he fell asleep when he was too tired. Yoohoo...easy. I breastfed him when he woke up at night though.

On the second night at home, I fed him formula and tried to coax him to sleep without success for more than 30 minutes. Later I left the room and asked hubby to pacify him. He managed to make him sleep. Maybe it was because when I was in the room, he would relate me to 'food'. So hubby was given the 'honorable' task of feeding him formula milk and coaxing him to sleep until now.

I still express milk 2 times a day and once at night to ensure sufficient milk for him during daytime.
Yang is 15 months old now. I have stopped breastfeeding him at midnight and replacing with formula. I am seriously considering to stop expressing milk as I have exceeded my initial plan to breastfeed him until one year old.Without direct breast feeding, milk supply would reduce due to 'no demand' signal sent to our brain. So it is just a matter of sooner or later.

Feeding, expressing milk, washing pumps are occupying a large chunk of my time in a day. Sounds selfish, I know but I need to spend quality time with my 2 elder girls too and to complete my income tax submission as soon as possible so that my tax submission company will be able to complete tax submission before end June. *groan*

I am glad that I have decided to breastfeed all of my children. First girl for 4 months and stopped due to inexperience and second girl for 13 months and this boy for more than 15 months. It was no easy task but seeing them growing healthy and smart is the biggest reward for me.

Sleeping through the night, at last!

Tao has been sleeping through the night since last week. I have also stopped breastfeeding her before sleep for last two days.

The first day to wean her was not planned at all. We were having dinner at a small town near hubby's hometown and the journey took almost an hour. After feeding her formula milk, we left her at her car seat and she slept until we reached home and did not wake up until the next morning.

Yesterday I brought her to our room to sleep and she tried to ask for 'nen nen'. I told her 'no more' and gestured with my hand, which she understood and she lied down to sleep without creating fuss. I was glad!

I just hope that she will continue to sleep through the night and I can start planning for holidays (getaways). Ha! Ha! Ha!

Weaning Unsuccessful Yet

I have been planning to wean Tao when she is 1 year old. Nowadays, I express milk only once in the afternoon and plan to cut off her before sleep feeding and mid-night feeding these few weeks.

I dare not cut off BF completely yet because she has been rejecting formula milk. Tao does not like formula milk. Last few days when I tried to feed her more formula instead of expressed BM, she dranks only 2 oz each feeding. Then I tried Tian's Mamil Step 3, she also refused to drink. Since she is already one, I let her try Organic Phytomilk (consists of Organic Oats, Soy protein and millets with 10 types of other grains) that I usually add to Tian's milk and Tao finished 4 oz and cried for more. Since then, I will put mainly Organic Phytomilk plus only half a scoop of her Wyeth formula.

I think she prefers Phytomilk because she has got used to breastmilk which is light and sweet whereas formula milk tastes sweet but with a hint of oiliness and too creamy for her sensitive tastebuds.

The Organic Phyomilk that I bought before was at discounted price (2 cans for RM78). Normal price for 1 can is RM52. The lady boss mentioned that we can actually feed her only phytomilk and supplement with another DHA enriched soy powder. However, I do not want to feed Tao with too much soy due to some articles mentioning negative effects of too much isoflavones (plant hormones similar to female hormone 'estrogen') . So to be on the safe side, I supplement her DHA from formula milk. I also worry if there is any side effects from consuming only plant based milk powder as substitute to formula although most vegetarians and organic food lover would certainly disagree with me.

Tao is still not able to sleep through the night yet and most people would say this is due to breastfeeding that she is not full enough to sleep through the night. I think this is due to different temparament of babies.

Her feeding schedule is as below at the moment:
6:00-7:00am: Wakes up and drinks milk (either phytomilk with fomula or breastfeed)
8:30-9:00am: Organic oatmeal with fruits (choices between avocado, apple, pear, organic raisins, organic dried blackcurrants)
10:00am: Has milk before napping
12:00pm: Porridge*/ Organic noodles with a mix of vegatables with either fish or chicken
2:00-2:30pm: Has milk before napping
4:00-5:00pm: Has milk again
6:00-6:30pm: Same meal cooked for lunch
8:15-8:30pm: Has milk and gets ready to sleep
8:45-9:00pm: Breastfeeds before sleeping (I am trying to wean her off this)
She will wake up one time between 12:00-4:00am for breastfeed (I am trying to wean her off this as well)
Wish me luck!!

*Tao's porridge consists of 50% of normal rice, 30% of organic millet and 20% of organic quinoa

Weaning in Progress

Tao is 8 months and 3 weeks old. I started to wean Tao today by feeding her 1 oz of formula milk using cup and spoon just for her to have a taste of another type of milk. I felt like cheating her by feeding her 'artificial milk' although it is almost the right time to do so.

I planned to wean her gradually when she is 9 to 10 months old by supplementing with formula milk once a day and continue to express milk during day time and nurse at night. However, I decided to start now because my milk supply was decreasing since last week after clogged milk duct leading to infection with flu-like symptom. Initially, the problem started because of sore nipple so I fed Tao less on the affected side due to excruciating pain. I think I did not empty that side properly during feeding/ pumping and caused milk to back up. When I read from my book regarding this problem, it advised to let baby nurse from affected side first. The clogged duct cleared after that but left me with almost 50% of usual supply so I had been using my stock from the freezer.

So I let Tao start to taste formula earlier so that she will not reject formula milk when needed. I supplemented her with formula during confinement when milk supply was not established but as supply increased, I began reducing formula until she completely rejected formula in second month and she had been feeding on breast milk ever since.

I express milk using pump during day time when I am working, going out or even at home. Tao gets use to nurse only at night (in dimmed light and air-conditioned room) so she refuses to feed directly even if I am with her during the day. Choosy little girl. I have done my pumping everywhere. In washrooms at my office, nursing rooms in shopping complex, fitting rooms (when nursing rooms at not available and washrooms are dirty), washrooms in airport, washrooms at Singapore customs and even in the car during traffic jam (using a huge scarf tied around my neck for cover up - I am so used to pumping that I do not even have to see what I am doing)

Hopefully by feeding Tao with breast milk until now will ensure her to grow up healthy and smart :)