As I mentioned before, I got most of my weaning ideas from here. I made it through the first week of dropping pumping at night without too much discomfort. I certainly didn't need a full week before dropping the next feeding, but it was nice not to rush the process. This past week, the plan was to drop Brennan's 11am feeding. Several days Brennan took crazy long morning naps, so I did drop a feeding, but it wasn't always the 11am one. For example, we had swim class Tuesday morning from 9:30-10:30. He ate when he woke up, then after class he went right down for a nap. He slept for 3.5 hours, so when he woke around 2, I nursed him. That day he only received a total of three feedings. He didn't take a sippy or a bottle at all. So, it wasn't quite as easy to drop a specific feeding as I thought it would be.
I was also very ambitious with this weaning process. Since Brennan has only had a bottle a handful of times, I wanted to try to wean him directly to a sippy cup. His doctor had also told me it was fine to start cow's milk with him at 11 months, so I decided to mix breast milk and cow's milk from the very beginning, so I could hopefully make the transition to cow's milk easier. However, he wasn't drinking much from a sippy by the second day, so I switched a bottle. Mostly because I wanted to see which variable was keeping him from eating: the sippy or the cow's milk. He hasn't been drinking his entire bottle, but he is certainly drinking more from the bottle than from the sippy, so he doesn't seem to mind the cow's milk. As we continue the weaning process, I really want him to be using a sippy, but we'll see how it goes. I have been giving him his sippy or bottle while he's sitting in my lap in his room; the same place I nurse him.
With all that said, here's my recap from this past week.
Week Two - Dropped the 11am(ish) feeding
Jan. 8 - Dropped one feeding (his naps were off, so his feeding times were off), nursed him three times during the day; gave him a sippy cup with 3oz. of breast milk mixed with 3oz. of cow's milk and he drank 1/2 of it.
Jan. 9 - woke up with A LOT of discomfort in the morning and the morning feeding only relieved some of it; dropped the 11am feeding, but moved his third feeding up a little to help with the discomfort; gave him a sippy with 3oz. of breast milk mixed with 2 oz. of cow's milk (this is the same ratio I am still using at this time, until he drinks the whole amount and seems to need more) and he only took a few drinks, but we were at church, so it was a different environment; however he took a really good nap in the church nursery and another good afternoon nap, so I think he had plenty to eat; I nursed him three times.
Jan. 10 - woke up with no discomfort; gave him a sippy around 11:30 and we tried a different kind of cup, but he barely took any of it; he ate his solids at this meal, so I figured he was fine; nursed him three times.
Jan. 11 - woke up with no discomfort; we had swim class this day and he slept through his 11am feeding, so he didn't even try a sippy this day; I nursed him three times.
Jan. 12 - woke up with no discomfort even though Brennan slept in - we had to wake him up at 8:30; tried a sippy, but he wouldn't take it at all, so I switched to a bottle and he drank about 3oz. of a 5oz. bottle; nursed him three times.
Jan. 13 - woke up with no discomfort; he got a bottle at 11am and drank 3.5oz; nursed him three times.
Jan. 14 - woke up with no discomfort; he got a bottle, but didn't finish it; nursed him three times.
So that was our 2nd week. Brennan is doing well and doesn't seem to miss the dropped feeding. This week I am dropping another feeding and for the past two days, he had taken two bottles each day and no sippy.
What are your thoughts? Should I just stick with the sippy and assume he will drink if he is thirsty enough? Should I give him a bottle for the next few weeks and then work on the sippy? He does drink a little water from a sippy, so he can use it; just not very proficiently. I am thinking if he takes a bottle during the weaning process, I might make him go cold turkey to a sippy after his first birthday. So many choices!!!
This is the sippy we are using.
3 comments:
We're using the Munchkin sippy cups as well. My daughter has been using the sippy cup for water for a couple of months (she just turned a year). She was used to taking a bottle during the day since I work so it was fairly easy to switch her to whole milk from expressed milk ... I did decide to do cold turkey from the bottle to the sippy cup and she didn't have an issue at all with it. However, I know each baby is different. So we're about the same place as you ... I stopped pumping at night and while I am at work and have switched her lunch feeding to whole milk. So we're down to 2-3 feedings (depending on if she wakes at night). Good luck and thanks for sharing your journey!
SIPPY! I think you know my feelings and what not behind it! Adah never took a bottle and it took her SEVERAL weeks to take a sippy but we had no choice...she wouldn't take a bottle and wouldn't take a sippy and my milk was no more due to getting prego! Her ped(which is B's) said that she would take it eventually and that she would make up for it once she did and to just make sure that she is eating plenty of cheese, yogurt, etc! I guess I really shouldn't comment though cause I'm anti bottle when you are past 1 year...personal opinion I know but you asked so I gave! :) Remember when I tried EVER sippy and Adah finally would drink from a camelback?!? Try giving him milk in a camelback! haha! good luck!
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