Seeking Words of Wisdom
I’ve made the decision to wean Ian off of breast milk. He just had his first tooth pop through and while he hasn’t bit me yet, I really don’t want that to happen. On top of that, since starting solids, he’s been nursing less and my supply is really low. I’m never sure how much he’s getting out of me, so I’m switching to formula so I know exactly what he is getting.
Weaning him off breast milk shouldn’t be too much of a problem. He already receives one bottle of formula every night before bed and whenever we’re out and about, so it’s nothing new for him. However, he still gets up at night and I’m guilty of letting him use me as a pacifier. Nursing him has always been the best way to get him to go back to sleep.
I’ve determined that tonight we’re going to change that. I’ve already introduced him to a pacifier and he seemed to calm down after he could suck on that. I have a bottle at the ready with formula standing by when he wants to get up around 2am (if he stays on schedule). I’m hoping I can get him to use a pacifier again when he gets up at 4am.
I’m hoping once I get him weaned off of me during the night, and strictly on a bottle, he’ll become disgusted with the whole thing and sleep through the night. I know I’m rambling a bit now, but does anyone have any words of wisdom that I might be able to use? I’m hoping I still have the determination to do this at 2am when I’m usually the sleepiest. I could use all of the support I can get right now.
It’s been a couple of nights, but we’re off the nursing to sleep. He’s still getting up 3 times a night (although the first time is when we are getting ready to go to bed), but I’ve been able to comfort him with a pacifier two of those times. He been getting a bottle when he wakes up around 2-3am and I rock him back to sleep with his pacifier when he gets up around 11pm and 5am. He’s used to me picking him up, so I’m still doing that, but I’m hoping to switch over to leaving him in his crib soon.
On the plus side, he really didn’t get up to eat at 3am this morning. I think he wanted to, because he woke me up, but by the time I had the bottle made, he was already back to sleep. He still got the bottle, but he slept through it. He didn’t get up again until 7am. I have no problem nursing him at that hour. He’s usually up by then anyway. Don’t ask me why I was so determined to start Thursday night, but it’s a good thing I did.
Update:
Ian is completely off breast milk now and he isn’t getting up as much as he used to. He still gets up to eat between 1-3am, but he really doesn’t get up again until 7-8am. Now he’s going to start getting smaller bottles at night in an effort to wean him off of those as well.