By Chinwe Ifezulike-Odita
It takes strength, determination and a measure of tough love to accomplish stopping breastfeeding of your baby. Exclusive breastfeeding is encouraged and it is wonderful for babies. Most exclusive breastfed babies are healthy and their overall health outlook after six months is usually encouraging.
However, the day must come when you would need to wean your baby off breast milk. From seven months mothers are encouraged to start giving their children complementary foods like cereals, blended or mashed adult foods like yam, potatoes and rice and beans infused with vegetables like carrots, green, peas etc. They are also encouraged to incorporate fruits like banana, water melon, apples, pawpaw and others as well. Proteins like crayfish, liver, Titus fish and soya bean are not left out.
Giving all the above is encouraged in addition to breastfeeding while the baby is under one year. When the baby turns a year old, it might be advisable to start thinking of weaning the child of breast milk. Some mothers find it necessary to breastfeed until a year and half and still some others think two years is ideal. There is nothing wrong with it as long as it suits you and your spouse. For some women, breastfeeding serves as a natural birth control. If you fall into this category, by all means, you may breastfeed your child until you are ready for another one.
There are women however who keep adding weight as long as they keep on breastfeeding because they need to eat much in order to meet up with baby’s needs. For these women, it may be advisable to stop breastfeeding after your baby has turned one. Now it is not an easy decision but one where you need to brace yourself for war of a sort. First, your baby may not stop without a fight and some of these little tots are quite feisty and determined to have their way. Their cries and restiveness can wear down your resistance and your mother’s heart will melt. Bear in mind however, that once you give in, it becomes even more difficult to start all over again. Another reason why you may give in, is that you can experience general body pains because your breasts will be gorged and begging to be relieved. You must understand that there is no gain without pain. Doctors advise that you should press your gorged breasts with warm water and take pain relievers to help you relax. Your spouse may also encourage you to keep on breastfeeding so that the baby can stop crying and he can get some decent sleep. Please remember your purpose for wanting to stop and gently remind him of that purpose.
Now, stopping breastfeeding is usually more difficult at night when baby awakes after the first bout of sleep. Remember that they are already used to snuggling up to mum and sucking on breasts so to break the pattern makes them testy, uncomfortable and they can bring your roof down with their crying. There are certain things you can do to make this phase with your baby easier for everybody.
(1) Don’t sleep with the baby. If your mum is with you, let the baby sleep with her or a trusted hand. Babies are able to smell breast milk just like we smell food and our palates are awakened. Babies will be content to take other foods offered if they don’t smell breast milk.
(2) Ensure your alternative baby food is ready and kept in the warmer for when he or she awakes.
(3) Play soft music or lullaby when they awake for that night feed. Instruct your mum or trusted child minder to make them as comfortable as possible by changing diapers, changing their night wears if they are damp, rocking them gently while playing soft music all the time.
With time, your baby will adjust and forget the breast milk and you can get back to the shape you want by eating less, exercising and meeting hubby’s needs in the oza room.
Till next week when we discuss another issue concerning women, I remain your’s in the struggle to survive in Nigeria.
Chinwe Ifezulike-Odita.
