How do I stop breastfeeding with a breast pump?

The breast pump, like direct breastfeeding, is a magical moment which, for personal or professional reasons, must one day come to an end. This is known as weaning.

Breast pumping makes weaning easier than it actually seems! In fact, your baby is already used to bottle-feeding, which is a major advantage, unlike a baby who has been exclusively breast-fed since birth, who is likely to experience more stress during this crucial transition.

When should I stop breast pumping?
3 steps to convince your baby to take formula milk
Can the weaning phase be interrupted to resume breast pumping?
Is it possible to stop breastfeeding with a breast pump without doing anything?
What you need to know from this article

When should I stop breast pumping?

There's no real deadline for weaning, any more than there is for exclusive breastfeeding. Weaning is official when mother and baby are ready to take the plunge. Sometimes, starting this process can be a real wrench for both parties...

Whether it's due to going back to work, breast pain or health concerns, don't feel guilty! Every baby has to leave its mother's breast at some point. That's part of growing up...

There comes a time when breastfeeding, or exclusive breast pumping, is no longer sufficient to meet your child's nutritional needs (around six months). This period generally coincides with the start of dietary diversification. It's best to get your pediatrician's approval before you start.

3 steps to stop breast pumping

Convincing your baby to switch to powdered milk is not always a piece of cake... Far from being born yesterday, your child will quickly see the difference between powdered milk and yours, and understand that the liquid used for breakfast has nothing to do with what he was used to consuming until now.

A long sequence of cries, screams and protests may follow, leaving you in a rather uncomfortable position. What should you do? Throw in the towel and risk leaving your baby with an empty stomach until he finally deigns to take this new formula?

1. Accept that weaning is a long process

First of all, it's important to recognize that your baby isn't really having a tantrum, but is in a state of panic. Not giving in to your little one's anguish is not the solution, and will only reinforce his anxiety. Your milk has always been a comforting habit.

The weaning stage is an upheaval in your child's life.

Although he's capable of adapting to the world around him, he can experience every change as a real crisis. If the texture, taste or temperature of his milk suddenly turns out to be different, he could sulk at his meal!

Breastfeeding, or bottles of breast milk if you're pumping, shouldn't be stopped overnight. Things can just as easily happen as you go along, and shouldn't be rushed.

👶 Mixed breastfeeding: reconciling breast and bottle.

2. Mix breast milk with infant milk, gradually reducing doses

To wean your baby, proceed in stages and "cut" the powdered milk with breast milk for the first few days, so that your child detects the taste he's familiar with. Ideally, the first bottles should contain ¾ breast milk, and ¼ powdered milk.

Then, if you find that baby accepts his meals well in this way, you can reduce the gap between the different milks by going half and half... And so on, until your child takes his bottles of formula milk for good.

⚠️At tention !

You need to ensure that mealtimes correspond to the daily recommendations on the milk cans.

If your child is not satisfied with the first mixture, reduce the proportion of powdered milk even further, even if it means only 10% of the total volume of milk in the bottle. The aim, of course, is to gentlyaccustom your baby to new flavors .

3. Try different milk flavours

The taste sometimes differs from brand to brand. Not to mention the different flavors of cereals you can add to milk to make bottle-feeding easier. Be careful not to overuse these cereal preparations, as they are very sweet and should be consumed in moderation.

While some parents immediately find the ideal candidate, others have to sacrifice a few cans of milk and part of their budget to find the rare pearl that will delight their offspring's taste buds... There's no such thing as equality when it comes to weaning, so be patient and conciliatory!

Find out more about the different types of milk powder for your baby 🥛

Is it possible to interrupt the weaning phase and resume breastfeeding with a breast pump?

Do you realize you may have made a mistake? 🤨

Was your desire to stop breastfeeding or pumping not your own, but that of those around you who thought they were doing the right thing by advising you? If your body is still producing breast milk, it is possible to reverse the trend and interrupt the weaning process by offering baby the breast again, just like in the good old days.

With perseverance and frequent feedings, lactation will start again, although it may take a few days.

If your lactation has stopped for good, things get even more complicated. But it's not impossible for your body to receive the signal to reproduce milk! Put your baby to the breast as much as possible or use a breast pump to encourage the return of lactation.

Did you know? 💡

Contrary to popular belief, you don't need to have been pregnant and given birth to start breastfeeding!

Prolactin is the hormone that enables the secretion of breast milk, and is produced in large quantities at birth. Today, it is possible to breastfeed a child carried by another mother, for example, in the context of an adoption.

The process is long and tedious, requiring hormone treatment at least six weeks before the first feeds. Prolactin is then supplied to the woman's body in medicated form. This is known as induced lactation, a procedure developed by the famous Canadian paediatrician Jack Newman.

What is natural weaning?

In the case of unscheduled breastfeeding, we talk about natural weaning. This method involves letting your baby decide the ideal time to wean himself. In this situation, you don't have to do anything except wait for your child to abandon your breast and demand a drink less often. This usually happens between the ages of 2 and 6, a wide range which means you need to be patient.

Some mothers have breastfed their babies for many years before weaning finally took hold. There's no set path, and we recommend you follow your instincts.

With breast pumps, it's more difficult to talk about natural weaning. Because baby is not the one who decides what goes into the bottle, things are different! So it's up to you to decide on the ideal moment. However, you can observe the signs that your child is ready to go without breast milk, to give him a chance to express his opinion on the matter:

A lack of interest in the bottle you hand him,
More frequent cravings for solid foods,
Increased demand for dairy products (yoghurts, cheeses, cottage cheeses, etc.).

What you need to know from this article

Breast pumps make weaning easier, as your baby is already used to the bottle.
It's important to take a gentle approach, offering to split his meals with breast milk to reassure him. Depending on your baby's reactions, it may be necessary to try out different types of formula.
If you go back, lactation may or may not resume, depending on how far along you are in weaning.
Finally, ifyou're breast-feeding, it's possible to let things evolve without intervening and opt for natural weaning, although this sometimes means breast-feeding your baby for several years at a time. If you're pumping, you can trust your baby to let you know that he's ready to do without your milk.