Many nursing mothers have a fear that they will have to stop breastfeeding because of a medical condition or medications they may be taking. While there are many medications which are safe to use while breastfeeding, there are some that are not. In these cases, the mother may need to wean her baby cold turkey. However, cold weaning comes with difficulty and risks for mother and baby. Some of these risks include engorgement that can cause clogged ducts or mastitis, depression which is common especially in mothers who suffer from PPD. Risks to the baby include stress, disconnection from the mother, and increased irritability.
If a mother has to cold wean, there are several ways to do it. If it’s only for a short time, she may pump and dump for the duration of the medication. This will allow her to maintain her supply until she can nurse her baby again. Doing so will help prevent engorgement and clogged ducts. If the condition is not temporary there are several ways to dry up the milk supply. Pumping just enough to relieve engorgement but not completely emptying the breast, cabbage leaves, and a tight compress will aid in stopping the production of milk.
Getting baby to take a bottle during the weaning process may be another hurdle. If you encounter this there are a few options. Donor milk is always recommended before formula. Baby is more likely to take breastmilk from a bottle than formula from a bottle, especially if they’re over 6 months of age. Another option is wet nursing- where another breastfeeding mother nurses your baby. This is an extremely effective method especially if the weaning is temporary. If the weaning is not temporary, you can slowly introduce formula by mixing half donor milk and half formula until baby will accept just formula. You can find donors and wet nurses through your local La Leche League or Human Milk For Human Babies.
If you’ve weaned your baby and you decide later to re-lactate, there are several things you can do to re-establish the milk supply. Relactation is hard work but is entirely possible. Even if a mother is not able to relactate dry nursing provides immeasurable bonding for mom and baby and an SNS system would do wonders for them. If baby will latch right away, nurse every 2-3hrs or as often as you can, especially even the evening and early morning. Even if baby doesn’t get any milk at first, the nursing will signal your breasts to produce milk. If baby won’t latch, you may pump, again every 2-3hrs, and once your breast starts producing milk you can give it to the baby in a bottle or sippy cup (depending on babies age.) Pumping after baby nurses is a good way to speed up the re-lactation process and will help establish a healthy milk supply.
La Leche League
Human Milk for Human Babies Donation Page
Kelly Mom Relactation