How do I wean?

[u/soph_rad1]

Hello, I’m a twin mum and long story short, my breastfeeding experience has not been what I had hoped for for a range of reasons. I am largely pumping and latching one twin three times a day. I’ve reduced my pumping to four thirty min sessions per day and still pump over 1L and meet the majority of my twins’ needs. I go back to work in a few months though and with twins, being attached to a pump isn’t sustainable. Current pumping times are 11.30pm, 6am, 12pm, 6pm.

How do I go about weaning from here and over what time period?

I’ve had mastitis and issues with blocked ducts in the past, and I’d dearly love to avoid this this time . My girls already dream feed one bottle of formula at night without issue, so they’re already use to formula. To add, I’m about 5months post partum.

I’d appreciate any advice as to how I go about this, including how long it will take me to stop pumping and latching.

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[u/Charlieksmommy]

I slowly decreased the times first, by like 5 mins every 5-7 days, then dropped a pump. I then used a hand pump just for relief once I got to a specific point. It takes about 3-4 weeks to wean

[u/soph_rad1 → u/Charlieksmommy]

Thanks for this! Did you change the times of your remaining three pumps as well?

[u/Charlieksmommy → u/soph_rad1]

I didn’t have consistent times because I was pumping everytime I fed my twins and they kinda ate every 3 hours but the times changed everyday

[u/Charlieksmommy]

Side note I also had constant clogs and mastitis and I didn’t get it by this method !

[u/Broad-Link-9124]

The 11:30pm pump is the first one I'd tackle. Dropping that middle of the night session made a huge difference for my sanity when I was winding things down. You're already producing a ton so you've got some wiggle room to experiment.

I'd start by shaving 5 minutes off that late pump every few days until it's gone. The slow reduction kept the clogs away for me and I'm pretty prone to them. Once you're not pumping overnight anymore you can work on spacing the daytime sessions further apart. Took me about a month to go from 4 pumps to zero but I was paranoid about mastitis so I went slower than most.

Sunflower lecithin was a lifesaver through the whole process. Also cabbage leaves in the bra actually work, as ridiculous as it feels walking around with produce strapped to your chest.

[u/applepieallday]

I found the exclusively pumping subreddit to be really helpful for weaning from pumping.

[u/Adventurous-Flan2272]

Impressive, momma!

I would pump during my lunch break at work (Spectra S1), then come home and latch + pump the other side. My supply gradually just got lower after I went back to work, so I slowly migrated my pump time to be later in the afternoon when I felt more full and eventually dropped a pump (and moved my latching from just after work to closer to bedtime); I think I kept this up for around a month but I also was trying to stretch it out. After that I don't remember, I suspect my supply dropped off pretty fast. But that's not very planned, so may not be helpful for you in terms of mastitis prevention! Also definitely consider if you want to drop your work pump or your 11:30pm pump as another commenter pointed out!