advice on how to stop EBP at one year

[dalismom]

Hi all! I was just wondering how you stopped pumping, when weaning at a year. I EBF until 10.5 months when my ds got sick and refused the breast, I started EP then and have been since with the occasional whole milk to let him get use to it. I guess what I would like to know is, I am planning on cutting back on BM and giving more and more cows milk over the next few weeks ( he is 11.5 months now) and then go completely to cows milk eventually but I have no idea how to stop pumping, without getting mastitis. I am so afraid of that haha! I just stopped pumping in the middle of the night last week and my boobs were so sore at 6ish a.m. when I have been getting up to pump. I have cut back to 6 pumping sessions a day but I don't really know how to stop completely. Do you just gradual decrease each session or cut one out every couple of days completely? I am at a total loss. any advice is MUCH appreciated! WHen I asked the Dr, she said, oh just put cold compress on them if they get sore. Ughhhh that was not going to do it haha! I am honestly so done with pumping ( total kudos to all of you EBP mommas, it is HARD work!!!!) but I want to carry one for at least two more weeks, I want my year goal for my son but after that the sooner the better, of course without infection if at all possible

 

[seaweed eater]

Hey hon glad to hear you are still pumping!

I'm at 3 ppd now and I was able to just drop down from 6 sessions one at a time. I seem to have fairly high capacity though -- I rarely get very engorged. I waited a week or two between each dropped pump since I'm not planning to wean completely, but I didn't have any problems even in the first day of dropping each pump, so I probably could have gone every 3 days or so.

I think you have to go by your own boobs though

Some people reduce their output gradually before dropping a session completely. I've read that once you're at 2oz or less you can probably drop. Or instead of reducing output, you could reduce the amount of time you pump by 5min at a time. One of those may be a better way to go if dropping a pump at a time is too much.

 

[Amygdala]

I'd try dropping one pumping session and if you get uncomfortable, just express enough for some relief, no more. Do the same every day until you don't have to express at all at that time, then drop the next one. Should be fairly straight forward that way.