Is it possible to nurse once a day

See What can I do when baby wants a faster milk flow? Partial weaning can be an option for working moms :. Partial weaning in a work situation generally involves offering the child formula , milk , or other foods when mom and baby are separated, and nursing only when mom and baby are together. Some of these moms encourage their child to reverse cycle nurse more when mom and baby are together so that few or no supplements are needed during work hours. Some moms feel that their supply decreases too much when they are nursing infrequently and not pumping at all.

The key to maintaining your breastfeeding relationship without pumping during work hours is to only nurse when you are with baby. For example, if you have a regular five-day-per-week daytime job, then use no bottles during the evening or on weekends. Children mature at varying rates and will wean at different ages.

Some continue to breastfeed during pregnancy and may go on to feed both children. This is called tandem nursing. Nor will weaning from night feeds guarantee that your child will sleep from dusk till dawn. Older babies and toddlers still wake for a number of reasons—hunger, thirst, discomfort, pain, bad dreams or teething.

Your child will need your attention and care for years yet. Providing other kinds of attention can sometimes be more tiring than simply nursing! Ending breastfeeding before your baby or toddler is ready to stop involves effort on your part.

If you are tired or overwhelmed, taking things slowly may be easier for both of you. You are in the best position to know what sorts of attention will be the most acceptable substitute for nursing for your child. It can take a little trial and error to work out the best options for your child and some may work better than others at different times of the day. Change daily routines so your child is not reminded about nursing—avoid sitting in your usual nursing chair; get up promptly for breakfast; introduce a bed-time routine that includes a sleep cue, such as a music CD or story which can continue when breastfeeding has stopped.

Sit together and have a drink and a snack yourself. This can emphasise the pleasure of sharing food and is a way of giving attention to compensate for the closeness of breastfeeding. Suggest an interesting activity to distract a child from nursing: visit the park or a friend; cook together; involve him in helping you with your work. Give your child your full attention and save phone calls, emails and your own activities for later. Stay at home and keep things calm to help a child who asks to nurse when he is overwhelmed.

Postponement can be an effective weaning method for helping wean older children who can cope with waiting, but note that it can make some children all the more determined to nurse. Shorter feeds may work for older children and can be combined with substitution and distraction. You could follow a short nursing with a snack and drink. Some mothers count or sing a nursery rhyme to limit the length of a feed.

Whether you choose to use a bottle, an open cup or a spouted beaker to replace breastfeeds will depend on your individual circumstances. Introduce bottles only if your baby seems to need the comfort of sucking from one. An older baby or toddler may like to drink from an open cup so that bottles are unnecessary.

A baby tends to drink larger amounts at each feed from a bottle than from the breast so he may need fewer bottles per day than his usual number of breastfeeds. Building plenty of time into your weaning strategy will allow you to try different approaches and decide what works best for you both.

It will enable you to slow down the pace if your baby is ill or teething, or when life is hectic. For your own comfort the younger your baby the slower you may need to wean. If you are actively working towards stopping breastfeeding, cut out one feed per day, no more often than every two or three days. This will allow your milk production to decrease slowly avoiding uncomfortable fullness and reducing your risk of becoming engorged or developing mastitis.

Even a short feed or hand expressing a small amount of milk can make a difference. See Engorged Breasts—avoiding and treating for more suggestions. Naptime and bedtime breastfeeds are often the last to go and can seem the hardest to end, because they are often a cue for sleep. Some mothers continue with these, even when daytime weaning is complete.

La Leche League does not advocate sleep-training techniques in which babies or children are left to cry for long periods. These methods for training young babies to fall asleep alone can be distressing for all involved and may be psychologically damaging. A well-attached child likes to know someone who loves him is close by when he goes to sleep. Develop a simple bedtime routine so your little one knows what to expect.

Some pumps work great for some people and not so great for others. In fact, some people find that they get more milk out of a manual pump and some by hand expressing! Remember to take your prenatal vitamins and supplements.

As you produce more breast milk, your body will need lots of nutrients. Avoid alcohol, smoking, and tight bras, as these can all negatively affect your ability to produce milk! Spend lots of time skin-to-skin with your little one. This will help get those loving feelings and hormones! Drink more water. In addition to drinking regular water, you may want to consider some lactation tea. Consider working with a lactation consultant.

They can also offer pumping advice to maximize the amount of milk you are getting out of your breasts with your pump. Get extra sleep or a massage! This can also get the necessary hormones to create breast milk flowing. Avoid pacifiers , bottle nipples, and supplementing with formula if possible. The more your little one sucks at the breast instead of a pacifier or bottle, the more your breasts will be stimulated and encouraged to produce milk. Try some galactagogues foods that may increase your milk production.

Some popular ones include:. Another great galactagogue to consider? Instead of letting yourself become fearful and stressed, take action to increase your milk supply. Take care of yourself by getting some extra sleep, drinking more water and even lactation tea, and enjoying skin-to-skin contact with your baby.

Over time, these small steps can lead to a significant increase in breast milk production. While you may not wake up the next day to a freezer full of stored breast milk, every little bit of milk you produce can make a big difference for your little one. These recipes can help boost your lactation supply. Finding the best breast pump for you can be a challenge.

That's why we've put together this list of options for every budget.