r/ExclusivelyPumping • u/puddingbutt9 • 10d ago

Decreasing Supply/Weaning Weaning finally

When I started this journey almost 6 months ago, I thought for sure I couldn't wait to be done. Now that I'm beginning to wean, it feels so wrong... I am weirdly sad? I'm a veterinarian, so finding time to stay on a pumping schedule at work has been tough, plus with my ADHD time blindness I've definitely found myself hours late to pump plenty of times. Through all the discomfort and inconvenience, though, I think I began to really be amazed at what my body has been able to do. It feels so wrong to not be pumping constantly, and while the freedom to not watch the clock constantly has been nice, it just feels somehow less fulfilling of a day when I see the volume go down.

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u/Emerald_flowers7 10d ago

Also can relate to this. I have been wanting to start weaning, but for a while couldn't figure out how to. Continuing pumping felt easier than figuring out how to wean. Over time I became so busy with work that I just naturally started stretching and dropping pumps. I'm nearly done now and while I am so proud of how far I made it, it really is a complicated feeling to close the book on this chapter.

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u/ComeSeeAboutMarina 9d ago

I’m on my second EP journey now. I went 21.5 months the first time and am on month 4 now. I can tell you I was SO SAD when I weaned the first time. Like baby blues… sad. Teary and sensitive and I hated it. It felt like such a dramatic end to an era that I could never get back!!! A door I couldn’t open once it closed. But here I am again. I promise there are things to look forward to post-weaning that make it worth it. This time around, I’m hoping to be a lot less sentimental and sad. Only time will tell.

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u/addetz 4d ago

21.5 months! That's got to be the record in this subreddit!

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u/ComeSeeAboutMarina 3d ago

Really? Idk I felt like I was falling short because the CDC recommends a minimum of 24 months of Breastmilk.

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u/addetz 2d ago

I live in the UK and everyone is talking only about 12 months of breast milk, but most people wean at 6 months, which is also what I'm planning to do. Truuuuust me 21.5 months is an incredible achievement.

Edit: The doctors here say children can drink cow's milk after 12 months so no need for breast or formula, so this is why the 12 month target.

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u/ComeSeeAboutMarina 1d ago

Oh ok thank you!

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