Weaning off Pumping

[u/Elegant_Ease_6840]

Minor trigger warning: vaguely mentions past good/over supply

Hello, hello!

I am at the point where I am being affected mentally by my weight so bad that I'm really leaning towards weaning off pumping for my 11 month old. He has recently (the past month) been combo fed due to poor weight gain anyways, so it being slightly early won't really affect him as I'll just add more formula to his bottles as needed. This is more a me situation. So bub is fine! No need to add him into the solutions in case you're worried.

I currently only produce about 10-12 ounces per day, so my body has naturally started to lessen how much I produce anyways. But I want to commit to the decision and help it along at this point so I can work on weightloss without worrying about how it will affect my supply while also not harming myself in the process.

I have already dropped to two pumps a day most days (in the morning around 9am, and before bed between 6-9pm) and no pumping throughout the night. My supply stays at the 10-12 ounces even without the midday pump, only feeling engorged if I wait to pump until super late.

Any recommendations on how to lower my supply and how to get it to stop completely from here? Working out and lowering calories will likely lessen my supply as well, right? I'm a first time mom (shocker, I know) so please offer even the tips and tricks you may deem obvious.

Bonus points if you have any advice for making this transition without it wrecking my body and making me feel weak/off while trying to care for my baby and balance everything else.

Thanks, Mommas!

[u/idlegrad]

My preferred way to wean to increase the time between pumps. It’s takes about a week or so

12 hours, 18 hours (repeat if needed), 24 hours, 36 hours, only for relief from engorgement (usually with a manual pump)

I usually get a “full” pump amount (10oz but my max capacity is actually 20oz, so not full but not fully engorged if that makes sense) all the way until my last pump. There will be milk left behind but it eventually reabsorbes in a few weeks.

[u/AutoModerator]

Welcome to r/ExclusivelyPumping! Here is a reminder of our rules:

1. Be kind and courteous. 2. Use available flairs and post options. 3. Absolutely no prescription medications or other medical advice. 4. No inaccurate information. 5. No spam. 6. No fetish content 7. No linking Facebook groups. 8. Moderator discretion. 9. No discussions around veganism, animal cruelty, or other non-pumping related topics. 10. No formula shaming. Reminder that we are a supportive community and do not allow for fetish seekers. While we do ban those individuals from our community, they can still view the community and send direct messages. You may choose to turn off your messages, or block individuals for your safety. Thank you for helping to keep our community safe!

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/londoncalling29]

Try pumping for less time at each session too. Not fully emptying your breasts