When Jaxson was a newborn I remember the only thing I really found difficult about caring for him, besides the major sleep deprivation, was trying to breast feed him. The challenges never seemed to end.
At the very beginning it was a challenge because all he seemed to do was eat, and for hours on end, because my milk hadn’t come in. And it didn’t come in for almost two weeks!

Once that problem was solved I had an issue with how much milk I was producing – not enough. I’ve never experienced the let-down sensation or ever had a problem with leaking or having to pump if I’ve gone too long between feedings.
Before you break out the jealousy cries, I have to say I’d rather have to wear pads in my bra than have a non-stop screaming baby because I can’t feed him enough. It was tough.
To fix this problem my doctor prescribed Domperidone to increase my milk supply.

So, by the time I got a regular schedule worked out, and I was producing enough milk, my boy was growing so healthily and quickly that he just needed more milk than I could give him by the end of the day. (I didn’t even have enough milk to pump during the day to give him that instead of formula)

This started the supplementing with formula stage, which quickly began a long weaning process.
I started my weaning by replacing Jaxson’s last nursed feeding with an 8 ounce bottle of formula. This quickly became his last two feedings when my milk supply dropped off considerably by the end of the day.

As of now I nurse him for his first two to three feedings of the day and the rest (3-4 feedings) are formula.
He’s almost 6 months old now, and I had planned on stopping the nursing by about now anyhow, but I’m getting a little emotional about it as I love our first thing in the morning cuddles in bed while I feed him. For all the trouble breast feeding has seemed to be, that I will definitely miss!

Currently my 5-½ month old, Jaxson, is changing his sleeping habits, starting to teeth and being weaned off breast-feeding, and it is not making for a happy camper! I’ll clue you into little hints that I’ve come to learn for myself.

It seems sleeping habits change frequently, around every 2-3 weeks. My son was taking a 15-20 minute nap at around 6:30pm and then going to sleep at 9pm, but now it seems he has decided to forego his nap and head straight to bed at 8pm. I believe this is because the seasons are changing and so it’s getting darker earlier.

The first few days I tried making him take his late nap and then keep him up until his regular 9pm bedtime. I found this just had me dealing with a very cranky baby for that last hour and a half before bed.

Mommy’s Tip: Let them sleep when they’re tired and then deal with whatever that means for later in the night/morning. The faster you learn this the easier their transition into the new phase will be – for both of you! I’ve been trying to hold onto some semblance of a schedule since he was born, and I’m realizing it’s just not up to me anymore!

Jaxson has been showing signs of teething for almost two months now, the incessant drooling, sticking everything he can get his hands on into his mouth, and rubbing his gums a lot. So far, no teeth and a sometimes very upset little man.

Mommy’s Tip: Teething rings or pacifiers that you store in the fridge come in handy to help soothe their sore gums. Gripe water helps take the edge off for this and several other annoyances such as hiccups and upset tummy. And finally rub their gums with your finger or knuckle, Jax LOVES this!

Some Mom’s won’t notice much fussiness during this time, but other “lucky” mom’s (like me!) can use all the help they can get!

Weaning off the breast milk hasn’t been too much of a chore. I’ve been taking away one feeding about every two weeks, and substituting it with a bottle of formula.

The only thing I’ve noticed to be a challenge is my son likes to snack, and it’s not so easy to quickly prepare a small bottle, which he’ll eat about an ounce of, as it is to just feed him your self.

Waiting for that bottle to warm up can seem like the longest 2 minutes of your life!