Susan presents an interesting situation...responding to the mother who asks the LC when/how to introduce formula. This generally causes LC angst, but can  be an opportunity to save the breastfeeding relationship.

If the mother, at about 1 month, needs to call the LC for weaning information, my guess is that she had planned on l breastfeeding longer, and is now scrambling for  information that she did not gather while pregnant. One of thoses" I don't need to know that, I am going to  breastfeed!" I wonder what happened to derail her plan?

It is only respectful to answer her question in a honest and staright forward manner. After collecting some information about the age of the baby, volume of milk produced, etc. one could say, "A safe and usually successful way to wean from breastfeeding is..." Give her the information she requested. After working out a weaning plan, you can ask, "by the way, can you tell me why you are weaning yourbaby now?" If you have developed some rapport while developing the weaning plan, she might very well reveal all that has been going on in the past month which has brought her to the decision to introduce formula...mastitis, poor infant weight gain, upcoming surgery, returning to work.many things go awry in that first month. 

Then, maybe, you can offer her some alternative soultions. Weaning is a part of breastfeeding. We need to be as willing to share good information about that issue as we are about a good latch! Beacuse you have been open and respectful (and then sympathetic/understanding of her reasons for introducing formula) it is often surprising how receptive a woman will be to a BF option, especially if breastfeeding was her original intention.

Weaning is a part of breastfeeding. IMHO, we need to be as willing to offer good information about the end of breastfeeding as we are about the beginning.

Anne Andrianos, LLLL, IBCLC in Syracuse, NY, USA


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