When To Stop Breastfeeding
When all my children were babies I said that I would breastfeed them for as long as they were interested (within reason of course!) and both Rachel and Jake weaned themselves at just over a year old. Daniel seemed a much more enthusiastic feeder though, and up until a few weeks ago I could imagine me feeding him for at least another six months. How wrong I was.
It takes very little to knock a baby out of his routine. Last weekend Gerard and I were exhibhiting our flashcards at a local craft fair and Daniel was looked after by my sisters for most of the weekend. Before this point Daniel would take formula or breast milk in a bottle very grudgingly, and would never drink more than a few ounces. By the time Monday came around I could hardly get him to take a breastfeed at all.
I am now lucky if he takes a good breastfeed first thing in the morning, after that if I offer it to him, he just bites me (he is cutting 4 teeth at once, so I’m sure that explains a lot). He loves his bottle and in fact when he saw me take one out of the dishwaher during the week he went crazy and tried to throw himself out of my arms to get at it. He only calmed when I made up some formula and gave him a drink.
I am guessing that my days of breastfeeding are now numbered. I am glad to have been able to give my babies the best start in life, and I will miss being the one to provide their nourishment in a way no one else can. But as I seem to point out on this blog at least once a week, my children are growing up FAST! Soon I will have no babies left at all.
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im so glad i found your page i had to struggle with the “when to stop” problem.my 1st child was formula fed and i have been breastfeeding my 2nd(def the best way!)but after 8 and a half months i had enough.there was no routine as she was on demand and would only sleep in my bed with my boob out!last night she had her first bottle of follow on milk and slept in her cot all night!!!just after any advice on sore over full boobs and if you know anyway to speed up getting rid of breast milk.
Hannah, glad I was able to help! 8 and a half months is fantastic, way more than most people manage…well done!
As for the over full and sore boobs, my HV told me that it is better not to just stop breastfeeding all at once. This can lead to blocked ducts and mastitis. You might find it easier if over the next week or two, you express some milk, cutting down the amount of ‘feeds’ every few days until you have decreased the amount of milk your body is making.
Other than that, green cabbage leaves are supposed to grant ome relief, but I never fancied it!
Help… I’ve made my descion to stop breastfeeding Lonan as he no longer sees me as a source of food but also play impliments, and at 7months feel as though I’ve done well enough. I returned back to work in June when he was five months old and had cut my feeds right back, however I have now gone cold turkey and having looked at few websites and now feeling very bad as they all say don’t it is to traumatic for both of us and painful (I can agree with both as I am soooo very sore, but have been using cabbage leaves) I would like to persit as I’ve gone 48hrs since the last feed and to go back will in my eyes be silly. I just really wanted to ask as to how long to expect to feel full and sore and when to expect the milk to go?!
In my humble experience the worst of the pain will go within the week, although you can expect minor leakage for as long as a few months afterwards.
How is Lonan doing on formula? I wouldn’t worry about what other people say. If he is happy and you are happy then thats all that matters. And as you say, you had cut back on feeds anyway, so its not a complete shock to him.
Well done for lasting so long!
Hi, I have just stopped breas feeding after two weeks. I feel such a failure. My milk was not providing my new born with enough calories. She was born at 7lb 15oz, and by two weeks old, she is now 7lb 2oz. She has lost so much, and look very pale. She was pooing green, and generally always unhappy. I gave her the first formula and her eye lit up, she made contented noises when drinking and slept for 4 hours. She has now had 4 feeds on formula and looks like a different baby. Im finding it hard to accept that I could not give her the nourishment, but on the other hand Im happy that shes happy. x
Please don’t feel guilty! You tried your very hardest and that is what counts. Anyway don’t they say that the first three days are the most important, and you surpassed that by far.
My Baby is 16 weeks old and i have made the descision to stop breast feeding him as he is still waking frequently in the night and feeding every 2.5 hours during the day, he weighs 20lbs already and seems to need so much food! I am feeling very emotional at the moment and not sure that i am doing the right thing but i feel that i need to start getting my life back! am i wrong to feel like this?!
Please don’t get yourself all upset. Only you know what is right for your baby. It is common knowledge that bigger babies can be more challenging to breastfeed. All mine weighed over 9lbs when they were born and they fed constantly. I know how tiring it can be.
The only thing I would say is make sure it isn’t a snap judgement. On a few occasions I came very close to giving up BF, but then decided to wait for a few days and see if I still felt the same way. Often I did change my mind.
You have done so well to stick at it for so long, and if this is something you have thought through, and you believe it is right, then you have no reason to feel bad. Your baby is very lucky to have a mother who thinks so much about their welfare.
I am so fed up with hearing these poor mothers suffer unbearable guilt as they are forced from circumstance to formula feed their babies.
Please remember girls its swings and roundabouts, whilst breast is best, the number of chemical contaminants such as parabens which are found in breast milk would never be present in something as sterile as formula, especially if organic.
I breast fed for 6 months but stopped due to all the medicines that are rattling around in my body that invariably ended up in the milk. So guess where my worries lie!!!
Every mother usually tries her utmost, don’t forget guilt is something you’d have whether you breast fed or not! well done to all of us for trying whether successful or not.
Hi, I’ve been breastfeeding my daughter for two whole years, she’s my 3rd child but the only one I have breastfed. She doesnt breastfeed during the day, and hasnt for some time, she has never had a bottle and always refused even trying them. The problem I now have is I’m finding it so hard at night to wean her off.I just dont know what to do and I’m being driven to despair with it, she wont settle without it and throughout the night my breast will be out ready to feed. I just want some advice from somewhere about what to do???? Please help???