giving up breast

[lysh]

I still combo feed as I am having limited success increasing my milk supply. I was curious for those that had to go FF full time (not there yet, but just in case) and had to wean their LOs off of the breast, how did you do it and how did it go?

My LO is a very fussy baby and LOVES BFing. It is what puts her to sleep and it is sometimes the only thing that comforts her when she is screaming. For that reason, I keep trying to keep my supply going. Just in case this does not work out and my supply drops, did anyone else have to go through this with a LO who LOVED the breast? Paci wont cut it either.

If so, love to hear your story!

 

[Bats11]

Sad to say but I gave up my breast last weekend due to ongoing mastitis.

I didnt wean I just switched striaght to formula and she has been brilliant, pooing, no belly pains or any type of discomfort, its been really good with my little girl.

All the best x

 

[amiii]

I wanted to combo feed so I introduced a bottle around 3 weeks. After a week he forgot how to breastfeed and I also had a clogged milk duct so I got comfortable with the bottle.

I will never forgive myself for doing this cause he loved to BF so much. It put him to sleep and it also gave him comfort. After bottle feeding for a couple of weeks he got colicky and changed so much. He swallowed a lot of air no matter what bottle we tried (I seriously have every bottle on the market). I also miss breast feeding really much.

It seems like something easy to do now but you will miss it. Can you keep combo feeding? Nurse for comfort? If I were you I wouldn't give up just yet. But whatever you decide, I'm sure you know what's best for your LO better than I do. I just wanted to share my experience so you don't regret it like I do.

 

[Bumblebee117]

I Miss my Twins breastfeeding a Lot (stopped complitely Last week After 3 weeks of combifeeding and exclusively breastfeeding before) but my supply decreased so much i didn't want to let them starve.

Mine were both happy to get Some milk Down them as they Sucked and sucked and they didn't get satisfied anymore.

I think that the more Used your lo gets to the Bottle, the more comforting it will become for both of you. Try to persevere with the paci if you want her to Take it.

My Boy Took it when i offered it at 8 weeks but my Girl wouldnt, my mum finally got her to like One at 3 Months Old and now she is a thumb Sucker After 2 weeks of loving the paci.

Good luck hun, xx

 

[youngwife20]

Hey hun. i agree dont give up yet. try power pumping to increase ur supply if u have a pump i had to pump to bring my milk in and thats what i did pumped every hour lol though you dont wanna end up with an oversupply try for a day or two also try and go to ur doctorrs see if you can get domperidone they use it to increase supply. dont give up unless u really want to i stopped exclusivly pumping when my daughter was 5 and ahalf months and i was really ready if i stoped before i would have regreted it. do whats best for you though hun if u are for sure ready then do it xx just make sure ur aware of all the options proir to making ur disciison

 

[Sarachka]

Really only switch completely when you 100% KNOW that's what you want to do, as there's no going back. But make the decision based on how YOU feel, and what works best for you and your baby, no outside pressure.

Elina nursed a LOT, cluster feeding every evening, nursing to sleep etc. She wasn't gaining weight though so we introduced one bottle of formula a night when she was about a month old. She'd also have cartons if we were out for the day. This was fine until I got ill with my gall bladder and wasn't able to nurse and she had to move mainly to bottles, with the odd BF here and there, once a day, once every two days etc. Eventually my supply just died and she's now exclusively on formula.

In her first month she lost a whole pound and wasn't back to her birth weight until she was 5 weeks old. She had a tongue tie and I never felt she was getting enough. I wanted to introduce formula much sooner but didn't because I didn't want to regret it and had pressure from my OH not to do so.

I totally sympathise with posters above me who switched and regretted it, that must be horrible for them. That's why I kept going even when I didn't really want to. I can honestly say now though that I'm so much happier on formula and Elina is absolutely happy and healthy. She sleeps really well, didn't have any issues with bottles, teats, switched between bottle and breast etc, and now takes a dummy which soothes her to sleep. I know I am really very lucky that she's had no issues with the swap, no everyone is like that.

Bottom line - only when you're ready, and don't feel any parental guilt. We can only do our best!

 

[lysh]

Thanks ladies..I am not ending BFing yet, I just wanted to hear experiences others had in case we do have to go that route. I am a worrier and its a concern in the back of my head because my LO loves it so much.We are continuing to combi feed right now. I have worked with my doctor and started seeing an LC. I also attend a weekly BF support group. I have tried and continue to try natural methods (mother's milk tea, 1 beer a day) and I pump. She has also been cluster feeding since day 1...every hour to hour and a half and I have let her in hopes in helps. It just gets discouraging when I am not seeing a difference in my pumping sessions by now (LC said I should have by now) and when I try decreasing formula (even slowly) it does not work out well. DD does well when topped off every now and then, otherwise she will eventually, frantically suck at my nipples, pull at them and become frustrated.
I have not given up yet, but there are times I wonder if my supply will dwindle away. Right now what we are doing works, but I just needed to hear that other moms have successfully weaned their LOs off of the breast (even if they loved the breast) without causing emotional damage (well maybe to mom!).
In the US we do not have domperidone...it is not an FDA approved medication here so I would have to order it out of country and not under the guidance of my doc which makes me nervous. So I will have to just keep doing what I am doing and see!
Thank you again for your responses!

 

[youngwife20]

yur very welcome and yeh id leave the domperidone if ur doc recomends against it. i realy hope it works for u hun ur doing amazing! try to relax stress is a propper supply killer! keep calm

 

[Irish Eyes]

My LO absolutely loved the breast! He would feed every 90 minutes (usually every hour) and it was the only thing that could stop him crying or send him to sleep. The biggest thing I was worried about was how to sooth him when he was taking a bottle.

To make it easier I starting letting my hubby rock him to sleep instead of immediately offering the breast if I knew he was tired. Then I started rocking him & finding him "comfy position" which I didn't even know he had. Now he's EFF and it's very easy to sooth him!