I want to stop breast feeding

[Joygrrr]

My baby is 10 weeks old and I have EBF the whole while but I'm feeling like I want to stop, he only goes 2 hours in the day and is cranky most of the time and I think he's hungry - i gave him 5oz of formula this morning but I can't help but feel guilty, I'd love some advice and support please

 

[Dream.dream]

At ten weeks old eating every 2 hours is normal for a baby formula fed or breast fed . It's hard but that's what they need . Also may be coming up to a growth spurt an is trying to build up your milk supply , they have a growth spurt around 8 and 12 weeks .

Are you sure baby is hungry? Is he giving you feeding cues ? Sometime might be another reason baby is crying and may nurse for comfort . Baby may also just be hungry but of it is baby may be just as hungry on formula and then you have to worry about making bottles and mixing formula every 2 hours instead of just latching baby

Don't give up just yet , breastfeeding really is best for you and your baby

 

[staralfur]

Every two hours is normal at that age and there's no guarantee that he'll go any longer between feeds on formula. As the PP said, then you're dealing with making and sterilizing bottles and you might find that it's even harder.

How are his naps? If he seems cranky a lot of the time it could be a sleep issue rather than a feeding issue.

 

[Joygrrr]

He sleeps alot still - and when he is awake it's not long before he's cranky and either a feed or shushing to sleep will settle him- I'm not sure what I want really, I just want him to be happy and I'm not sure my milk is enough

 

[Millnsy]

Switching to formula is not the magic bullet that will fix everything and breast feeding is not the demon monster that causes all problems! Have confidence in your body and your choices and I am sure in a couple of days things will seem better. Have a look through the threads on this forum and you will see so many where people have started introducing formula and it is a slippery to the end of breast feeding.

I'm not saying formula is bad, if you choose to switch that's fine but make sure it's for the right reasons and that you won't regret it.

 

[Kellen]

At ten weeks I'm pretty sure my LO lived on my boob! We were literally feeding every 45 minutes to an hour, with a nap in between each feed. Turns out it was a lovely growth spurt that we were experiencing.

Now she is 18 weeks and still eats every 2-2.5 hours during the day and 1 or 2 times during the night. Her teeth are bothering her right now so the lovely 13 hour STTN is all gone...

Like PP said, trust your body. BF is an amazing experience that cannot be replaced. It also seems a whole lot faster and cheaper than formula, in my opinion. But if you feel that formula is the right decision for your family then go for it. I'd check out the FF section of the forum and see what they have to say about the frequency of feeds at 10 weeks.

 

[LuluSS]

My son is 6 months old and still nurses every two hours! There could be other reasons why he is crying.

 

[LDC]

It does sound normal, my lo was constantly on the boob for a long time at the start and it is really hard and quite smothering/draining for you.

Try and stick with it if you can, it's so worth it when the feeds start becoming spaced out more. Enjoy that time where back is happy to just sit and be cuddled, I'd love that time back again.

It will get better I promise, it just gets realllllly hard before that hits xx

 

[Serafina83]

I felt like giving up sooo many times at first, but it does get easier honestly.

 

[TheNewMrs]

Is it that you want to stop breastfeeding or you want to not have to feed 2 hourly?

You can stop breastfeeding of course, if thats what you want to do and I have no problem with giving you the information you need to do that. If its that you dont want to be feeding 2 hourly I'm afraid it comes with the job. You baby needs little and often. Some babies go 3/4 hours at a time, some don't. It seems like yours just needs more regular feeding which is normal and healthy for his age. Formula won't change that. You can of course do scheduled feeding if thats what you want, but you did say you wanted him to be happy and scheduled feeding will not help that at all!

Have you read https://theleakyboob.com/2011/08/baby-explains-normal-newborn-behavior/ ??

Its explaining normal, healthy, newborn behaviour.

Remember when they said "Enjoy your sleep, rest, quiet time now, because when baby comes there wont be any"? - They really ment it!

 

[shorman]

Stop if you want Hun but make sure urs what you really want bf babies do feed more than ff babies you should talk to a expert.

 

[Emma&Freya]

I stopped breastfeeding after a few days as our Freya would feed for an hour then scream high heavens! So I thought she wasnt getting any milk from me. I gave her a bottle once after a 2 hour feed on my breast and she screamed again, gave her a bottle (thank goodness Mum bought me a tub for a just incase!) she demolished it!

My friend is 4 weeks into breastfeeding and she has openly admitted shes struggling but shes going to wean him soon onto forumla.

Noone can tell you right from wrong its your choice

 

[beeba]

My baby is ten weeks on Tuesday and also feeds every 1.5 - 2 hours. Recently, he's started feeding for longer periods and sleeps on the boob and if I try to unlatch him he'll wake up and cry. What I do is sit with my laptop next to me, put him on the boob and browse the Internet all day. I'm taking advantage of the opportunity to just sit around lazily and not be expected to do anything. I know it's exhausting but I'm sure that giving him formula is not going to make things any easier. Think about all the bottles you're going to have to clean and sterilize, the night wakings are going to be longer for you both as well. When LO wakes up, I just give him the boob and he falls back asleep in about 30 min since he doesn't fully wake up and feeds while drowsy. If I were to get up and make him a bottle though I'm sure he would just scream and cry until not only he, but everyone in the neighbourhood is wide awake. You've made it this far, it would be such a shame if you quit now. You didn't quit when your nipples were sore and feeding was a nightmare so why quit now? You're strong you can get through this. Just hang in there for a bit longer and you'll see that it will get easier. Did I also mention that my baby still wakes up every 2 - 3 hours at night? And not only does he need to be fed, but changed as well since he only goes at night I'm telling you this because I want you to know that you are not alone. I'm in the same boat and I'm telling you it will get better

 

[jessicaR4bbit]

Just wanted to say that feeding that frequently in the first few months is completely normal, as is feeding every 45 minutes and seemingly, constantly. Babies go through many growth spurts and will seem unsatisfied with your boobs. I can vividly recall Dexter screaming and crying at my boobs when they felt deflated and I couldn't seem to express a morsel, not even a drop. We'd be awake for hours and I despaired thinking it was the end for us only to be rewarded over the next few days with more milk, a more satisfied baby and more sleep. Supply and demand. The milk never runs dry, but no baby wants to have to work hard to satisfy a huge appetite to facilitate a growth spurt. Why you so often hear of women who switch to formula how their babies guzzle down 7/8 oz no problem because they were starving. Your boobs can't provide 7/8 oz of milk unless your baby tells them to.