Looking to stop pumping

[Megandelv88]

Hey everyone. So the babes is going to be 11 months on 9/6! He breastfeeds like a champ. Lately, or probably over a month now, he rarely takes his bottle with the sitter but eats table food like a maniac. I have always pumped at work since I started back when he was 3 months. I have QUITE the stash. Its actually overflowing and I'm running out of room to put it in the freezer when I come home everyday. I'm thinking about stopping pumping at work. I am a little nervous but I'm not sure why if that makes sense. I do want to try and start weaning after the 1 year mark and introduce cows milk. Which is basically 1 month away. So my feelings are, if I stop pumping, I have plenty in the freezer if we need it and once he is a year, we will slowly make the transition to cows milk. If it doesn't work out, I can always pump when I am home at night or something of the sort if I end up losing my "during the day supply". He nurses very little as it is. Usually he wakes 3-5 am and comes into bed with us, nurses and goes back to sleep. Then wakes again around 7-8 and nurses for the morning. Then usually nurses when I come home from work around 4 but past two days has not nursed when I have gotten home until bed time (630ish).

Has anyone had past experience or suggestions?

Also, if baby stops nursing (after 1 yr), do you HAVE to give bottles? Or is that just a comfort thing? I'm unsure if its a benefit to their health to try to squeeze bottles in once hes past breast milk or if it just helps them to relax?

 

[noon_child]

If you introduce bottles you just have to take them away again and they aren't recommended past around 1yr because of the impact on tooth formation etc. Whether you decide you'd like to offer formula in a cup/beaker or just cows milk is up to you, but obviously formula is expensive and not necessary if you have a child who eats a varied diet. It depends how he reacts to cows milk or formula. My LO refused all cows milk till after she had weaned off breastmilk. However they don't need a huge amount if they eat yoghurt and cheese etc and vegan children survive on other sources entirely!

 

[Megandelv88]

He has already taken a bottle for quite some time. We had him being able to receive a bottle before I went back to work when he was 3 months. My plan is to attempt cows milk after 1 yr (which is just 1 month away). I'm just talking about stopping pumping during the day when I'm at work. He still nurses. But he very rarely takes the bottle with his babysitter. I also don't think formula/breast milk is needed after 1 yr, I'm wondering if its a comfort thing instead of a nutritional thing if they have a good diet.