Some advice please..

[lukesmom]

I realize that this post might start a big discussion off but I have decided for a few different reasons that I want to stop breastfeeding,its been a tough desicion but Im pretty certain its the right one for me and my son.The thing is though Im not sure how to go about it-my son is only just over 2 weeks old so isnt THAT used to bfing and will happily take formula but Im not sure what to do with the milk that Im still making,I had to express some this morning as I woke up leaking and painful but if I do this will it keep my supply going? I dont want to cause offence to anyone posting this here but I need dome advice please..

 

[lukesmom]

Please...

 

[lukesmom]

Well thanks to all the people that looked but didnt reply..

 

[lynnikins]

hun i stopped bf my eldest at 3 1/2 wks and the engorgement is something that you do have to suffer through unfortunatly, hot baths/showers helped and just a little massage to hand express a bit just to make it more comfy but if you can get away without doing it then its better, stock up on painkillers and watch out for any lumps as you might get a blocked duct or two i know i did, other than that some cool pads for your bra/cold cabbage leaves in your bra all are known to help ease the engorment discomfort.


just to be nosey, have you thought about just expressing and giving that alongside the formula till you milk natrually dries up on its own that way you can just express a little less each day and your body will get the message not to produce so much but it wont be nearly so uncomfortable and your baby will still get the benifits of the breastmilk for a while

 

[pandv]

If people look and don't reply then it may be that this just don't have the answer. Most people here are still BF and therefore may not know what you should do when you stop BF - although I know if you are desperate for some advice it can be frustrating to have to wait for a response.

When I stopped BF my eldest I just stopped and it meant I was engorged and painful for about 2 days. If you express you will be sending signals to your body to produce more milk. As Lynnikins said if you are expressing to relieve the pain then it may be worth you offering your LO the expressed milk in a bottle.

 

[lindblum]

What you could do is 'phase it out'.
So express every 4 hours or so, once your body gets used to not making so much milk (2days?) then do every 6hrs or whatever you feel is a good interval until eventually it stops.

When i went back to work, this happened naturally over a period of 3weeks. I wanted to continue to breastfeed and managed to express (every 3hrs at wrk) for the first month, but i found i wasn't very efficient at it. I continued to express, i couldn't breastfeed directly becasue i wasn't making enough for each feed and i had to wait longer between expressing to get an adequate amount. I didn't really understand how it worked back then.

good luck x

 

[kerrie24]

I stopped gradually with my daughter,but she was 20 months so was only on morning and night feeds anyway.I still got engorged and it took about 2 weeks for my boobs to go down.Its best not to pump if you dont want to keep producing milk,put a warm towel or shower on and let a bit run out but dont stimulate them too much or you will keep making more.

 

[Eve]

Ummm... no advice here for you, but what about pumping a few times a day and combination feeding? Then you could slowly up the formula and lessen the pumping? Why do you want to stop? I'm wondering because there are a lot of Mums on here who could help you with your problems If you just feel like stopping, maybe try the formula section? They would probably have better advice and knowledge with stopping breastfeeding.

 

[lukesmom]

Thankyou ladies and Im sorry for being such an arse.
To be honest Im not doing great atm and am really gutted to say that I think I may have PND again-Iv got no reason to feel so crappy but I do.
I have a few reasons for stopping bfing-some out of concern for Jake,some for selfish reasons,and tbh Im jst not enjoying it anymore-I have stressed myself out about it sooo much since I started that Im burned out I think.I appreciate that this is the bfing section but just thought Id stand a better chance of getting good advice on here RE stopping bfing.Thanks for your replies.

 

[Eve]

Oh hun, sounds like you are having a rough time... I hope you feel better soon and whatever you decide to do,I hope it works out well for you