When did you stop bf'ing? How did your LO react?

[Itsychik]

Hi ladies!

So I'm wondering how old your LO was when you stopped breast feeding. How did you know when the time was right for you to stop? And how did your LO react?

My initial goal had been to bf for 3 months (which is when I go back to work). We're combi-feeding due to supply issues so some days I wonder if there's even much point in continuing since DS never gets enough, and other days I can't imagine stopping yet! Recently, my LO has started refusing a bottle in the evening and just wants to drink from the boob... which got me wondering how he would manage if I were to stop bf'ing.

So how did your LO's react when you stopped?

 

[amygwen]

We still haven't stopped, LO is 15 months old

I went back to work when LO was 2.5 months old and continued to pump while I was away from him and gave him EBM in bottles. Thankfully that worked really well for us. Then when he turned 1, we started giving him cows milk during the daytime and I still breastfeed at night and in the morning. I didn't think I'd ever want to do it this long, but it's gotten soo easy for us both and it's such a nice bonding experience! I would continue BFing if you can. Could you invest in a pump and pump while you are at work? If you're having a hard time building up your supply, it can be really tiring, but you have to breastfeed, breastfeed, breastfeed, pump, pump, pump, etc etc etc. Honestly, like.. if you want to build up your supply, if your LO is showing signs of hunger, offer the boob. Then after you BF if you have to supplement with formula that's fine, but pump afterwards so that your body knows you need to create more milk. It can take a week or two to build it up so that your body knows when to feed, but it's really worth it. Also you can get milk teas out there that you can drink that can increase your milk supply (they taste like shit but it's worth it if you want to build it up! )

So with that being said, we haven't stopped.. I can't imagine stopping yet as we both love it still, but if you really don't want to do it anymore and you're finding it frustrating or you'd rather FF, go ahead and do so! You've got to be happy toooo! if you have any questions about BFing don't hesitate to ask me!

 

[Itsychik]

I would continue BFing if you can. Could you invest in a pump and pump while you are at work? If you're having a hard time building up your supply, it can be really tiring, but you have to breastfeed, breastfeed, breastfeed, pump, pump, pump, etc etc etc. Honestly, like.. if you want to build up your supply, if your LO is showing signs of hunger, offer the boob. Then after you BF if you have to supplement with formula that's fine, but pump afterwards so that your body knows you need to create more milk. It can take a week or two to build it up so that your body knows when to feed, but it's really worth it. Also you can get milk teas out there that you can drink that can increase your milk supply (they taste like shit but it's worth it if you want to build it up! )

So with that being said, we haven't stopped.. I can't imagine stopping yet as we both love it still, but if you really don't want to do it anymore and you're finding it frustrating or you'd rather FF, go ahead and do so! You've got to be happy toooo! if you have any questions about BFing don't hesitate to ask me!

Thanks for the response. Firstly, congrats on making it to 15 months!!

I do have a pump, and either pump or feed every 2 hours (been doing this for 6 weeks). I've tried a tea made locally which didn't help, have had help from LLL and a lactation consultant, and feed LO on demand (always boob first, then topping up with EBM or formula if we're out of EBM). Recently I bought a "more milk" supplement by Motherlove plus a tea blend to try, so I need to see if those help. But my supply has only been getting worse so far, regardless of what I try (I'm able to express less and less each week). This is why I've been wondering what I want to do!

In an ideal world my supply would pick up and I could EBF, but unfortunately that doesn't seem to be an option.

 

[x__amour]

I breastfed a little over a month. I noticed my supply was dramatically decreasing and then just stopped. The transition was fine though. She was mostly having EBM anyways.

 

[k4th]

I stopped bf after 6 weeks for lots of reasons (over-supply, fast let down, lo couldn't cope with speed so pinched nipple to stem flow after a good latch initially, then thrush was the final straw). I was so worried about lo's reaction! I first gave her a bottle with ebm - I was so anxious.... & she was very happy with the bottle. Then, once all my ebm was gone I gave her formula... I was terrified that she wouldn't like it and would be upset.

But she happily drank the lot! No issues with it at all in terms of drinking it all!

She did get a bit constipated on Cow&Gate, but was fine once we switched to Aptamil a few days later.

I think my guilt at not enjoying bf & giving it up were the only issues we had. But, if I'm honest, on the whole I was a much happier ff Mummy than a bf Mummy - that is completely personal to me, but it is worth considering your feelings about it all before stopping. Lo is a very happy baby too & I don't feel that ff has affected our relationship or her happiness as we both found bf uncomfortable.

The bottom line is, your baby can be happy, healthy & thriving on either ff or bf & only you can make that choice chick

 

[patch2006uk]

Just wanted to say that the amount you pump isn't indicative of your supply. I've never been able to get more than an ounce out with a pump, but my LO was EBF for 23 weeks and now we BLW and BF.

As your supply regulates, alot of women find the amount they pump reduces, as their bodies know how much LO takes and just make that, not the mad surplus you get when your milk first comes in

 

[Elmo5]

As your supply regulates, alot of women find the amount they pump reduces, as their bodies know how much LO takes and just make that, not the mad surplus you get when your milk first comes in

Also worth mentioning is that after a few weeks in as your supply regulates to the baby most women will notice those breasts which were hard and full of milk are now nice n soft. This is not indicative of a supply problem.

 

[minkymoo]

i'm still going but have been slowly dropping bf's and replacing with ff so it's not a shock...she's taken to it ok......i still nurse her to sleep and in the night because it's too easy....

 

[catfromaus]

I did it for 8 months. Then she bit me, and I stopped! I was pregnant and headed back to work anyway, but the main reason was that I couldn't get her to stop biting. Anyway, she hardly noticed. Loved formula, and then at one she really easily transitioned to cows milk.

 

[Foogirl]

I stopped at 17 months and Abby hardly noticed I think. It was only 1 feed a day at that point. If your LO is starting to refuse bottles and you are absolutely certain you want to stop, it might be worthwhile stopping now. We used to do 1 bottle a day of EBM and when abby decided to refuse bottles, we eventually couldn't get her back on to them..

The question of what is the point, is no different to the initial question you might have pondered when deciding to BF in the beginning. The benefits are still there with a few feeds a day.

this is entirely anecdotal but Abby got through her first 4 months of nursery with no illness at all. As soon as I stopped bfing, she then started to pick up the colds and ear infections that seem to beset a majority of children in their first months at nursery. Other parents have reported toddlers having expressed breastmilk as becoming healtheir where they had been prone to bugs before. I do believe BM offers quite a bit of short term protection.

 

[Itsychik]

As your supply regulates, alot of women find the amount they pump reduces, as their bodies know how much LO takes and just make that, not the mad surplus you get when your milk first comes in

Also worth mentioning is that after a few weeks in as your supply regulates to the baby most women will notice those breasts which were hard and full of milk are now nice n soft. This is not indicative of a supply problem.

Thanks ladies... I have gotten similar answers to this in the past months when asking questions in the BF'ing section. I base the 'not producing enough' off of the fact that after a 40 - 50 minute feed my LO is still screaming and is drinking more and more from the bottle. So at each feed I spend up to an hour bf'ing, then another 30 minutes topping off, then additional time pumping afterwards (then starting all over again 1 - 2 hours later!). My maternity leave ends in 2 weeks and I just won't have the time to keep this up, so either I'll have to change how we're doing the feeds or just express more often and give this in a bottle... but anyway, this is why I'd like to know what to expect if when I go back to work and my supply just drops off almost entirely... or if I just can't keep up with the expressing, etc.

 

[hellohefalump]

I stopped breastfeeding Madeleine when she was 21 months. Actually she self weaned pretty much. She stopped for a week by herself, then OCCASIONALLY wanted it again, but I said no and distracted her. She took it very well and after a month or so stopped asking for it completely.

With Mojo, I'm on medication that hasn't been tested with breastfeeding. So I breastfed him once a day until he was four weeks old. Because he was so young, and because he was having mostly bottles anyway, he didn't seem that bothered that I stopped.