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Infant feeding

HELP! Stopped bfing today and ds won't take bottle

25 replies

catbus · 26/08/2011 18:47

Had enough of breastfeeding DC4 and today have decided to stop, as of this morning. This is for many reasons, mainly my sanity though. Am sad but need to feel more myself again..
He will be one in a couple of weeks and is the worst sleeper known to mankind.
Anyway, since early hours of this morning, he has not had a single feed, but has been eating solids fine.
How in god's name do I get him to take a bottle??! He will not drink a thing from a beaker: I have had this for months, but not worried as was breastfeeding still.

Now I have stopped, I am freaking slightly about his lack of fluids, let alone milk.

To top it all, I was going to go the whole hog tonight and put him in a cot for the first time: we sleep together, but this has now reached an unworkable point also..

Advice for absolutely knackered and stresssssssssed out Catbus please. Thanks chaps Smile

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catbus · 26/08/2011 19:20

Anyone??? C'mon people, me boobs are like rocks and am close to the edge..Shock

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snowchick1977 · 26/08/2011 19:24

My daughter is only 7 weeks old so i cant advise, but i didnt want to read and run. Hopefully someone will be along soon with advice, who is a lot more competant than me.

Good luck!

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ZhenXiang · 26/08/2011 19:24

How old is he?

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ZhenXiang · 26/08/2011 19:25

Sorry missed that he is one.

How many feeds were you doing a day before you stopped catbus?

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thisisyesterday · 26/08/2011 19:30

personally i would breastfeed him now and then just work on introducing milk from a cup or bottle and switch him over slowly

aside from anything else you'll end up with mastitis or something if you just go cold turkey.

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heather1 · 26/08/2011 19:31

Hi, maybe try expressing into a bottle - would help w rock hard boobs! And then slowly add a bit of formula then continue that until its all formula and no breast milk. Good luck. Oh also just thought you could try giving milk in a doidy cup doidycups.com/ if he wont take a bottle.

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moaningminniewhingesagain · 26/08/2011 19:32

Try a beaker with a straw. DS could manage an innocent smoothie carton from about 10m.

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ticklebumpkin · 26/08/2011 19:33

Not the same but I stopped DD2s bottles and formula at 12 months on the dot.

She drinks from a cup ok, loves water - but only really got interested once the bottles were gone.

She's not keen on cows milk so doesn't really drink it - I just give it to her with weetabix, give her tons of yogurt, she loves cheese etc.

A 12 month old doesn't need a bottle. Just keep a cup of water near him, or try a sippy cup. He will drink if he's thirsty.

Give hims lots of wet food too - fruit, soup etc to keep him hydrated?

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ticklebumpkin · 26/08/2011 19:34

I wouldn't bother with formula if he's almost one. What's the point? They don't need it after 12 months anyway.

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moaningminniewhingesagain · 26/08/2011 19:34

Do tail off the feeding gradually - your boobs don't know you have stopped so they will need time to adjust to reduced demand. Express a bit off in warm shower, not too much, just a bit to ease things.

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mrsravelstein · 26/08/2011 19:37

i think you're going to find it harder if you just stop dead, sorry. i tailed mine off gradually and stopped at 14 months with dc2 and dc3... neither would ever drink from a bottle, point blank refused, and neither would drink cow's milk.

i eventually got both of them to drink goats milk (maybe it tastes more like human milk? i don't know as can't bear the taste of milk at all) from a nuby sippy cup by just repeatedly offering it to them.

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Iggly · 26/08/2011 19:40

Why did you stop dead? Is it feeding at night or a particular time which bothers you? If so, don't do those feeds but keep up the others. It might be a bit much for your DC if you go cold turkey and move to a cot in one go.

Also better to stop gradually for the sake of your boobs and your DC!

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Yama · 26/08/2011 19:49

Catbus - I recently stopped feeding dc2 (a week before his first birthday). He too will not take a bottle.

However, he is a great eater. I just make sure he gets plenty of dairy in his diet. Milky porridge twice a day, butter/cheese/soft cheese added to meals, yoghurts. We also give him a spoonful of vitamins daily.

My boobs were tender for a few days but are now fine.

Stop stressing. He will be fine.

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Artichokes · 26/08/2011 19:56

Do you mean he is not even sipping water? No fluids at all? Like the others I wouldn't worry too much about milk, he can get dairy elsewhere, but he needs water. Try ice lollies if you are desperate. Also mix lots of water and fluid into his meals.

I stopped BF at 14 mOnths and did it too quickly and got mastitis. Be v careful.

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catbus · 26/08/2011 20:11

Ok thanks chaps. Have decided to just work on the sleeping in the cot thing first. Think that in reality, I simply need to stop nightfeeding: have thought again and really don't want to stop bfing!!
My eldest DD, now 12, went straight from breast to nothing very easily: one night of pain..

Think I realise that it's just the nightfeeding that is a nightmare: I am going to focus on this now. Aswell as sleeping in a cot: after over a decade of sleeping with my babies, he is the first to have ever TWICE fallen out the bed: this tells me I am absolutley knackered, amongst feeling like shit I let this happen..Sad Sad

I also think that on baby number 4, I am acutely aware that this IS my last time..Sad and that this was ultimately a sleep question, rather than feeding. Sorry for that..
My other 3 self settled, sleep and breast wise, from 8 months at least, so this is a novelty for me! Thankyou for your valuable input: it's made me remember that sleep training doesn't have to mean giving up bfeeding: and exactly how knackered I really am!

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ZhenXiang · 26/08/2011 20:34

Ok catbus with regard to sleeping in the cot:

Wear a t-shirt then tuck over mattress so that it smells of you.

Whilst breastfeeding play lullaby toy so that he associates the music with you and comfort (will help with settling in cot and stopping bfing).

Let him play in the cot with toys during the day to get him used to it and start daytime naps in cot first before nights.

Lightshows work for some and not others, but may keep him interested in being in his cot at night.

Drawing on bare back with finger always calms my DD and sends her off to sleep quickly in her cot.

Stories, sitting by the cot then slowly moving away over time does work if you want to move to self settling down the line.

PS if you still want to co-sleep get a long bed guard from Mothercare and put him against it.

Stopping nightfeeding:

If co-sleeping wear several layers of clothes to prevent break-ins.

Stay firm and only offer water after a certain time, there will be tears, but he will soon get the message. If DP/DH can go to him to offer water all the better, it will only take a week or so and he may even start sleeping through if he knows there is only water on offer (this is easier if not co-sleeping).

If dropping from several feeds a night express at first to stop mastitis and offer in a bottle to encourage him to switch to bottle full time (you can offer this as bedtime feed if you wish to get him out of the breast-bed association).

If you want to switch to cows milk, get him used to bottle of breast milk by expressing first then gradually reduce breastmilk amount and top up with cows milk to get him used to flavour i.e. 100% bm, 90% bm/10 cm, 70% bm/30% cm and so on.

Be prepared for tears, it is harder at first, but worth it to get your sleep and sanity back. Get help from DP/DH and other family if possible, nap in the day/weekends if you can to catch up in the short term.

Good Luck!

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Yama · 26/08/2011 20:34

Yes, you are right Catbus. We cracked the night weaning a while back. Well, I say 'we' but actually dh did all the hard work. He settled ds each and every time he woke in the night (still does).

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thisisyesterday · 26/08/2011 20:45

can your dp/dh settle him at night? if you have a spare bed anywhere then you could even move out of the bed for a couple of nights and get him used to daddy settling him back to sleep.

once you have him self-settling/sleeping through you can work on cot.

then you can work on weaning in the daytime if you want to

sounds so easy just typing it out! lol

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catbus · 26/08/2011 20:50

Thankyou: think the nightime feeding thing is ultimately down to DH: it literally went from eldest DD being BF to sleep repeatedly, to ONE night of DH putting her to bed after last BF, to her sleeping through, from 7.30 to 8. Tis worse if they smell the milk I think..

Have stuffed a bear up my shirt for a while, to get my smell on it!

Wish me luck: I hope for more than 2 hours straight, as opposed to the last year of crazy wakeningsxx


..

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Iggly · 26/08/2011 20:51

Good luck!

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thisisyesterday · 26/08/2011 20:54

good luck catbus! hope it goes ok

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KD0706 · 27/08/2011 13:13

How did it go catbus ?

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MrsRobertDuvall · 27/08/2011 13:16

Stopped bf ds at 9 months...he refused a bottle completely and went straight to a cup.
Never had milk after a year to drink.

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MigGril · 27/08/2011 14:22

Look's like your looking to night wean rather then wean altogether try having a read hear, you mite find some usefull tips.

www.kellymom.com/bf/weaning/weaning-night.html

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hellymelly · 27/08/2011 14:29

I think that stopping the bf and co-sleeping all in one go is a bit harsh on him. I would try and wind down the bf gradually.

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