How do you stop breastfeeding?

[ThinkPink71]

Im not ready to stop yet...but when the time comes..what do I do?

Will i not just carry on producing milk? Will my boobs not get really swollen? No idea

Thanks :)

[BendingSpoons]

It's best to cut down gradually e.g. drop a feed every 3/4 days (or longer). If you stop more suddenly you may need to express a bit to avoid getting mastitis, but not express too much or you will keep producing milk.

[Needtheadvice]

I started by spacing the feeds out more, introducing solids and went cold turkey when the time was right. When you lower the demand the body adjusts with reducing the milk production so I had a little bit of the swollen breast. I kept a hand pump to take the worst pressure off but not empty my breasts as didn't want encourage more milk and wasn't needed after a couple of days, the first day was the worst for me personally. Please note it's different for all of us, using a hand pump probably isn't advisable but worked for me so only giving my experience and not advising this.

[Ninkanink]

I stopped cold turkey both times, at one year old with my eldest and at 18m old with my youngest. I just told them that there was no more milk left.

I then expressed a little as needed to relieve pressure but was careful not to stimulate further production.

[Lalapurple]

From people I know who have stopped just be aware it can be very emotional...your hormones can go haywire. Gradually is best.

[Sevo7]

I agree with stopping gradually or if you do stop suddenly continuing to pump and bring it down that way.

I stopped abruptly with my first Dc at 7 weeks due to undiagnosed thrush and lack of support and I’m sure it triggered my PND although there were others factors at play.

With my 2nd dc I breastfed for 9 months but from 7 months she was only feeding from one side, the other side just gradually stopped on it’s own so I had one big boob and one deflated one
I’d started introducing a bottle to help her sleep and she just stopped feeding effectively and my milk production slowed down until she became frustrated at the breast and refused to latch so I had to stop. I’d had no PND that time but within days I felt really mentally unwell. I started to pump a few time’s a day and felt myself feeling mentally better then I just reduced to pumping once and then not at all and was fine.

Obviously this isn’t the case for everyone but just something to be aware of.

[Ninkanink]

Tbf when I said I stopped cold turkey I’d already moved to breast only at nap time and bedtime several months before.

[Ninkanink]

(With my youngest who I weaned at 18m. With my eldest it actually was cold turkey because I had to for circumstances outwith my control.)

[RiverMeadow]

I dropped one feed a week. No problems at all, boobs weren't sore etc.

[RiverMeadow]

That was supposed to mean one daily fed per week. So I dropped a morning feed one week then the afternoon feed the week after etc

[Orangedaisy]

How old is your child/baby? Mine stopped at 23 months (was just a bedtime feed, which I shortened in length gradually over 2 weeks) and just under 3 years (bedtime feed only, just stopped on her third birthday on mutual agreement). No issues with anything either time. But I expect it’s a bit different if your baby is still small.....