Should I stop breastfeeding all together?

[LKMH]

Okay so it’s me again… I’m thinking that I want to end my BF journey soon.
DD is almost 4 months old and I just fear that she’ll never take milk another way unless she knows I can’t physically give her any from the breast.
I had some slight success with a doidy cup i got her to take milk… messy but she lapped it up like a little kitten drinking.
My husband tried and she took some from him too.

My parents tried her and she just screamed when they tried give her milk an alternative way, that was with us out the house for a few hours.
Should I leave her with my parents for longer and hope baby will take the milk when she’s hungry enough?
I just fear that so long as I can breastfeed her she’ll continue to refuse other ways.
I hate the thought of her being hungry/ screaming etc. But I really need her to take milk from others.

I’ve tried with both expressed milk and formula. We’ve been trying with bottles/ teats since she was 6 weeks snd nothings worked.
Feeling like a failure for even considering stopping breastfeeding but I just need some rest bite and the fact that I can’t leave her whatsoever knowing she won’t take milk Is really starting have an effect on me😢

I think if you want to stop breastfeeding then it's perfectly fine and you don't need to feel guilty or upset over it (although you might feel quite blue when you stop purely because of the withdrawal of hormones as your milk goes but this doesn't last long!).I can absolutely relate having bf-d both my babies and both being bottle refusers. The only thing I will say is, things do get easier once you wean as they can just eat food and have water or milk in a cup to tide them over when others are looking after them. Plus as solids become more established, feeds do tend to cut down. So, in that sense, you are over the hardest part. But overall I think you should do what works best for you and don't feel bad!

They are your boobs it's totally your choice!

All I would say is I think you've done the hardest bit - once they are weaning it gets easier as PP has said. But you don't need an excuse or a reason. Formula is a totally.acceptable choice

It's entirely your choice. However, if you can keep it up for a couple more months, things are likely to get much easier. She will be having food and won't need milk quite as often.

If you do decide to stop though, it is usually advised to stop gradually, for both your and your baby's sakes.

It’s worth persevering with the bottle. I stopped BF both mine at about 5 months, because despite endless feeding they just weren’t getting enough. They refused over and over, but did take it eventually, and it was such a relief to know they’d had a full bottle relatively quickly.

I will admit to being sad when I finally stopped with dd2, but was still relieved to have the endless trying to give them enough, over with.

I wanted to switch my baby from breastfed to mixed (bottles in the day) at 4mo so I could go back to work. She wouldn't take the bottle & it was a bit of a nightmare for a couple of months until she was big enough to have yoghurt and milk in a supply cup. We faffed about with lots of different types of bottle etc but it didn't work.

A friend in the same situation was much more sensible than me. She picked one brand of milk and one bottle and offered it to baby at the same time everyday for 2 weeks (just after a nap). By 10 days, baby was happy on the bottle.

So it can work but it takes time & consistency.

Thanks. I’ll keep trying but like you said I need to stick to one.
I got suckered into buying so many bottles etc thinking I just wasn’t using the ‘right one’
I’ve gone for a sippy cup as she does hold the handles well. I won’t put nothing in it yet as I want her to get used to the bottle. Maybe as she gets better at sitting up will help her holding one and drinking from that.
DH has booked us a trip away for a few nights in October as a belated 30th present and the LO’s we’re staying with my parents, but I can’t leave her thinking she won’t take any milk for that long of time.
My goal was to do 6 months but I just can’t relax at the moment with how things are.

If it helps my 10 month old has never taken a bottle. I started back at work last week and she sipped from a doidy cup. Its so stressful I know!

My Youngest breastfed exclusively for 3 months, despite having a bottle at 2 days old due to jaundice. Month 4 we offered a bottle and she refused, we kept offering and eventually she took it and we mix fed- just gave up the breast fully now at 10 months. My advice keep offering a bottle daily around midday (breast for settling to sleep), don’t stress and keep offering every day- eventually she’ll take it

I feel so selfish that I’m even considering stopping.
I’ll just keep on being persistent in the hope she’ll eventually take it.

Don’t feel like a failure. 4 months of breastfeeding is amazing. It’s so so hard and overwhelming knowing you are solely reliable for your babies’ nutrition for the first 6 months - I wish people would be more honest about this when feeding choices are discussed during pregnancy. Keep going with the doidy if she has been receptive to that.

Echo some of the PP though. At 4 months I never thought DS would stop breastfeeding - he loved it and would happily do it all day. Refused all bottles and dummies. He took to weaning with gusto though and quite quickly lost interest. By 8 months we were down to 3 feeds a day and by 11-12 months we were down to 2, which he could take or leave really. If you can persevere for another few months, you might just make the job of stopping a whole lot easier.

You should stop whenever it feel right for you, but does it matter if your baby doesn't take milk from another source? My first didn't and she still fed til 2.5 years.

After about 8/9 months they take enough solids that you can leave then for long enough periods to have some time to yourself. My daughter went to nursery at 12 months and refused all other milks so just had solids and water when separated.