to want my body back after all this time???

[truffleshuffle]

I've worked out that for the past 3.5 years I've been either pregnant or breastfeeding.

DD1 is nearly 3 and I bf her until i got pregnant with DD2 who's 6 months.

And tbh I'm sick of feeling like I have no control over my own body.
I can't even go for a night out without knowing that I can't be more than 3/4 hours without going home to feed DD2.
I can have no time to myself.

Yes I feel incredibly selfish for thinking this but I'm very tempted to try DD2 with a bottle. I did try bottles with DD1 but she point blank refused which is why I ended up bf her for 17 months.

I'm also afraid that I'll switch to bottles and then regret it.

Has anyone else felt like a dribbling milk machine??

Give up then. There really is no need to be a martyr to tha cause- is there?

the

Yes, me!!

Same situation but dd2 is only seven weeks. (Dd1 is two and a half.) Not sure I'll make it to the 15 months bf I did with dd1.

Will just have to grin and bear it I think because I personally feel I have to give dd2 the same as dd1 otherwise I'd feel guilty forever!!

That probably doesn't help - but you are not on your own with this one!!

I don't want to be a martyr...I just don't want to regret my decision.
I was also wondering if others go through a phase of feeling like this.

Agree with Shaddapya. If you've had enough, then stop. No one is going to criticise you.

(I tried and failed to feed vboth mine, who were in SCBU on tube feeds for so long that we'd missed the BF opportunity).

You've given your dd2 six very good months of BF, don't beat yourself up if you change to FF and solids now.

So you have excl BF for 6 months? Brilliant.

If trying an occasional bottle will keep tou sane, and ultimately help to keep BF when you would otherwise stop then go for it.

But as DD2 starts taking solids and can have some water in a beaker, she will very soon be able to manage longer periods without you. If you have a partner to leave her with they can keep her going with some food/drink of water/some EBM if you like, for at least 6-8 hours I would think.

trying a bottle is fine, not trying one is fine

Thanks June...at least it's not just me!
Also bf with DD2 has always been very easy so I would feel very guilty giving up something that she enjoys and has taken to so well iykwim.

I think I'll try some ebm in a bottle and see how she gets on.

To be fair though dont we all think 'ffs- wish I could just be ME, not have to worry about what time I get home, having a stinking hangover the next day, not being able to jet off on last minute holidays, spontaneous dinner dates' etc? I see your point but surely the feeding issue is a red herring and its just being a parent that makes you feel a bit 'grrr' at times?

And yes, I am still feeding DS(22mo) and some days I think I have had enough, am not going to do it anymore. You don't need to make any firm decision, just a day at a time.

I stopped BF DD at 3 months and while I was misinformed, we were both fine. She was just as happy however her milk was delivered. I ddid feel guilty but I was miserable struggling to feed her TBH.

Same boat here - I feel for you it's no fun at all sometimes. Am with ghouls sitting on fence - you could try (or not) a bottle, my DC2 refused it, but from around 9-10months he didn't (have to) feed during day, so we've had a couple of full days out which were lovely.

It won't last forever

I hear you with BF/preg merry-go-round...

You've done brilliantly with BF. If you're genuinely ready to stop then do it. If you're not sure how you'll feel about completely stopping you could always keep the morning and bedtime feeds and do a bottle in the day then see how you feel? I think it becomes less emotive once they get to a point of eating solid food too as they're not just reliant on milk for nutrition.

This is what I did with DD. Her frequency of feeding naturally dropped when she started on solids, and she dropped night feed at 6 months. I then switched her to formula for the afternoon feed when I went back to work at 9 months, then bedtime feed and morning feeds when she turned 1 (and got cross because I was PG and milk tasted different!).

Not feeding during the day made a huge difference to how I felt - could wear nice clothes again without having to plan round BF, go out for the day and not worry, even out for an evening if I expressed a bottle for her beforehand. I certainly felt a lot freer but was glad to keep a couple of feeds for a bit longer as it eased the emotional fallout of stopping.