To ask when you gave up breastfeeding?

[pestov]

DD is rapidly approaching 6 months, and after 5 weeks of mixed feeding hell at the beginning thanks to a missed tongue tie, exclusively breastfed. I had always said before I had her that I'd do the 6 months breastfeeding, then switch to bottles, but am second guessing myself. When and why did you give up? Is there any point in moving to formula when breastfeeding is going so well?

klaptrap check p&a and yes it does get easier. The furst six weeks were a killer for me. Baby on for so, so long and so frequently. It settles.

We did combined feeding for 6 months. At 6 months my ds got his first tooth and promptly bit me whilst feeding and so that was the end of that!! After an emergency c section, PTSD and 6 months of breastfeeding every night I decided I wasn't prepared to be eaten by my own son as well!!!!

It is not a competition. You must do what works for you.

Dd1-4 years
Ds1-2.5 years
Dd2-2 years
Ds2-4 years

14 months when I felt I'ddone 'my bit' for the cause. I kind of wanted my boobs back and was bored of feeding bras. Did was quite happy to stop so all fine.

CalleighDoodle Because I'm completely sick of being in pain - in the last 6 weeks I've had mastitis, 3 blocked ducts and 2 milk blisters. Why should I have to keep suffering when there is an alternative?

6 weeks with DD1 and 8 months with DD2.
I stopped with DD1 because she hadn't gained an oz the whole time & really did look like a famine victim.

DD2 had one bottle of formula in the evening from 10 weeks old. At 8 months she suddenly forgot how to breastfeed ( was down to 2 breast feeds & 1 bottle a day at that stage) so after a couple of days I decided to stop bf & carry on with bottles.

If you want to stop breastfeeding I would swap to formula/expressing from a free flow beaker or try a sippy cup unless your DD is used to taking milk from a bottle.

13 months with eldest - gave up when he started walking - couldn't handle the thought of him strolling up for some bittie.
1 year with second - she sort of lost interest.
6 months with No.3; because he started biting HARD.
BTW when I saw the consultant with my second pregnancy he asked how long I had breast-fed my first. "13 months" was the proud reply. "Well I want you to persevere this time" he answered. With tongue firmly in cheek, I hope.

26 months. It was going so well, I just kept going.

DD is 3 and was BF up until about a week ago. Not my plan at all but the little monkey had other ideas. I'm pregnant again and will BF again, I am so glad of a break for my poor nipples. Weaning was proving impossible, she has self weaned.

If anyone ever said I was BF for myself and not my 3yo, I swear I would suck their eyeballs out using my breast pump. I've tolerated it at best for the last year or so

3 years 5 months, he self weaned when he was ready.

CalleighDoodle P&A has been checked endlessly, by endless different people, including two lactation consultants. All fine.

Dd1 2 needed sleep
dd2 18 months she stopped as milk changed when pregnant with ds
ds 2.7 and counting

18 months with dd (stopped because I was struggling to conceive again and thought stopping might help)
13 months - ds1 stopped wanting to breastfeed while I was pregnant and in hospital.
Ds2 2.5 years - stopped because I was ill and losing weight very fast.

Only one of my children self-weaned. I don't accept that just because stopping was necessary/best for me that it was beneficial for them. My logic is that sometimes as a parent you feel you have to do things which are not optimal for your child because it's simply all you have the capacity for at the time. You can't always do 'the best thing' for your child, you can only do 'your best'. I have regrets about not continuing longer with ds2, because of his autism. I think breastfeeding was particularly important and beneficial for him and I wish I'd been able to let him self wean. Continuing breastfeeding would have been best for him and I wish I'd felt able to do that.

I think after 6 months is when bf gets really easy and you reap the rewards for the hellish first few months. I had a similar experience to you and it was the 6 months to two years bfing which made going through the early hell worthwhile. I went back to work when dd was nine months and fed morning and bedtime (and during the night at first...) it worked really well and meant I got an extra 20 mins in bed in the morning feeding dd. Bliss! Dd quit of her own accord just after she turned two.

14 months. By this point dd had dropped all except her bedtime feed of her own accord. I'd always wanted to do at least a year so was pleased with that. Stopped because I had the opportunity of a night away and it felt right. Dd protested a bit but I think that was more because I'd fed to sleep than because she missed the milk itself.

I think it very much depends on the individual child. Dd was never much of a milk monster, didn't feed for comfort (other than that bedtime one) and was far more interested in food once she'd started solids. If this hadn't been the case I might well have gone on longer. Similarly if bf'ing had been a real struggle, which it never was after the first few days, I'd have given up sooner. The important thing is to do what feels right for you and your baby and try not to let others tell you you are wrong either way.

14 months with DD1, but that was because she wouldn't eat and it was only around then we realised she had such hideous allergies. She couldn't take formula because she was allergic to it. I had no problem feeding, but I had decided she would be weaned then, and she simply did not ask for an evening feed and that was that.

With DD2, I had to wean about 9 months. She was happily eating everything in sight and really didn't need the breast as well. Also, I had to have surgery and had to wean her before that. I had intended to stop slightly sooner, but she caught measles (just before she was due the MMR) and was poorly, so I kept going as it comforted her. I don't remember any problems getting her to stop, either.

I'm bfing my 5 month old but plan to stop around 6 months I go back to work in November so want him to be comfortable with the change by then... I might still bf the last feed of the day and over night if he needs it and first morning feed and formula the rest but haven't quite decided yet

I am feeding my 18 week old DS, with one bottle of formula introduced at 17 weeks, like TriJo. I had intended to start weaning him gradually onto formula at 12 weeks, but he started refusing bottles so put paid to that. The thing I never really understood about breastfeeding long term was how it worked with going back to work. I am taking less than a year (just under 9 mths) and cannot express at work - neither would I want to! Very pleased to have got this far and now he is feeding slightly less frequently it feels less of a chore. Planning for him to be fully on bottles by October so I am able to do some KIT days at work and have a bit more freedom to leave him for longer (don't want to make it a total shock for us both when I go back to work 4 days a week!). Am really proud of getting this far but there is a big culture on this board of longer term breastfeeding and despite being 'middle class' I suppose, I don't know anyone in real life who has fed much past a year and even then very few who've done that. I do think mumsnet seems slightly biased in this way. I respect those people who choose to do this but I think that perhaps this perception that its common makes some women feel guilty when there is no need to.