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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask when you gave up breastfeeding?

244 replies

pestov · 27/07/2016 10:24

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?

OP posts:
chattygranny · 27/07/2016 20:21

Mine all self-weaned. No 1 at 10 months when just boring. The next 3 all about 8 months, I always felt rather rejected!

NeedMoreSleepOrSugar · 27/07/2016 20:22

After establishing bf, I intended to feed for 6 months, then felt similarly to you - why stop, it's working for me and dd etc, so kept going. Had half an idea of stopping at a year, when I went back to work. In the end, dd self weaned at 18 months.

chattygranny · 27/07/2016 20:25

"Just boring"! Typo! Baby was just biting me!

WhenDoISleep · 27/07/2016 20:27

DS1 self-weaned at 2.9y. DS2 last fed at 4y but had been winding down for the previous 5 months.

HappyAsASandboy · 27/07/2016 20:27

My twins stopped feeding at 2yrs 6mo and 2yrs 9mo. DC3 is still feeding at 19mo.

I don't see the point of switching to formula when breastfeeding is going well. Why would you feed an inferior food that takes more effort to provide? I also didn't see the point in weaning them, when breastfeeding provided comfort, got them to sleep every night, and was a relief when they were ill and wouldn't eat food.

Whatever you decide to do, your breastfeeding has given them a great start in life. Do whatever feels right for you and your baby Smile

M0nstersinthecl0set · 27/07/2016 20:30

Sorry you've had a rough time. When you want to is fine. It is easier once they start on meals as well though. Going to bottles and just a bedtime breastfeed is also done by some. What do you want?

M0nstersinthecl0set · 27/07/2016 20:31

Ps. Both mine stopped by themselves at around a year old.

Pleasemrstweedie · 27/07/2016 20:36

And mine Monsters*

bookworm14 · 27/07/2016 20:39

Ten months. I'd had enough by then. Sounds ridiculous, but DD is a heavy, long baby (95th centile for weight, 99th for length) and I was getting tired of heaving her into position! Absolutely no need to stop if you're still enjoying it, though; just carry on for as long as you and baby want.

dustarr73 · 27/07/2016 20:47

Ds1 was 9 months old
ds2 was a year
ds 3,4 and 5 17 months

I think at this stage i wouldnt be bothered given up,the hard part is over.

Heatherjayne1972 · 27/07/2016 20:49

Two weeks. Just didn't make any milk

SillyQu · 27/07/2016 20:50

We're a year in and I love the fact that we've never had to worry about carrying bottles, worrying whether there was enough formula at home etc. But I'm SO forgetful ha ha

Mrsantithetic · 27/07/2016 20:55

I weaned dd on the eve of DS first birthday. She was a month away from being 3.
A year later I'm still feeding DS (two next week) in stealth mode because dd was told my milk had gone.

I hope to wean DS by the end of the year but I'm. Waiting for him to have some speech and understanding so I can explain to him and use a reward chart or something.

Schmoochypoos · 27/07/2016 20:55

It was 7 months with DS1 as I'd been mix feeding since about 4 months.

With DS2 I'm still going strong at 11 months - he refused all types of formula and bottles so will just see how he goes now. He has taken to food quite well in the last couple of months so I'm only feeding him in the morning and at bedtime and the middle of the night Grin

Sleepybeanbump · 27/07/2016 20:57

I'm still going at 7 months and intend to carry on until he weans off himself or something else unforseen affects my decision.

It sounds like you kind of want to carry on...so why not? And (I mean this nicely!) who cares what we did? It's your decision either way.

From what you've said though- I'd carry on until you actively want to stop. You went through the initial difficulty (been there too with tongue tie- grim) so why not reap the benefits of your hard work for as long as possible? It's easy when it works, why introduce the faff of bottle prep? Not to mention the immunity and comfort factors.

underneaththeash · 27/07/2016 21:57

16 weeks with all three DC (I counted down the days).

Why stop if it's going well? I looked forward to stopping as bfing made me tired, I wanted to lose the baby weight and my already thin hair falls out more when I bfeed.
Irons supplies to fall of in breast milk after 6 months, but as long as you supplement its fine. Stop only if you want/need to.

TriJo · 27/07/2016 21:59

Have started introducing one bottle of formula a day this week at 17 weeks to start a slow wean off the boob. I'm fucking sick of it tbh - DS fed every 45-60 minutes during the day for 11 weeks, then abruptly changed his pattern to go longer the day and sleep the night and I've had plugged ducts, milk blisters and mastitis since then. He's also a messy feeder - very grabby and touchy-feely and he's started pulling my top up in public while I'm feeding him.

kurlique · 27/07/2016 22:16

6mths with DS but he had 4 teeth and bit me a lot, 12mths with DD... But... Both mixed fed and both were not really bothered anymore and very much into solid food.

leedy · 27/07/2016 22:23

"Irons supplies to fall of in breast milk after 6 months, but as long as you supplement its fine. "

..or give them iron-rich food, given that they're old enough to be on solids! Nothing wrong with formula, but I suspect the marketing of all its added vitamins and whatnot makes people think that breastfed babies need all kinds of artificial supplements to make up for it...

(apart from vitamin D, which we're apparently all deficient in)

olympicsrock · 27/07/2016 22:24

My story is very similar to yours with tongue tie. At 6 months we ebf then introduced a bottle in the evening. I am still enjoying feeding 2- 3 times a day at 12 months with no plan to give up while DS lIves it. Ds 1 self weaned at 9 months. They are all different.

underneaththeash · 27/07/2016 22:34

Leedy - the issue is that most newly weaned babies won't be eating sufficient quantities of iron rich food to get their optimum dose, much easier just to put some formula on cereal in the morning.

limon · 27/07/2016 22:38

Two years and five months. Don't quit if you don't want to.

Maz2444466 · 27/07/2016 22:41

21 months, it felt right for both of us to stop then. Took it slowly though over a couple of months...

5BlueHydrangea · 27/07/2016 22:42

1 year with dd1 - we had both had enough
3 years, 3 weeks with dd2 - I had had enough, given the choice I think she would still be breastfeeding now at the age of six! Is rather fond of my 'boobies' - very much a comfort thing.

NanFlanders · 27/07/2016 22:44

Aged 2 with dd. Ds weaned himself at 12 months. I found it more convenient to breastfeed really.