To wonder how I can stop breastfeeding a total boobaholic

[B3ck89]

He’s 15 months and is absolutely nowhere near ready to give up... but I am
I’ve loved our journey but I’m so ready to stop, I’ve totally had enough.
Every time he feeds (which can be little bits constant) he rolls around all over me, must have his hand down my top on my other boob /nipple twiddling, pinching, grabbing and it’s literally driving me up the wall.
I try cover with my hand but most of the time it don’t work, sometimes he will come to me every 10 minutes for a feed and I just feel like locking myself (well, my boobs) in another room.
I’ve tried the usual tricks like a necklace, toy etc but it don’t work.
How have other people stopped?
I can’t cut out 1 feed at a time because they differ so much each day.
He don’t take bottles and will sometimes tolerate his sippy cup.
On the upside I have so much love for him, the bond we have is amazing.
I don’t want to upset him but I need my sanity back (and my boobs in one piece lol)

Stopping cold turkey is best way, You just have to be persistent. If you keep giving in, they will know they can get their own way by throwing a tantrum and refusing anything else, trust me you will win eventually! Ds carried on the nipple pinching/twisting until about 21/2 still however, as a comfort thing! Had to put a stop to that too though when he attempted it on his Nan and his sisters friend!😂😩 you’ll get there, just be firm!

have heard this complaint from quite a few women though, and that is why (IMO) it really is best to give up breastfeeding when the baby is about 6 months old. I know some people think every mother should breastfeed til the baby is 7 years old! But I disagree. Breastfeeding til the baby is 6 months old is plenty long enough. They get way too attached if you go on much longer than that.

I really don't agree with this. But it depends on how you BF. I BF mine both for 15-16 months with no formula, but I went back to work after 6 months and they took bottles of expressed milk and then cups of cow's milk during the day. They were therefore not as attached to the breast and were used to milk coming in other vessels.

IMO it is beneficial to combine breast and bottle (ideally expressed BM or else formula) feeding to avoid the "boobaholic" situation but I don't think totally weaning at 6 months is the best choice for baby.

If you want to keep nursing but without all the twiddling etc, you can try to enforce nursing mannersI found KellyMom's guide really useful. Basically if he won't stop with the twiddling, he doesn't get to nurse. I didn't have a twiddler, but my second (who was an extended breastfeeder) was a bit prone to faffingI told her that if she mucked around we would nurse again later, and it worked pretty quickly.

kellymom.com/ages/older-infant/nursing-manners-2/

My son would try his new teeth out on me and I would immediately break the latch and put him down saying "no biting!" They soon learn if they want to continue to BF.

I have recently got to the point where I have had enough of being trapped by B/F my child, I needed to not be needed before every nap etc, take this with a grain of salt though as mine is 21mth and I only feed him before each nap/sleep and if he wakes in the night so he only asks once he is in his baby sleeping bag or when I get him out of bed and he will accept not getting it with a small bit of distraction.

I found that my DS will go to bed without 'boobie' if I was not there, so every now and again when my DH is home I go out over nap/bed time and just having the thought there that I actually am not tied to the little boobie monster was enough for the feeling of being trapped to subside.

Do you think it would help if you went out for a day/evening and left your DH to it?

Aside from that my DS was also a biter around the age of 12 months, I was ready to give up and I had to teach him some 'boobie manners', if he bit me I took him off and sat him on the floor for a minute or two, rinse and repeat until he realised that biting was a no go if he wanted boobie. Maybe a bit of time focussing on teaching him manners might help you feel better too?

If you do want to fully wean though, depending on where you are located I would call your local/national breastfeeding help line, they can offer so much advice and it is much easier to talk to someone directly when you need questions answered.

All the best, hope it goes smoothly for you whatever you decide to do xx

If he’s hungry, he will take a bottle eventually. If he’s eating solids and drinking water from a silly cup he doesn’t actually need your milk, it’s just a comfort. Go cold turkey with him.

I managed to limit it to mornings and bedtime only - in our special chair. Then i wasn’t as fussed about quitting after that and he just stopped asking when he was about 3.

Once you say no. Wear a bra to bed. It makes it impossible for it to happen by mistake. Just say no. Your child can understand. You can still give cuddles and attention just not boob. When I stopped feeding my first at 14 months I thought it would be really hard....it wasn't. I actually left him for the night with DH and he was fine. So I decided not to feed again. And that was that. (Probably wasn't quite that simple but time makes things seem like it was. Lol. )

user1474894224 my experience was pretty similar, although I work so they were used to no breastfeeding during the day. In the morning I had food and milk in a cup ready to go and they were easy to distract at the time. For bedtime I went out a few nights and left it to DH, they quickly forgot. And I would have said they were quite attached to BF actually.

I'm sure I'll get flamed on here but... My daughter was a total boobaholic, painful nipple twister, also still cosleeps. The breaking point was when we went on a big extended family trip out. All her cousins were interested in the train each other etc and all she did was whine and pull at my top. Totally for comfort etc not hungry. So I put plasters over my nipples. The next day she went for them I thought she go crazy and I'd give in but she was kinvof just non-plussed and excepted it. Job done.

She was 19 months. So I think she was just ready, needed the push.

Mine was 12 months so a bit younger than yours, I tried cutting down etc but it didn't work so one day I just said no more +insert whatever nickname you give breastfeeding+ and went cold turkey, it was fine and so was he. Didn't moan or winge. I just stuck with the mantra 'no, you have a cup now' ....job done 👍