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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To ask if you remember your last breast feed with dc or even knew it was

93 replies

Rosebyanothername19 · 31/07/2021 19:43

Firstly, how you feed your child is your business and I have absolutely no judgment any which way. This is a question for those who chose to bf and to some extent chose when to stop.

My LO is 2 1/2 and I love having her fall asleep on me and every now and again coming out with the most random things in her half asleep state. It's a special little time we have at the end of every day and one of the things I miss most when she is staying with her GPs

So I was just wondering if people made that conscious decision to stop or did your LO just decide one day to stop? Did you know that their last feed was going to be their last?

If you made thr decision, how did you know it was the right time and do you remember the last one?

OP posts:

Houseofvelour · 31/07/2021 21:33

I made the conscious decision to stop with both.
With dd1 I assumed it was her last feed but wasn't totally sure and with dd2, I was 100% certain it was her last feed.

Concestor · 31/07/2021 21:35

I fed to natural term with both of mine so although I knew the end was coming I never knew of it would be the last feed, so I don't know exactly when they stopped, I just realised after a few weeks that that was it. And they confirmed it when I asked them.

pastaparadise · 31/07/2021 21:39

Ds1 - don't remember. He was combination fed for various reasons, but by 13 months dropped feeds slowly and it just dwindled then stopped.

Ds2 is 4.5 and still going, though only very brief feed before sleep. He was so upset at attempts to night wean, i decided to let him self wean. I'm happy with this, though do worry he'll remember it when older and be revolted, so have started to talk about stopping to introduce the concept.

traumatisednoodle · 31/07/2021 21:44

I remember the first time I didn't feed DS to sleep in the evening, he was 10 months and I was going back to work.

Looubylou · 31/07/2021 21:50

Stopped at 13 months but don't remember thinking this is last feed. No memory of the event.

goldierocks · 31/07/2021 21:51

I stopped feeding DS when he was 21 months and 3 weeks old....that was over 18 years ago! I still remember his last feed.

It got to the point that he'd only have a comfort feed if he woke in the night. He then just naturally stopped walking up and that was that.

PaperMonster · 31/07/2021 21:55

Mine was when she was two years and nine months. She rarely fed and this time none would come out, so we stopped then.

ohnonotyetplease · 31/07/2021 22:05

Yes! I really really battled with breastfeeding and gradually transitioned to formula. The sad thing was that my daughter was so much more satisfied on formula that by the time came to do her last breastfeed, I had almost started to enjoy it.
I wrote it in my diary 'dd's last breastfeed last night' and I still remember drinking in the last few moments before putting her back in her bed. She was 5 months old.

MummBraTheEverLeaking · 31/07/2021 22:09

I remember, DD was 14 months old, taking more expressed than from breast as I was at work and she at nursery. Still had a good night time feed and happy to try and pull out my boob if she wanted a quick drink!

I was really starting to suffer with a pre existing condition which had flared up and was causing me a lot of pain. I got a new prescription but could not breastfeed on it. So I had a final week of feeding then went cold turkey. Then went through the freezer reserves.

I do remember sitting with her for one last dream feed, thinking how quick time had gone from the early days of being exhausted waking throughout the night and how I'd thought 'fucking hell I've got months of this to go'. And now it was over.

I was worried she'd be confused at no longer being able to do it, but she took it like a champ, it didn't seem to bother her at all. I would have liked maybe a month or two longer at least, but I couldn't have carried on the way I was pain wise.

FakeFruitShoot · 31/07/2021 22:12

I don't remember any of mine as it's been so gradual. I have been breastfeeding for about 10 years now, across 4 children. It's a big part of our relationship but I don't have any photos of it etc. I suppose breastfeeding has been pretty mundane for me. I mean, I like it well enough and am grateful I could, but it's not particularly an emotional thing for me. I get that it's odd that at some point I'll carry them/bath them etc for the last time and it's kind of bittersweet but seeing them getting older is a privelege and one I'm so excited about.

Strugglingtodomybest · 31/07/2021 22:17

No, I can't remember the last feed for either of mine. Ds1 stopped of his own accord I remember, at around a year old I think. I think I decided to stop Ds2 at around a year but can't even remember why now!

Queenfreak · 31/07/2021 22:22

I have no idea. I know it was between 3.5 and 4 years. I know that she still finds comfort in my boobs at 4.4 years, though I no longer produce milk.
In some ways I'm sad that chapter is finished, however I remember hating it at the end

Alreadyexhausted · 31/07/2021 22:24

I don't remember the last feed which is fine by me. I bf for a total of 6 years with my children and would happily have stopped a year earlier but my youngest was very attached. I was starting to resent it.

I am happy I was able to bf my children, it did feel special. At the same time it was incredibly hard work, left me taking all responsibility for night feeds, tied me to home and I suffered repeated mastitis and worse complications. It's a slightly love/hate relationship when I think back and I felt no sadness, just relief at stopping - the job was done.

underneaththeash · 31/07/2021 22:26

I counted off the days until mine were 16 weeks.
Absolutely hated breastfeeding (but I have allergies)

Cookofcastamar · 31/07/2021 22:28

Fed both to 2 years and 4 months.
My first stopped when I was 8 months pregnant. He was feeding on a Sunday morning and suddenly said the milk is finished. We went from there and that was it.
My second was 2 years 4 months and on Christmas 2017 was so excited by his Henry Hoover and other Christmas presents that he forgot to feed all day. When he wanted to feed that night I told him santa took the milk with him. He wasn't too pleased but no tears. Both times we were down to 2 feeds a day max as I worked long hours. You will feel it when the time is right.
Currently feeding my third at 10 weeks old and don't want to put myself under any pressure but I'm sure I'll feel guilty if I don't make it to close enough to the other two.

Hankunamatata · 31/07/2021 22:31

Bf 3 and couldn't tell you

Livingintheclouds · 31/07/2021 22:33

My first I stopped at five months as I was returning to work. With my second I gave up work and she was as stubborn as a mule and wouldn’t ever take a bottle so I breast fed her until the night before her first birthday when she was down to one feed just before bed, and she looked at my breast and stuck her thumb in her mouth. That was it. I was happy and relieved and it felt good that she chose when to stop.

elliejjtiny · 31/07/2021 22:33

dc's 1, 2 and 3 self weaned gradually at 14, 18 and 23 months so I didn't realise the last feed was the last one until a few days later.

With dc4 I had 1 glorious "breastfeed" with him when he was about 5 days old. The drs and nurses had told me not to bother because he wouldn't be able to do it. One midwife told me that he was my baby and if I wanted to give breastfeeding a try then I should. The drs were right, he couldn't do it but it was nice for both of us and good for my expressing for him to lie there with my boob in his mouth for 10 minutes.

With dc5 he was still breastfeeding aged 2 and I was being pressured to stop by everyone who knew I was still doing it. I did one last feed, took photos and reluctantly didn't breastfeed again. I wish I hadn't given in and stopped because he used to sleep through the night all the time and he has only slept through about 3 times since I stopped breastfeeding him.

Mummytomylittlegirl · 31/07/2021 22:43

With DD she was about 14 months and was constantly on and off, felt like it wasn’t good for either of us so decided to stop while I still had all the lovely bfing memories. I have a photo of one of our last feeds but not sure if it’s the actual last one!

Currently feeding my twins, had to do some mixed feeding due to their weight loss. Which it turns out I quite like the balance of. I’m very conscious that I don’t want to lose my milk supply, they are not as good feeders as my DD was. As they were born at the 37 week mark. They are only 12 days old but I treasure all our feeds right now, I hope we can continue to bf for about a year along with formula too. I think for me, breastfeeding is one of the most special things I’ve ever done and I’m really proud to be feeding my twins- even though it’s not ebf like I initially planned.

MotherWol · 31/07/2021 22:46

With DD1, she was 18 months and had gradually been feeding less since starting nursery, until she was down to just a pre-bed feed. She’d been fidgety and distracted during feeds for about a week, and then she came down with a cold. That night she had a proper long feed like in the early days, and that was it. It was kind of lovely and I’m glad it ended on a good note.

DD2 is nearly 8 weeks; when she was 2 weeks it looked like I would have to start medication that would mean I had to stop breastfeeding and it made an already difficult time even more traumatic. Thankfully it’s looking less likely and I’m working to re-establish feeding, but I hadn’t realised how important it was to me until it looked like I’d have to stop.

Bimbabo · 31/07/2021 22:47

18 months for us. I planned for 6 months but she took ages to get teeth so kept going. Then COVID happened so didn’t have much else to do and keep me busy. When she turned 1 she refused any form of milk so kept going for a bit longer.
I knew it was coming. She’s only nurse for 5 mins or so before bed. Last feed for my sisters birthday. My daughter has her name as a middle name so must have been a thing?!
Miss the sleep milk coma baby and the excuses of I need to feed her so I could keep her to myself.

kowari · 31/07/2021 22:52

DS was just turned five and stopped on his own. It had been roughly once a week for a year at that point. I didn't know it was the last or remember it.

MrsAvocet · 31/07/2021 22:54

No, I never knew what the last feed was
I breastfed all mine til self weaning and I can't remember precisely when any of them stopped. They were all between 3 and 5 but beyond that I couldn't tell you. Stopping was gradual and barely perceptible for all of them. I guess at some point I realised they'd not fed for a few weeks and that must be it but there was no "event" as such and I don't recall any particularly strong emotions.

badg3r · 31/07/2021 22:56

I don't remember the last times for mine, it was very on and off at the end since they both fed to two years. I don't know if would have wanted to know it was the last time!

Ikeameatballs · 31/07/2021 22:56

I don’t remember at all with dd, stopped at about 9 months

I don’t really remember with ds, though I do have vague memories of what his last few feeds were like, but ultimately I stopped on his 5th birthday so I remember the date if not the actual event!

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