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How to stop breastfeeding 16 month old!?

2 replies

Londonmamabychance · 03/05/2018 11:43

My 16 month old boy stil breastfeeds, and I'm so fed up with it. I have hardly any milk left, and it seems very much that it's just a comfort thing. He is in nursery four days a week, and as soon as I come home it's screaming and whinging untill I get him on the boob, where he, left to his own devices, would like to remain for the rest of the night! Whenever I put him down, its endless screaming. He is obvs tired at that point, sp guess that' partly why. I dont breastfeed him to sleep, he happily drinks a bottle and then falls asleep, and when he wakes up during the night (which he does most nights) I also refrain from feeding him anything but bottle.

But then in the monring when he wakes up - usually horrificly early around 5am- he screams endlessly unless put on the boob. He can stay in bed with me breastfeeding non-stop for more than an hour! Shock If I take him off, he just goes mad with screaming. This morning, he cried for 1 full hour, throwing himself around in our bed, after I detached him from the boob after 20 mins "feeding", i.e. comfort sucking.

On the days I'm with him all day, he constantly comes up to me and tugs at my top and wails if I won't let him feed.

My nipples are so sore, as there's hardly any milk left, so sucking has become uncomfortable, and I've just fundamentally had way enough of breastfeeding. I want my body back!

I breastfed my daughter (now 3) for 16 months too, then stopped without any problems at all. I just decided it was enough and didn't offer it to her, and she didn't ask for it anymore, just happily took the bottle.

I've tried to give him dummies (at least 4 differetn kinds...) but he's not interested. Just gnaws a bit on them and throws them away in disgust.

Any advice hugely appreciated!

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
JiltedJohnsJulie · 03/05/2018 18:24

Are you usually sore OP? If the soreness is a new thing, I’d give one of the Bfing Helplines a call. I’m not trained but I’ve not heard of Mums suddenly having a low supply and that causing soreness at this stage. What is it that makes you think that you don’t have much milk? Is there a chance you could be PG?

As for stopping, hace you tried only feeding in one place. Have yiu heard of the “don’t offer but don’t refuse” method too? So if he asks for it, I’d bf in the one place you’ve chosen but let him feed. I chose a chair in our sitting room, then just never say there.

If he’s waking up early, hace you got a partner who could take him downstairs and give him his breakfast for a few days to try to break the cycle of him waking for a bf?

FranticallyPeaceful · 04/05/2018 12:16

Cut our morning/day time first, then go for night. This worked for us at least, because morning/day time are easier to sidetrack them and nighttime is obviously the most difficult as it’s the most wanted (for us at least) so best to work up to it.

As PP said, is it possible you’re pregnant? Or are you on any new birth control that could make you sensitive? (Unsure about the second one)

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