Breastfeeding

[br123]

Does anyone have any tips on how I can stop breastfeeding my 8 month old daughter, she had combined breast and bottle up to about 5 months then one day decided she didn't want the bottle so for the past 3 months I've just been breastfeeding. Now is my time to stop breastfeeding but could do with some tips on how as she won't take a bottle off me we've tried going through dad taking her to getting her bathed and ready for bed and giving her a bottle but she won't have that either so does anyone have any advice on what could help?

What milk are you trying? When I stopped bf my dd wouldn't take cows milk so we did cow and gate formula which she preferred but it has to be slightly warm.

Also couldn't go cold turkey. I changed morning feed first to a bottle then after a few weeks the evening. This was because in the morning I would get her out of the cot and sit her with the bottle so it was a different situation to night time which was more about cuddles and settling.

Bf is a comfort for babies. Can I ask why you are needing to stop?

I'm trying to give her formula aptamil follow on milk as I don't want to give her cows milk just yet. I know she will eventually have it it's just actually getting her to have the bottle off me or my partner as she isn't having any of it so far. I'll be going back to work soon, and I also feel like I would just like to stop now anyway she's a very big baby and it's very straining on my c-section scar as she's so heavy and she likes to pinch and scratch my nipples also which is leaving me in abit of a state lol I have cut her nails but just can't get them short enough where it still doesn't cut my skin

Have you tried not using a bottle but going straight for a cup?

On the pinching and scratching I have dactyl the same with DS2 who is 8m old. I’ve found teething necklaces to be the only thing that stops him - he pulls on and twiddles with that instead of cutting me open. Might just help while you find a way to stop?

Thankyou I will defiantly try that as it's very painful!

Try different bottles. My DS had Tomee Tipee bottle twice and from then on refused it. I bought MAM bottle to try and he's been having it with no problem. The teets are different-Tomme Tipee is round but MAM are flat.

That is the same with me she had tommee tippee then I changed to mam and she just smacks the bottle away and gets really frustrated she's got two teeth that have just broke through now so she keeps biting me which is adding to the stress lol

With the biting you can try saying no very firmly, take her off and put her down. She will learn that biting doesn't get milk.

When I got to 12 months I got so tense about the biting every feed that I weaned her off and stopped.

My dd will only take the nuk dummies, you might need to cycle through different bottles, my dd has her formula in bottle now and I had to find ones with a similar end to the nuk dummy... which isn't easy!

br123 My little dd (10 months) now has several teeth and I have decided to stop breastfeeding, so trying to wind this down.
DD seems to drink warm formula milk out of a tippee cup but would much rather feed off me. My dd also has nails - no matter how many times they are cut, she too scratches and pinches.
Watching this thread with interest.

I think I would rather wean her off now as I'm think I'm ready to just stop anyway plus the biting and scratching is pushing me more towards stopping. I was thinking about just going cold turkey but if she won't have a bottle it just worries me about her being hungry I know if she got that hungry she will eventually have the bottle but just feel like I don't want to upset her too much and feel like doing it gradually will she not be confused as to why she can only have breast at certain parts of the day say if I'm cutting certain breastfeeds out to slowly stop? I feel totally stuck on how to just stop breastfeeding

I think, I just stopped with my first dc (and was probably fortunate not to suffer mastitis etc.) Can't remember with my second. This time, I can bring myself to go cold turkey, I've tried the hot flannel thing but it doesn't seem to be doing anything. I think I've managed to cut the feeds down to two in 24 hours but not sure where I go from here as I don't want my body to keep producing milk. I had a late loss a few years ago and I was given some medication to stop the milk coming in but I have read that it might not be easily accessible/have horrid side effects BUT if my milk production doesn't slow down over the next week, I might enquire about it. DD's teeth (and there are several) was the final catalysis for me saying this is enough...I think you just know when you are ready to stop, there's an awful lot of pressure for women to continue bf and it's almost like I need permission to stop, but I feel the time is right for me to do so.

To be honest I went from 4 feeds to 3 feeds.... then did 2 feeds morning and bed time. Then I switched out morning to formula. Would get dd up and just give her the bottle straight off and she didn't worry then would have breakfast about an hour later. Then after a few weeks I switched her to night time bottle once we realised she preferred growing up formula instead of warm whole milk.
I did still leak slightly for a few weeks after so continued to wear pads in my bra but because I had reduced my supply so much it stopped on its own.

I didn't have any issues with my boobs and dd seemed fine.

The night time routine has stayed the same with milk while reading a story just where it comes from is different.

Thanks Highonthehill...how did you stagger it - how long did you do 2 feeds until you cut it down to one...or did you just feel like less milk was coming in so did it that way?

I think i did around 2-3 weeks, I certainly felt less full but as I had stopped the day time feeds my body just slowed down.

I wanted to keep the night feeds going for alot longer but when she turned 1 every time I went to do it I was tense and on edge thinking she was going to bite me so I just called it a day, did one more feed then the next night gave her the bottle, she wasn't bothered in that she felt disconnected from me but for a while after she would try to pull my top down but I ignored it and I would leak if she cried hence continuing with the pads. Now dd likes to put her hand in my bra and will happily fall asleep like that, it doesn't bother me though as she must find it comforting.

It did take a bit of trial and error to find the right bottle we ended up with a mam one and cheap bottle from Morrison's that have a square type teat to them, a bit like her dummy but nothing like my nipples

Thanks Highonthehill x

I used a cup with 3rd child

Yes, I'm using a cup too.

Start with your partner doinh bottles not you.

When my partner started doing bottles, i used to leave the house and take the dog for a walk.

Also, are you heating the formula up? Remember breastmilk is warm

Have you tried expressing and getting your partner to give that in a bottle?

Remember you can't just stop all feeds, you'll get mastitus, you need to drop a feed every couple of dqys as your body adjusts