Did anybody else become fed up with extended breastfeeding?

[OgreRebel]

I feel ridiculously guilty about it. We had a tough start to bfing but managed to sort out cracked nipples, mastitis and recurrent blocked ducts. EBF until 6 months and still feeding at 3.2.

DD has always loved bfing and was always a v frequent feeder. I had to stop the night feeds at around 2.4 as I was tired, she'd have carried on feeding all night quite happily.

I have mainly adored bfing and have been proud of it and determined to continue to natural term.

But something has changed in the last few months. I don't enjoy it. I find it at best, irritating and at worst, nauseating. Not the act of bfing a child, but just when she latches on or even asks. I feel like I want my body back and have been encouraging her not to feed. She's feeding every couple of days now but I am not enjoying it at all.

I feel v v guilty.

I also worry that if I have another I won't want to bfeed that one at all because I've reached saturation point with it.

Has anybody else felt like this?

You have done amazingly!I also fed my DS (now 12 yrs!) until he was about 3, & am now EBF my DD (5 mo)....I definately felt ready to finish with DS by the time he was about 2.5...& spent a good few months phasing it out (stopped night feeds about 18 months, as was driving me crazy!)...I clearly remember feeling that i wanted my body back, & that we had gone past a point where it was feeling right...but once it was all over I looked back on my BF expereince with him with real fondness.
Now with my DD have started over again, & TBH some days (like today!)struggle with how demanding it is & just how much time & commitment it requires from you..but I do intend to continue as long as feels right, again...& really, most days am loving feeding her.
Please don't feel guilty..you have been giving yourself for years, & its a wise mum who knows her limits!
IME, you will feel ready & willing to BF another baby..although I do think the 2nd time round I have been keener to find alternate ways of soothing other than booby!(mind you, that all goes out the window after about 1am...whatever it takes at night!)

You are bound to get fed up, you have been at it for aaages! I feel the same at night, DS is only 20m but the constant switching of sides, pulling off without unclenching enough, ouch.

When he was 18m I tried to cut out day feeds and was astonished by how easy it was. And then surprised by how I missed it!

Night feeds I would not miss and are proving impossible to stop.

I guess what I'm trying to say is well done for persevering so long and that it may well be once you stop you will remember it more fondly.

If you have another, remember also it is veeery different feeding a newborn to a 3 year old.

And lastly- could it be that you are pg now?! As I have heard many people say they suddenly went off bf massively only to discover they were pregnant...

Thank you!

I am so glad it's not just me. I am mainly concerned about what will happen next time. BFing has been such a lovely and wonderful thing that to feel irritated by it is a bit of a shock.

And I am DEFINITELY not pregnant!

You've done fabulously to get where you are. The whole point of continued breastfeeding (IMO) is that you continue as long as both baby AND mum are happy to - if you're no longer happy then perhaps it's time to address that?

I'm a big, big supporter of full term breastfeeding and can only hope I have the patience to get to 3 years!

Yes, I did. I fed my last until she was 3 1/2 and sort of forced the end then. By 3 she was still feeding whenever she wanted in the day so had to force that to end as well. And it was quite difficult, she was quite upset about it. I think you've done brilliantly and shouldn't feel at all guilty about thinking you've had enough now.

I did slighltly miss it when it was all over though. Mainly because I knew I'd never do it again

I think its normal to have mixed feelings about extended breastfeeding. It is a massive achievement to breastfeed for so long, but it is tiring especially when you have other children.

I felt the same as you and stopped feeding my son at 33 months. I was down to one feed at two and half years old. I did feel sad stopping as it was a new chapter in the relationship between my son and I. A good maternal relationship is more than breastfeeding.

Prehaps as human beings we worry too much. I took my son to the zoo to keep his mind off breastfeeding. I was using subsitution, distraction and change of routine to stop him from demanding breastfeeds.

A chimpaneze was trying to wean her toddler. Her method was so much simpler than mine. She just punched her toddler round the head when he tried to latch on.

DS2 is 3.2 and still nursing and I felt extreme aversion while pg with DD. He was 20 months when she arrived and while it got better once she once born and I enjoy the closeness of it I would cheerfully give up today if he wanted to stop.
You Are Not Alone

I was going to ask if you might be pg too

I went completely off feeding ds1 when I got pg with ds2 - just could not bear it. If you are not pg maybe some other hormonal change?

Although I would cheerfully have stopped at any time after he turned 2 if only he hadn't loved it so much, so I understand your fedupness.

I wouldn't worry about the next one, the hormones will take over and you'll want to feed the tiny little thing when it shows up. I was worried about it at the beginning of the pg but a few months' break and all the hormones did the trick. And establishing bf the second time was a breeze - experience does count for something.

I started getting tired of breastfeeding at around 12-13 months, but daughter was having none of it when I tried to wean. Thankfully she gave up oabout 3 weeks ago with gentle encouragement and lots of distraction.(She's 19 months old). I just suddenly realised she hadn't fed for a few days.

I don't think you've got anything to feel guilty about, it's completely normal to be fed up, and wanting to stop. I don't believe the decision when to wean should be up to the child alone. It's your body, and your boundaries.