I want to stop breast feeding - how do I do it?

[Iggleonk]

DD is 10 weeks old, I really want to stop breast feeding now but don't know how to go about it.

She is taking a bottle no probs (NUK bottle) but only takes 2oz and then stops & refuses anymore. If I then offer her breast she then has a full feed off me! I really want to get to the point where she takes a full bottle and nothing off me!

Feeding is erratic, there is no pattern so this also isn't helping as it is not like I can say - "I am going to drop the 11am feed" as there is no such thing! DH is giving her a 10.30pm bottle but she only takes 2oz but then sleeps through till 3am and then 6am.

Any advice about how to introduce bottle and stop bf would be gratefully received. A few friends have said - just go cold turkey but I don't really want to do that as I have already had mastitus twice and I don't think cold turkey would be good for me & distressing for her.

Thanks

Can I ask why you want to stop feeding?

FWIW, for six months as a baby, I would take 2oz every 2 hours, and that was it.

Because I have had mastitus twice, I have a toddler, I have a collicky baby that crys ALL the time & I need a break PLUS I am going back to work soon.

I did not post this thread to be judged about giving up breastfeeding, I posted it for some advice.

maybe she only wants 2oz at a time?

you will want to demand feed bottles just as you do breast, so it won't necessarily help from that POV. plus you'll have all the bottles to wash/sterilise!

anyway, i would just cut down gradually. If she doesn't have set feeding times then just say give bottles until lunchtime and then breastfeed in afternoon or something.
then gradually swap the afternoon ones too.

you're right about not going cold turkey, esp with history of mastitis

personally i found bottle feeding a whole lot more hassle than breast, so make sure you're absolutely 100% sure this is what you want to do

I wasn't judging - I was asking because if there was a specific problem then maybe people could help you through it, whether that meant you continued to breastfeed, or stopped but in a better place. No need to snap.

I feel your pain with colic, DS struggles very badly, but my brother was worse; I still remember the screaming and he's now 13. Have you tried colief / Infacol / gripe water etc?

If you're prone to mastistus then going cold turkey is a bad idea; you could express less and less, IYSWIM. If she will take 2oz, then maybe let her do that, but offer after an hour or two again, and then gradually up the amount in her bottle? Also remember that she will be able to smell the milk on you, so as many feeds that your DH could do as possible would be good.

Remember she is still very young so will be feeding a lot at this age.

Don't go cold turkey! Really bad advice if you had matitis (sp?). I had recurrent one with DD2, had to massaged all the time, antibiotic, high fever... So I choose stop BF too.
Replace slowly one feed/ one bottle (doesn't matter if she doesn't take a lot 2/3 oz every 2h seems normal at 10 weeks. If breast very sensitive wait a few days then take another feed out, if not, you can take a feed off a day.
Taking out the night feeds first reduced the amount of milk produced. But I found it more difficult, so went slowly. half way through I had about 1 feed FF one feed BF. (8 to 12/day DD2 was/is hungry!)
It took me about a month to stop.
I took sage tea to reduced the milk production. (2/3 bags in a liter of boiling water, drink it all day warm or cold) mint or parsley will also do but doesn't taste as nice.
At the begginning DD2 fed a lot in tiny amounts with formula, then she settled in a more 'normal' pattern 6 feed of 5 oz around 4 months (it won't work if you follow GF routine though)
Good luck.
You BF her for 10 weeks, it is good

None of my DDs refused the bottle from me. They were just happy to be fed.

sorry didn't mean to snap. Just very tired and at end of tether - apologies SirBoobAlot.

thanks for advice

Don't go cold turkey or you'll get mastitis again. Offer her a bottle at the start of each feed. She might only take a couple of oz but it will reduce the amount you are supplying gradually. Once she is taking 2oz at each feed don't offer her the breast unless you are feeling full.... or maybe just offer the breast at every 2nd feed.

You might find that even when you back to work you can maintain a 7am and 7pm feed. I am thinking of maintaining these 2 when I back as the morning feed is nice in bed while I am waking up, and the bedtime feed will be nice to have a cuddle etc after work.

OH! And it is so nice to have a cuddle from your baby without it hurting, I think I cuddled her constantly for a week after stopping BF.... so not all bad.