How to stop breastfeeding without getting saggy boobs and least painful way?

[ElleAndBump]

hi,my baby's 8 weeks now and ive decided i want to stop breastfeeding her, as im tired out and want to be able to have abit more freedom,,ie, not rushing around up town before she needs her next feed or for her dad to feed her while i can have a HOT dinner for a change,lol......how do i go about stopping without getting masitis?? how long does it take for milk to stop? ive started today by giving her a bottle with cow&gate number 1 formula every other feed, but my boobs could rival jordans haha as they have gone huge ... and leaking and got hard lumps at the back..is this normal or will the milk start blocking and i get mastitis?? also as im only 22 i really dont want saggy boobs, any tips on how to keep the shape as best as possible?? advice very much appreciated!!! thank u.x :)

hi when i stopped breastfeeding my little boy at 6weeks i just got hot showers and let the water run down over my boobs. i also made sure i wore very supportive bras to help stop sagging. i was almost 22 when i stoped breastfeeding and found this helped for me. hope this helps x x

Just to let you know, sagging breasts has got nothing to do with breastfeeding, but with pregnancy. Depends on your skins elasticity if they will sag or not.

I'm 36 and don't want saggy boobs either .

But as sirboob says, you can't really do much to stop them sagging :( as it's just one of those things that having babies does to us.

Well done for doing 8 weeks. It can be really tiring can't it! Worth considering that night feeds can be harder with formula though, as you are "ready to go" with breastmilk. It does also get easier from this point onwards, but I understand that being "tied" is very difficult to deal with. Have you considered expressing for her?

Another option is to do some breastfeeding and some formula feeding. That way you still get some of the health benefits of BF and so does she, and you get some freedom, too - both from BF for doing stuff for yourself and also the freedom from having to make up bottles!

Actually stopping completely, cold turkey, could cause mastitis so you're better doing it very gradually over a week or so. If you can express, and you get very engorged, just express off a small amount to relieve the pain and leave it at that.

I think you can also ask your doctor for something to stop the milk if you want to stop completely.

Hope this helps somewhat.

aww thanx for advice, i didnt have a clue how to go about stopping,...i suppose women at any age dont wont saggy boobs,lol, i didnt realise it was the pregnacy tht causes it, evryone always tells u its breast feeding. >>>organiccarrotcake>.yes i was expressing sometimes when my mum had her for an hour or two, but its so time consuming to express, i just felt abit trapped. didnt think of combination feeding but now i made desicion of quiting i feel much happier, so think i will just stick to it, i will gradually reduce feeds n give bottle more, thank u.x

Once you stop breastfeeding all your ligaments will tighten back up, this may help with the sagging, so in respect of this it is better to breastfeed and tighten up afterwards rather than those who never breastfeed, as they do not get the tightening up effect afterwards!

Stopping breastfeeding will not mean you will have a hot dinner that is just part of the baby territory, I am afraid!

Are you sure you want to stop and you wont regret it in the future? You are at the part where the baby should be starting to settle down with feeding (apart from growth spurts)

Anyway you need to drop one feed at a time so I have been told and well done for getting so far it is hard work!

I found that breastfeeding early on is quite a thankless task, but has become more enjoyable as baby gets older and starts to respond to you.

If you want freedom, why did you have a baby?

You need to drop a feed at a time - every few days drop another one. This will help with your engorgement and reduces the risk that baby will get peed off at the sudden change.

i think u have taken that in the wrong context,not freedom to spend away from my baby! but freedom as in been able take her out for the day without worrying where i can feed her,or so her dad gets a chance to feed her and bond with her while i catch up on household tasks,im sure im not the only woman to have felt like this while breastfeeding. yes i started giving her bottles every other feed which like you say its been abit much for her and shes wondering whats going on so i will slow the change over down abit,lol. i was thinking i might regret it as im scared she wont be as close to me when i stop, has anyone else felt like that when they stopped?thanks purplebuns for advice, info about the ligaments was interesting too.

1. Bf your baby in public is allowed 2)There are more ways of bonding with your baby than feeding it. Can your ~DP not do other stuff (like nappy changes )
2. Houswork? Pah, get him to do it while you feed you baby and sit on the sofa eating cake But otherwise like has been said: drop one feed at a time.

You can take a breastfed baby out all day and feed with ease - that's the joy of breastfeeding. You don't have to worry about boiling kettles to kill bacteria in the formula, sterilising, etc which is all v. difficult out and about.

Dad's can bond with babies by playing, changing nappies, bathing, reading stories, getting them dressed, etc.

You can do housework by using a sling.

I'm not saying don't stop if that's what you want, but every one of your reasons can be overcome. :)

Agree with what has been said - make sure you are stopping for the right reasons. Sorry to say it, but cold dinners come with the Mum territory, regardless of how you're feeding!

Feeding when out an about... Well, personally, I much prefer the idea of just breastfeeding as and when, rather than trying to sort out bottles and what have you before I go, and then when I'm out. Maybe I'm just lazy You can breastfeed wherever you want (you are protected by civil law) but if you feel uncomfortable for whatever reason there are feeding rooms in places like M&S, Debenhams, Boots, Mothercare and John Lewis.

Bonding. I think you need to think about this from both sides. Firstly, there are other ways he can bond with her - bath time is a great one for dads to do, (and whilst he is doing that, you can hoover up - see, housework ) as well as story reading and just general cuddles and play time. Remember also that she is very small at the moment so the bigger she gets, the more she starts interacting, the easier it will be for him to bond with her. The other big consideration I think you need to have is the lack of intimacy you will have with her if you stop breastfeeding. That's not to say FF babies don't bond with their mothers, but if you switch from BF to FF, its not the same. Will you miss that?

I know its very demanding at the moment, and the first three months are really hard going, regardless of how you are feeding. A lot of it is adjusting to having someone else controlling your life!

You say you're worried you'll regret it... So if I were you, I would wait a little bit longer, for a few more weeks until she starts to settle into her own routine a little more. Its much easier to get to, say, 12 weeks and think "Yes, I've definitely made up my mind now" than to get a week or so into stopping and want to re-lactate.

I do know people who have regretted very much when they stopped, and who wish they had continued for just a little bit longer, for a variety of reasons; cost, convenience, missing supporting their child with their body, missing those baby cuddles whilst feeding... I also know people who switched to formula and have never looked back, because it was right for them at the time. Though if I'm being totally honest, those are the ones who had major problems breastfeeding.

true thanks for all the advice, u made points i didnt think of, think i will try combination feeding for a few more weeks then until i have made up my mind properly. do u produce enuff milk when doing both?

Yes, it is perfectly possible to combination feed. :)

pretty sure, as someone else has said, breastfeeding isn't the cause of saggy breasts. Pregnancy is to blame.

Sorry know i'm a bit late - i'm at similar point to you Elle, my ds is 9 weeks on Friday. I've sort of combination fed up until now - mainly bf but the odd bottle of formula when at wits end, with also a bit of expressing.

One point about expressing - have you tried doing it first thing? I find i can express 150ml in about 5 mins at 8am, wheras in the evening 90mls can take an hour. I normally get up, feed him, then express from other boob whilst watching tv with a cuppa. I'm told experts can express from one boob whilst feeding from the other - never managed it myself!

I know what you mean about feeding in town, you have to find a place to sit down + get comfy etc, but you still need that to bottle feed, and also you need to warm the bottle etc. I've tried both, and found breastfeeding easier. Also found confidence comes with practise, and i've gotten better at doing it discreetly too.

thank u pootles2010 least not the only one feeling like that,feeding up my town is impossible, i haven't mastered how to do it discreetly,lol, and my town isnt big it hasn't go loads of shops with breast feeding areas/changing rooms were they let u feed so unless im going to feed in the middle of the town,lol, i have to rush home, plus people in the area quite narrow minded, dont think anyone my age breastfeeds so feeding in public i find difficult. good point i noticed that too u got more in the morning :)
jemjabella do you know how i go about combination feeding, how many bottles a day can u give when combination feeding? and because before i posted this message i had been giving her bottles every other feed for maybe a couple of days now, does that mean there no milk left (sorry for too much info, but breasts seem to be soft with no milk)its too late to b/f and bottle feed?

If you choose to stop cold turkey, taking high doses of vitamin B6 can help dry up your supply (but don't do this if you are combination feeding). Ask your doctor about the dosage - I can't remember.

I think you might be misunderstood about ff meaning you'll have more freedom. And no, if you're going to get saggy boobs, the damage is done.

elle I completely understand your concern about breastfeeding in public. As has been mentioned, you are legally allowed to breastfeed in public anywhere - including the middle of town! But it can be tricky to get the knack of doing it discreetly. You could try wearing a nursing top - they do cover you up more - or a vest top underneath a t-shirt to cover your tummy.

You may find, if you ask your health visitor, that there is a breastfeeding group in town. They will have women there who are breastfeeding so you don't feel alone. They could also give you advice about combination feeding.

You should be so proud of yourself that you've breastfed in an area where it's not "the norm". If you can bring yourself to go out in public and feed you will be showing other women that it's ok to do that, and maybe they will consider doing so, too (this was my experience - I didn't even know it was ok until I saw it!).

I also second the advice that from about now on breastfeeding gets sooo much easier. I am not at all convinced that bottle feeding is easier - but that's because I am completely happy about feeding in public and if I wasn't I could imagine it would be really tough.

I assume you know all the great ways that breastfeeding has, and is, giving your baby a really healthy start by giving her loads of antibodies against infection. Formula can't do this (even those which claim to have "immunifortas" or similar stuff - it's not the same at all). So what you've done is wonderful and if you choose continue with any breastfeeding it will all help. It's your choice and you should be happy with it, whatever it is.

One more thing about feeding in public. I have never, ever had a problem from anyone. In fact, I've had LOADS of positive comments from people and I live in a town where bottle feeding is normal.

Good luck with whatever you choose and be proud of what you've done.

i am sure you'd get ;ots of positive comments, bf in town, especially as a younger mum. I'm not that much older than you (28) and the first time I fed in public and oldish man came over and said well done.

it honestly does get easier. dd is 5 months and when she was younger she was constantly on the boob! now she can go longer between feeds but it nice bfing her as i can sit on the sofa and watch telly/go on mn and can get out of the cooking and cleaning.

What ever you choose to do, at least you have given your baby the best start, so do what you feel will work for you and your baby. Let us know how you get on.

Sorry, I can't offer any further advice on combi feeding as I've not done it. However, it's very unlikely you're supply has gone. It may have decreased a bit but the best way to boost it again is by feeding.