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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

How/when did you stop BFing?

10 replies

jinglesticks · 14/02/2011 13:47

Did you wait till dc self-weaned or did you stop for another reason/in another way and if so how?

I've been bfing dd for 13 months and starting to think I might like to stop soon but I don't really know how/when to do this, so your experiences are welcome.

OP posts:

cornflakegirl · 14/02/2011 14:02

I fed DS1 until he was coming up 4 - he self-weaned when I was pregnant with DS2.

DS2 I am still feeding at nearly 18m. I'm not enjoying feeding as much with him, but he is very attached to it, so will probably keep going for a while yet.

Why do you think you would like to stop?

PigeonPie · 14/02/2011 14:08

DS1 self weaned at about 19 months when I was pg with DS2.

DS2 finished at about 27 months. He needed a little encouragement, but I decided that by then he really was only using me as a tool to get to sleep and often he could go on his own. It was very gentle and we didn't have that 'last feed' as it just sort of happened.

I have very fond memories of feeding them both and am proud of what we achieved, but am now glad (DS2 is now 3) that we are on to the next stage.

aPixie · 14/02/2011 14:09

Ds1 stopped at 6months. Didn't want to but that's another story. I just stopped feeding him. I didn't have any problems with this but I believe, from mumsnet, that I was probably very lucky and just stopping could have brought loads of problems.

Ds2 is 5months (ish) and still EBF and this time I'm letting him self wean. Well that's the plan anyway.

thumbdabwitch · 14/02/2011 14:11

About 23m. For the last couple of months it had been night time only; and for the last couple of weeks it just started to get a bit uncomfortable - so one night I just said "no" when he asked, had to say "no" 3 times that night, once the next night and then that was it. We had pretty much come to a natural end, I think so it was pretty straightforward.

Original poster

jinglesticks · 14/02/2011 18:59

Thanks - I'm just interested because I was wondering if I should persevere or try to wean her off. I just seem to be enjoying it less. It might be the teeth - to feels like they are cutting off the blood supply to my nipples when she feeds! It could just be that I want, sometimes, for someone else to be able to put her to bed or feed her in the night.

Any other advice appreciated

OP posts:

Wigeon · 14/02/2011 19:02

I stopped at 12 months because (1) DD could go straight onto cow's milk and (2) I was going back to work and didn't want leaky nippes showing through work shirts! And figured that stopping wasn't harming her nutritionally because she would be having lovely natural cow's milk and by then she was eating a good diet.

Ideally I'll do the same with DC2 (due in May).

SummerRain · 14/02/2011 19:02

dd... stopped at 12 months as was 3 months pregnant with dd and struggling to get her to feed lost it's attraction. She couldn't have cared less tbh.

ds1... he stopped of his own accord at 2.5 about 2 weeks before i had ds2, he's been tailing it off whilst i was pregnant and had no interest in alleviating my overproduction once ds2 was born unfortunately!

ds2... he's just turned 2 and a complete boob monster... can't see him stopping without a fight any time soon.

TruthSweet · 14/02/2011 19:06

DD1 self weaned at 3.6 y/o whilst I was 8m pg with DD3 - she lost the ability to latch on.

DD2 is 3.2y/o and bfing - planning on self weaning.

DD3 is 16m/o and bfing - planning on self weaning.

Greeninkmama · 14/02/2011 19:15

OP, 13 months is a good age to reduce feeds if that is what you want to do. I did this with mine, but continued to feed until 2.2 yrs; by the end we were on bedtime feed only.

Daytime ones are the easiest to drop - just be doing something different when you think she might want a feed (ie be out rather than snuggling on the sofa) and preempt hunger/comfort wish with drink and snack. I found it reasonably easy to do, though do remember various relapses. The La Leche method is don't offer, don't refuse - that was my basic principle but I found that I did need to say 'we don't do that during the day, do we?' etc to my DD.

And if you want someone else to put her down, you could just try it out. Best to be completely out but nearby for that one, and tell her what is going to happen.

cornflakegirl · 15/02/2011 13:03

DS2 asks for feeds quite often when I'm around at the weekends. Sometimes I feed him, because a cuddle and a feed is nice. Sometimes I give him a snack instead. He does respond quite well to being distracted.

I did get seriously fed up with night time feeding around 15 months, and we night-weaned. I think my next target might be stopping feeding to sleep at bedtime - when I can be bothered!

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