So how do I stop bfing my little one?

[annawintour]

So I have a 1.5 year old.

I've been working full time. Whenever I am home it just seems like all I do if bf, bf, and bf. I am finding it socially isolating as although I bf anywhere the cluster feeding is just so long and my son is quite big so I find I have to lie down to feed so it is easier to bf at home.

I still have to bf at least once in the night (on a good night) and my little one is always up between 5 and 6am, regardless of whatever happens in the night.

I didn't sleep well at all during my pregnancy, so I have realised that I have had over 2 years of rubbish sleep.

I don't have a good sleeper, I have a long feeder.

I think I need to stop bfing as I am getting very fat from all this sitting around. Also my wrinkles are unbelievable.

My DH (and the nursery staff) assure me that they don't get the screaming when I am not around.

I have not always worked so I can't blame the need for this constant bfing just on my return to work.

Generally my son is a very happy healthy baby and yes I know this is not a biggie in the world scheme of things, but how on Earth do you stop bfing. I never let him cry, so maybe that is part of the problem?

My DH is good at settling him too but if I don't feed then he just screams the place down, and actually throws himself at my breast, trying to rip clothes off.

OK Loopy i'll read the book.

Thanks = thinking about it I would be ok with bfing once or twice a day, but obviously he wants more bfing than that.

Sorry no advice but will watch thread for tips as my 19 mth old still bf 2-3 times a night. She can go 7am to 7pm without on days out but will feed almost constantly the following day.
I would love a full nights sleep too!!

Devon I hear you on the sleep front, I really do!

Tonight I tried to take a bath after being in the garden and he wanted to feed, but I was covered in gunk... so he screamed really loudly but I decided to hop in the bath and get DH to look after him so he came up and slammed the bathroom door in my face and stormed off. Now after a feed he is asleep.

the kellymom site has tons of good stuff about this which they call "nursing manners" basically about setting limits for your own sanity and saying that it's OK to breastfeed but when mummy counts to 3 you have to stop and stuff like that. never tried in myself as DD always fed so fast and self weaned at 15 months but it looks pretty sensible

www.kellymom.com/bf/older-baby/nursing-manners.html

Just want to say anna that I feel for you, our DD is the same, just constantly wants to BF during the day, I have no idea how I'll get her to stop as she feeds now just as much as she did aged 6 months! I have forgotten what it is to go to bed expecting to sleep all night, unless I go and sleep in the spare room.

oh you poor thing, i was the same with ds, less so with dd although she has her moments
Good news it it was about this age where things started to get easier but you do have to gently help things along. By the age of 2y4m (when DD was born) Ds was happy to be put to bed by DH without being fed to sleep, wasn't always fed to sleep by me, was starting to not feed to sleep (he gradually cut down until maybe coming up to 3 when I always put him down awake, pretty much.
Your DS is getting to the age where he understands things (well he has for a while but ykwim) - I remember when I was pg I could say to DS that I was desperate for a wee while feeding, and he would agree to lie down until I was back. 9 times out of 10 he'd be asleep by the time I came back. He was 19m when I got pg, so sometime around the age of 2. DD is 19 months now and I'm hoping in the next couple of months she'll have enough understanding for that sort of thing.

Anyway, sorry for ramble! Point I'm making is things will change and for the better if you find it easier to stick with it. Obv you might want to stop and that is fine too.