Giving up breastfeeding at 4 weeks - how best to do it?

[firstpregnancy]

A brief history:

I breastfed completely for the first week, but due to sore nipples I gave up on doing it full time and instead decided to breastfeed once a day as at the time I didn't want to give it up completely. Since then we have been combining the one breastfeed mostly with formula and one or two bottles of ebm a day (depending on supply). I was advised to express 6-8 times a day (I have usually managed 6 times a day).

I would now like to give up the one breastfeed and switch to formula full time. However, I'm not sure what I need to do re: the expressing. My question is: can I just give up cold turkey, or do I need to gradually cut it out?

I ask because I have missed a couple of sessions over the last 2 days and this morning my boobs feel a bit sore and full, yet I can't seem to express very much at all.

Thanks in advance!

You need to gradually cut it out or you could end up with mastitis. I think it?s generally recommended to drop a feed a week.

Try some breast massage or hot flannels on your boobs before you express.

Finally, if it is sore, it will be because your latch isn?t quite right, has anyone looked at it for you to correct that and maybe get back to bfing? Obviously it is your decision, and do stop if you really want to, but it may be possibly to carry on if you want to as well.

Drop it slowly and be aware that if you do get a blocked duct, you won't be able to express so much until it clears so not getting so much out doesn't mean no problems.

If you've got milk and can bf (assume the one feed a day is going okay?) why not give EBF another try though?

I cut down by a minute or two each day per feed with no problems. Hope that helps.

Thanks for the replies. I suspected as much - that I should cut out one session a week - I think this is what I will have to do. Was kind of hoping I could just cut it out, or drop it drastically, as I just don't seem to have the time to do it - DS always needs something when it's time to express, then I either forget or I have to do something else.

I'd love to keep up with the bf, but he is so hungry that he would always be at my breast (although we did sort out the latch eventually). The one bf a day was kind of working, but but he is wanting more milk after half an hour or so, so it just seems to make sense to switch to ff completely.

I do sympathise, I almost exclusively expressed for the first 8 weeks and then cut it out as quickly as I could without causing myself pain to give myself more flexibility, it is so tiring and time consuming and as you say, baby always wants something as you try to express!

The always being at the breast doesn't last, you know. It's only until they get good enough at feeding to not need it. DD feeds in the early weeks typically lasted an hour or more but she now feeds for 5-10 minutes a time during the day.

I know it's not what you came on here to ask but, even if you feel she still needs something else after a while, Why not keep up that one feed for the antibodies, the closeness and all the other reasons why we BF?

I'm genuinely not being funny. I just think people often tend to think of it as being all or nothing and it doesn't have to be like that.