Anyone regret stopping breastfeeding at 9months?

[Pastabee]

DD is 9 months and has been EBF until last week. I have mostly enjoyed breastfeeding. DH and I decided to wean her last week for a variety of reasons including me returning to work in November, the fact she at last will take a bottle and cup a painful, burning latch when teeth are appearing.

She feeds 4 times a day and I've replaced the bedtime feed with a bottle for the last week. She seems to enjoy the follow on milk and it's been great to be able to cook / pop out while DH feeds her but I feel so guilty about not breastfeeding at least until I go back to work. I know DH and MIL are enjoying being involved despite being so supportive for the past 9 months.

Has anyone weaned their baby at around this age and then regretted it? I'm just questioning the decision so much today and feeling

Do you think my supply would hold up if I breastfed her twice a day and used formula for the other two feeds?

Hello again Pastabee!

From what I gather, feeding twice a day is possible but I've not done it myself yet as I'm still EBF.

Don't feel guilty about FF, if it's what works for you then it's the best decision. However, if you are feeling so bad, it shouldn't be a problem to go back to EBF right now.

I too am RTW in November but am going to EBF and then express after that until she's bang on one. After that I guess I'm going to play it by ear.

Its sounds like you are not ready to stop. I wasn't when my ds was that age. This worked for me:
I introduced formula shortly before I returned to work at 9mnts like you did. I kept up morning and night feeds and then dropped to just night when he turned one.
Going to work was quite a big change and being apart from my ds for 5 days a week was difficult for us both. We co-slept for a couple of months when I went back to work and he fed a couple of times a night, I think (I was not really aware of how often)
Personally, I loved that time we had together as we missed out on time during the day and I have happy memories of it.
We had some trouble persuading him back into a cot at 14 months but did it slowly over a week and he kept a bedtime feed going for a few weeks. He self-weaned at 15 months which suited us both. I did it gently by not offering but not refusing either, if he wanted it.

Hi showtunes how are you and DD doing?

I think you are right sesame. I don't think i am ready to give up. I think I'm ready to use some formula because as much as I'm whining and hand wringing today I have enjoyed the change and flexibility the past week and I am loving the fact I am no longer panicking about the hen day / night I am going on this month!

I always knew I wouldn't be able to keep it up at work as I'm mainly out of the office with no fridge but I think that the whole mention of stopping feeding due to work has sent me in a panic about returning. I just can't stand the thought of being apart from her even for three days a week but that's life I guess!

I think I will try mixed feeding and see where it takes me. If my milk reduces to the point where I can't do it any more then at least my hand is forced rather than this awful pressure I'm putting on myself to cut a feed a week etc.

I think I really want someone to validate my decision iyswim but no one is going to do that! DH thinks I should do whatever I like, DD can't talk and no one else really cares what milk she has!!

I introduced formula at about 7 months as I went back to work temporarily. Never ever thought i'd give her formula after falling in love with bf.( and secretly felt v guilty for giving her the 'evil' stuff) Still keeping up with morning/ evening feeds but she has formula from a sippy cup during the day. Could you try this and see how it goes? Someone else could always give him some formula in the evening if you had to work later/ wanted a night necking red wine. If you're not quite ready, try reintroducing a bf and weaning again in a few months, and try not to beat yourself up over it x

Hi, I dropped down to 2 feeds a day at about 10 months when I went back to work and seemed fine. Still doing it now at 16 months and seem to be able to go up to a couple of days without feeding (on rare occasions she's at grandparents without me) without a problem. Good luck whatever you decide!

That's good to know gingerbubs. Expressing isn't an option for me due to the nature of my job and the mini traitor preferring the formula, wolfing that down and making a face at ebm.

I think I'm just going to have my cake and eat it for the next few months with a bottle at bed time so I can cook, go out etc and BM the rest of the time.

Thank you for your advice. I don't know where the guilt comes from as I only thought i'd make 6 weeks so should be proud to have fed her for 9 months!

Hi Pastabee,

If you do want to mixed feed, it should be possible after 9 months.

I ebf DS until I had to settle him at nursery at 9 months. I thought he would take formula but it turned out not () so I ended up just bf him in the morning before work, after work and in the night. Otherwise he ate solid food and drunk water at nursery, bf at home.

My supply seemed to hold up fine. As he got older, I fed him less as he ate more food. I eventually gave up at 16mo in a rare moment when I had reached a point when I was exhausted and he no longer went crazy for bf in the way he used to.

Carrying on bf was my only option anyway at 9mo due to the fact that he wouldn't take a bottle - even two months of nursery later when the staff asked if they could stop offering him two refused bottles a day. But cutting down my feeds didn't seem to ruin my supply at 9mo. So it should be possible.

And in fact, if you were still bf when you returned to work, I never expressed at all during the day but my supply held up and there was no leakage.

I empathise entirely Eleanor. There's no doubt that after breastfeeding for the best part of a year you appreciate the benefits and freedom of introducing formula but also you feel that awful mother's guilt!

Could you do what I'm planning and do some mixed feeding and treat it less like a decision one way or the other and just play it by ear?

Based on gingerbubs and ruby's experiences we should be able to be pretty flexible between the two milks.