How do I stop breastfeeding?

[offonajolly]

Hi,

My daughter is 17 weeks and I would like to slowly start to switch to formula. She currently has two bottles of formula a day at 11am and 10.30pm. The rest of the time she is breastfed.

My question is how do I go about reducing the feeds without getting engorged or mastitis?

Any advice would be greatfully received.

Thanks

Make sure you express off small amounts of milk when your breasts are full. Only enough to makes your breasts soft again. If you express till empty you will kept making milk.

Eventually your body will reduce the amount it produces. When I stopped feeding DD1 it took about 2 weeks for my milk to stop completely.

I HTH x

Oh ok, that's different to how I imagined I would do it - sounds much easier though - and two weeks seems quick to stop so that's great! I do enjoy the morning breastfeed but I feel that I am ready to have a bit more freedom back again. So I might try taking out the day time feeds completely and getting down to just the morning feed.

thanks!

I'd go with replacing one breastfeed with formula every few days. It may take a bit longer but should make it a smoother transition for you and baby.

I forgot to add that I was down to one breastfeed a day when I decided to stop. I started weaning one feed at a time, one a month. That's what I wanted to do for when I was comfortable to stop. The first feed I stopped was the bedtime feed, then the lunchtime one, then the morning. This ran alongside weaning onto solids.
Watch your body and make sure your comfortable