Page 3 | How long did you bf for and why did you stop?

JennyLee · 20/09/2006 22:30

11 months and 3weeks due to biting bleeding and pain (he did the biting, I did the bleeding and suffering) and that very night i gave him the magical formula, he slept through the night for the first time in his life (so much for it being poisonous and evil)
But if I have another one it will be bf all the way and hopefully for longer (was a fanatic)

3andnomore · 20/09/2006 22:32

Jennylee...can I just point out though, that formula is often just harder digested and therefore knackers the lilones out, rather then being quality wise any better!
Also...nope, es and ms never slept through just because they were given formula...ys never had it in the first place!

JennyLee · 20/09/2006 22:44

I know I totally was against formula and I still wince when I see new babies with bottles. was trying to find a positive. but i know what the op means as it is difficult at times. but I know I will be doing it again and now.. thinking back my last bf with ds I cried and vowed to have another baby and that it would not be my last breastfeed only ds's last feed. I honeslty thought the formula would make him ill and I could nto belive it when he slept throught the night. but still I must say I am dreading it as I remember the bad bits too, and its the 'duty' thing that gets you through those times. I just was determined. but at nearly a year old I knew we had a good run at it. is like the birth , with another child you know whats coming which is good and bad.

Daisymoo · 20/09/2006 22:48

Ds1 - 10 months, dwindled down to 2 feeds a day when I went back to work and it became really uncomfortable.

Ds2 - 2 weeks, was using a routine and had personal consultations with the author of said routine. It was all very bad advice and I became convinced I was starving him or that he would never sleep well if I carried on b/f. So I stopped, regretted it almost immediately and tried to relactate but this didn't work.

DD - still feeding at 3 1/2 years. No plans to stop any time soon.

DS3 - still feeding a almost 1 year. Will probably carry on until he self-weans.

Ellbell · 20/09/2006 23:07

So impressed with everyone on here. I am guessing that the failures and almost-failures like me aren't posting, but I will anyway, as it may encourage others to look for proper help before packing it in...

DD1 - 6 weeks, but she was tube-fed for 2 weeks of that and had a mixture of formula and EBM down her tube. Got her out of hospital feeding with nipple shields as this was the only way she'd latch on (refused to let a bottle near her, against all advice of nurses), but she wasn't gaining weight (c. 5.5 lbs at 6 week check) so I went cold turkey and switched to formula overnight. (It was hell!)

DD2 - stretched it out to 7 months, but mixed fed from about 3 months. Had terrible pain caused by bad latch, blisters on nipples the whole time... just agony, basically. But got some good advice just after introducing formula feeds a couple of times a day and the last couple of months were OK. But I went back to work at 7 months, and although I planned to feed her morning and evening she 'turned me down' at that stage.

My advice to anyone who's suffering and thinking of giving up (this isn't you, rickman, obviously, but possibly others reading this thread) is to keep looking for advice until you find what works. Wish I'd done it sooner... Had been advised by midwives, bf counsellors at the hospital, etc etc etc... but only got the advice I needed when it was already too late.

dunfiebabe · 20/09/2006 23:24

DD - 6mths had to stop as psoriasis spread onto breasts -first time this had happened and went away within days of my stopping bf!!

DS - 4mths however considering stopping as he is very big (over 17lb am sure hv are convinced that i have been feeding solids!!)for bf baby and constantly looking for night feeds and with 3yr old always tired. Have tried to give a teaspoon of baby rice for past 3 nights but has had no effect still waking 3-4 times for feed... will be disappointed to stop but still feel good that i have come this far

threelittlebabies · 21/09/2006 00:38

ds- 3 weeks, crap or no support and advice + raging mastitis = big nightmare

dd- 11 months. She just stopped. Abruptly. From nice long afternoon feed to screaming her refusal at bedtime. Won't have cows milk either. This was 7 weeks ago, and I am still gutted [self-pitying emoticon]

harrisey · 21/09/2006 00:42

dd1 - 12 months (was pg again though later had m/c)
ds - 15 months. Milk dried up when I became (very unexpectedly) pg with dd2
dd2 - 22 months. One day she just said 'mummy mok aww finished' and that was that!

ghosty · 21/09/2006 00:43

DS - 6 weeks, stopped because at 4 weeks he needed surgery and was nil by mouth for 3 days, was told to express but only did when I was full or uncomfortable. Milk dwindled, DS miserable after op, didn't know how to (or even that I could ) get my milk back and so by 6 weeks gave up
DD - she gave up at somewhere between 10 and 11 months.

Original poster

rickman · 21/09/2006 07:41

Message withdrawn

OP posts:

SparkleTee · 21/09/2006 08:42

Well I was a complete failure.... just count yourselves very fortunate jealous

ds just screamed every time he had a nipple near his mouth.... had to give him a bottle as he was starving and shaking.... when was just over a day old...

We tried EVERYTHING... I dont give up on anything easily....

I expressed and expressed (was getting called daisy) so he could get some breast milk (we called it 4 star) .... then my supply just dwindled at about 6 weeks....

1Baby1Bump · 21/09/2006 08:44

ds1 for about a week then consultant said it had to be formula due to severe jaundice.
ds2 is currently bf and i intend to carry on as long as poss. can.

queenceleste · 21/09/2006 10:02

I fed ds for 18 months openly and then up til two furtively and mostly at night time. He kicked off a bit when I stopped but was basically fine after a couple of days.

I persisted because I'd been told that bf in the long run is far less work and you don't have to get up in the night and boil kettles etc. So really out of ambitious laziness. And also because my mother and sister were evangelical breastfeeders - I so wanted to make my life as easy as possible and was lucky that it only took two weeks of AGONY before my nipples healed and bf started to work. But I would have given up without the support I got from my fam, dh, and from a La Leche woman I rang a few times. However my MIL was very uncomfortable with my bf (she wanted to feed him and had not been supported in her own bf) but I found her resistance really unpleasant.

All the studies seem to show that it's the support you get, the quality of the guidance and your own cultural expectations that will determine how you feed your baby.

I think that our society finds it hard to tell women what a pleasure bf can be - a really selfish pleasure - because breasts are just so sexualised and we all find that hard to talk about. I mean, my FIL would fly out of the room when I bf as if I'd taken off my pants and was parading around like a strumpet!

But I think it's all about what works for that particular mother and I think that almost every mother could do with more support all round, we just don't live in villages surrounded by our womenfolk any more do we?

Bramshott · 21/09/2006 10:24

9 months, until DD gave it up and wasn't interested any more!

ginmummy · 21/09/2006 10:28

6 months demand feeding day and night and I stopped when I went back to work.

belgo · 21/09/2006 10:41

DD1 - exactly a year, I was three months pregnant and became dehydrated so had to stop bf. She took to a bottle fine.
DD2 6 is now one year old and no sign that she wants to stop bf, will stop bf during the day but will carry on evenings and mornings.

doggiesayswoof · 21/09/2006 10:52

Exclusively til 4 months. Then mix fed (bf morning and evening) til 8 months. I hated it - got a lot of great support but it was still really hard. DD was not bothered either way - she loved getting a feed and a cuddle but by 7 months she didn't mind whether it was the method. I felt I had given her a good start and was (mostly) relieved to stop.

doggiesayswoof · 21/09/2006 10:54

'whether it was the method' meant either 'which method' or 'whether it was breast or bottle'

mamijacacalys · 21/09/2006 11:37

DS 14 months (self weaned - started to bite plus I was back at work so was only a comfort feed at night anyway). I didn't have any negative physical (i.e sore boobs) or emotional reaction - it instinctively felt right. DS happily started having cow's milk from a cup (never liked formula).

DD currently 11 weeks and will carry on until same situation as with DS arises i.e. when it feels like the right time.

So my advice would be to go with your instinct!!

hana · 21/09/2006 11:40

dd1 and dd2 - 12 months
wanted to stop
and they could go straight to cow's milk!

oliveoil · 21/09/2006 11:43

dd1 - about 5 months then I went back to work
dd2 - about the same as I had had enough!

both were a pain to go onto bottles and I think that if they had taken to them a bit more, I may have continued b/f. As it was, I could not be awey from them for more than 2 hours, which got very wearing in the end.

Original poster

rickman · 21/09/2006 14:22

Message withdrawn

OP posts:

dunfiebabe · 21/09/2006 22:31

I had been thinking about stopping bf and moving to formula as finding v tiring with 3 yr dd + 4 mth ds who seemed to have changed from sleeping thro to waking 3-4 times night and had tried introducing baby rice which made no difference. However i was under impression it was all or nothing and as going back to work soon thought it would be best to move completely to ff but since reading this and other threads i realise that it is possible to keep on bf even if it as night whilst ebm and poss ff during day. Today - almost if he has sensed it- ds has been angel as have let him feed whenever and for as long as he wants . from reading this and other threads i now know i felt under pressure from other family members saying that as he is a big boy and he must be needing more "nurishing" ff and solids-bf alone cannot be satisfying him - but thanks to all the fantastic advice from other bf mums i will continue bf for as long as i can!!!!