If you breastfed for the first 6 weeks or more, when ldid you stop, and why?

[Nessalina]

My first child is nearly 7 weeks, and I'm finding feeding a challenge. We used a nipple shield due to tongue tie initially, and after the TT was cut we carried on because it seemed to work ok. The last week we've weaned off the nipple shield, but I'm finding feeding quite painful...
His latch seems ok, but quite often he slips off a bit halfway through a feed so I get pinched, and despite slathering on lansinoh, my nips are still quite sore. In the evenings he likes to graze little and often and after a couple of hours it feels like he's sucked me dry and he's still not happy, so we've just (the last three days) started topping up with formula for a late evening feed. He often has a long sleep overnight thank god, usually 1-6ish, and I'm worried that that may have affected my evening supply, but I'm hardly going to wake him to eat in the middle of the night.
I'm a bit worried that starting to mixed feed is the beginning of the end, but I don't know if that's a good or bad thing... I've always wanted to be able to breastfeed and just whack my LO on the boob when I needed, but I thought that it would be easy by now I have to say.
So, does it get easier? If it hasn't yet, then will it? It is this the point that I give up?

What did you do??

(Sorry for the ramble, I'm sooo sleepy!)

DS1 - 9 months, stopped because he was disintrested

DS2 - 8 months, he had teeth and bit me badly a few times so I started dreading each feed. shame, he was my best feeder

DS3 - undiagnosed tongue tie made bf hell on Earth, struggled for 5 months then gave up

DS4 - 3 months. bf was just too much after months of illnesses that just kept on coming, 4 kids under 6, loft conversion...

DS5 - 5 months, same as DS2

DD - 1 year. she was not able to fall asleep without boob in mouth and it was exhausting, so I decided to stop BF and sleep train her. we had a good run

DS6 is 5m old and I'm still BF him. last baby so I'd like to make the most of it. 1 year would be great, we'll see

Hi Zing
Your post is fascinating because it shows that it really does depend on the child and their wants/likes/dislikes far more than the parent! Glad no.7 is getting on well!

Hi Nessalina. Don't mean to be negative when you're feeling better about things, but switching boobs mid feed might cause more problems than it solves. Your boobs make thirst-quenching milk first, then higher calorie more nutritious milk. If you do a bit from one side then switch to the other, ds will get a big drink but not the calories he needs to put on weight. When they get older,
they will drain both boobs, but to start with you need to alternate sides with each feed.
Glad you're sorting the latch though... I'm sure that will make all the difference. Good luck x

Hold the baby much much closer and much much higher. Infact closer and higher then you'd expect. Wait for gaping mouth ...

I mixed fed from ten months and it was the beginning of the end and I stopped feeding by 14 months.

I really wanted to feed properly and by that I mean be happy with my decisions all the way along. And I wasn't, because I hated bf, went through many many problems including tongue tie reflux mastitis failure to thrive threat of hospitalisation, infection, nursing strikes, it was all horrible. I just didn't want to stop on a bad day. And I waited that long for a good day.

I wanted to get to the point where I was happy with having fed that long but I did not, I wish I could feed her now (2.5 years) as she still has issues and I know she would benefit physically and emotionally, but I can't and tbh it feels shit.

Honestly do what you would like to do.

DS self-weaned when he was four. We managed to cover most of the problems in that time: no milk for the first week (so formula top-ups), then oversupply, tongue tie, cracked bleeding nipples, mastitis, a nursing strike, biting. I'm amazed we managed it for so long really.

Sorry, that was a bit of an unfortunate cross post with IdaClair .

hi Ness
how are you doing?

oh I failed to mention that most of them had formula from early on as top ups (5 days earliest), if that matters.
and youngest 3 also had tongue ties (theirs were sorted early, DS3's was only discovered when he was 8 months old) and DD a highly arched soft palate so they were/are very challenging to bf.

latch seems ok, but quite often he slips off a bit halfway through a feed so I get pinched, and despite slathering on lansinoh, my nips are still quite sore.

this sounds a lot like there is still a TT going on, or he has not relearned a new technique since the TT was cut. See if the latch improves with your strict approach about re latching if not right - if it doesn't I'd say get him checked to see if the TT is still there/regrown.

In answer to your question... I BF DD till nearly a year (stopped due to returning to work) but nearly gave up SO many times in the early months before we got her TT sorted. Once TT was finally sorted at about 4 months it was much plainer sailing and actually easier to carry on than to switch to bottles.

purple - I'm aware of the foremilk/hind milk thing, and with most feeds I do let him fully drain one one boob before offering the other, it's just on an evening instead of settling into the later feed stage of tongue flutter, sucking, then pausing, he gets all frustrated and starts pulling off then latching back on, almost like he's not getting anything out, so he's trying to suck in a different way IYSWIM? So instead of putting up with that which is pretty sore, I'm switching boobs when that starts. But it's only in the evening that it's like that.
Actually tonight has been much better, seemed more satisfied after feeds, and feeding less frequently but for longer each time, final evening feed at 10pm and he's snoozing soundly for now! Maybe my boobs are starting to catch up?

purplemeggie sorry you have got that wrong. It's a common misunderstanding of how bf works, and a misinterpretation of the way the milk is made available. Please don't perpetuate the MYTH that it is important to alternate sides and that babies must not be switched - OP is responding to the baby's cues by switching and then switching back again.

So pleased to hear you are feeling better Nessa

And a big cheer for your super duper boobs catching up with hungry baby

I stopped at six weeks as I had mastitis, cracked nipples and thrush in my breast. The pain was horrendous, I don't know why I persevered.

In hindsight DS must have been hungry, the first time I bottle feed him he absolutely downed it! I hated the whole breastfeeding nightmare, I think too much pressure is put onto new mums to do it, often to the detriment of the baby.

Hi op I had awful Tt trouble with ds. For 16 weeks I wondered if feeding would ever be comfortable even though things were improving but then in week 17 it just sorted itself out. I had other feeding issues from teething but never as bad as the early weeks. We continued for 2.5 years and it was the best thing for us because I ended up getting all the positives of bf after all the trials and tribulations. I feel for you op it is not easy.

Thought I'd add an update, DS is 15 weeks and we're still going strong at the breastfeeding! Something seemed to click into place at about 8/9 weeks and it got a lot easier. His latch was better, he was feeding more predictably, more efficiently, and less frequently. Thank goodness!! We haven't needed to top up with formula since my last post (though he has had a bottle or two on evenings when I've left him with DH so I could catch up with friends!), and I'm feeling really chuffed that we stuck it out. Thanks again for all the support

I allowed my children to self wean - they were breastfed for years rather than weeks.

I fed DC1 till she was 16mo, when she self weaned. It was a breeze and I enjoyed it fine.

DD2 who was born in December has been a whole other story and I've found it a far more challenging experience this time around. Her latch hasn't been as good and because my milk took a bit longer to come in, I was in atrocious pain on one side (perhaps tmi, but bits of skin actually started to come off that side despite lathering in lansinoh)...if I hadn't had such a positive experience of bf first time around I'd definitely have chucked in in, it was so terrible. I managed to get through it by gritting teeth, using a nipple guard for a week or so and working on her latch.

Hi

Nessalina - well done. You've every right to be so proud and thank you for posting about your progress. I've Been watching This thread since the start. I struggled initially to breastfeed but after 7 weeks it became easier... Now it's a Dream but I have a question... And I'm Sorry to hijack this thread

I'm still exclusively Breatsfeeding my six month old. I tried him on some food (carrot etc) a few weeks ago and he loved it but he will now suddenly not take food at all. He has realised it's not the boob and when I try to feed him food cuddling me he thinks he's getting boob and I give him a spoon and he's just refuses. He also will not take a Bottle . For how long can he be breastfeed with limited solids. I'm seeing the hv visitor tomorrow but the last few posts re extended Breastfeeding made me ask the question. I wouldn't mind so much but I'm going back to work in August so need to get him ready to be away fr me

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

That sounds stressful Olivia No advice to offer I'm afraid, but it might be worth starting a new thread in Feed The World > Infant Feeding as well as posting here - just had a quick look and there's a couple of others having similar issues xx

Start a new thread, Olivia. There wi be plenty of suggestions.