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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

When did you stop breastfeeding?

77 replies

artisanroast · 29/11/2015 07:07

Just a little out of interest thread...

My baby is 10 weeks and hoping to make it to 7-8 months. She was early hence a bit longer. Also, Daddy is Mr Allergy so the research I have been doing says to minimise my daughter's risk of developing his (and the rest of his family's) multiple allergies.

So, when did you stop breastfeeding and why?

xx

OP posts:
Eminybob · 29/11/2015 07:23

About 8-9 months.

I had started giving the odd bottle of formula after 6 months rather than expressing, which I was rubbish at.

I got to a point where he wasn't sleeping well because he'd wake for a night feed at say, 3 or 4am and just wouldn't resettle. He wouldn't unlatch from my breast and if I tried to unlatch him he'd wake up fully and not settle back down in his cot.
I found that when he'd had formula in the day he slept better at night.

Also, when he was weaning he was taking less breast milk, but I don't think he was eating enough solids to compensate so was hungrier.

So I switched all the day feeds to formula, and he eventually stopped waking in the night full stop.

Oh and he had 4 teeth and bit me a few times.

So a combination of a few things really. It was definitely the right time.

Eminybob · 29/11/2015 07:24

Congrats on you baby by the way Flowers

thenewaveragebear1983 · 29/11/2015 07:27

I stopped at 8 weeks, only last Monday. My DS has reflux and while the reflux formula twice a day was excellent, dr prescribed gaviscon for the breast feeds and it was so faffy to use I just gave up bf in the end. I didn't plan to bf at all this time, so I'm glad I got to 8 weeks. The boy hasn't missed it at all btw, and makes me wonder why I put myself through all that trouble.....!

lostindubai · 29/11/2015 07:27

I stopped after about 28 months. Didn't intend to feed so long it just happened!

lostindubai · 29/11/2015 07:28

Oops I mean 31 months. Only stopped quite recently and lost count! Blush

pretend · 29/11/2015 07:30

19 months.

Once you get to 7 or 8 months if it's going well, why stop?

By 6 months for me it was so straightforward there was no reason to stop.

Fraggled · 29/11/2015 07:31

Congratulations.
First child I fed until around 30 months. My daughter is now 22 months and still going strong.

HippyPottyMouth · 29/11/2015 07:32

My DD decided to stop a week before her 1st birthday. I would have carried on longer.

mrsmugoo · 29/11/2015 07:44

I stopped at 10 months. We were both ready, plus I had recurring sinusitis and I was gagging for some decongestant!

I think it was a good innings.

Straight way after I stopped my DS went to stay with my parents for the weekend and my and DH had the weekend off to ourselves with booze and lie ins, it was AMAZING.

museumum · 29/11/2015 07:47

Stopped at 13mo. Ds took well to food but would never take a bottle. I had to work a bit (3 X 6hr days) from 6mo and by 13mo he just lost interest and we decided not to push it. He was in food and cups of cow milk by then.

LittleFishBigOcean · 29/11/2015 07:47

DD was about 14 months. Agree with the others- got to 6 months and everything was going smoothly and I just thought why stay faffing with bottles of formula now?

FlorisApple · 29/11/2015 07:52

3 years for my dd. Told her that turning three meant she had to stop and she kind of accepted that as a reason, although at first suggested I could "get bigger boobs", and still occasionally requests it now at four (though I have not relented since her third birthday.) She had a dairy allergy, which made it hard to give her formula, and it just seemed easier to carry on. Am now feeding an eight month old, but I wanted a break while pregnant, hence cut her off. Feed for as long as it suits you all is my belief.

ApplesTheHare · 29/11/2015 07:54

Congratulations on your baby! Flowers About 7-8 months here. It was 'easier' by that point but I absolutely hated it and the stress was making my hair and teeth fall out. Switching to FF was wonderful and felt like the start of really bonding with DD. Her reflux, sleep and eczema all improved within 1 week of switching, which I wasn't expecting.

Miloarmadillo1 · 29/11/2015 07:55

Ds1 16m, ds2 2 yrs, DD still going at 18m.

A lot of my friends stopped at 6m ish, and I didn't really understand why. You've done the difficult bit, BF an older baby is the easy option!
My Ds2 had dairy intolerance so I fed him a bit longer whilst he gradually outgrew that and was able to have dairy in his diet. DD has had drugs that suppress her immune system for up to a year so I'm planning to continue for that long (until she is 2)
I'm not knocking anyone who feeds for 6,7,8 months then decides to stop, that is a fantastic innings for your baby, just saying that for me at that point starting to faff with bottles made no sense.

Congratulations on your baby! Hope your breastfeeding journey is a happy one.

Mouthfulofquiz · 29/11/2015 07:56

18 months for both - plan to do the same for the next one...

shartsi · 29/11/2015 07:57

3.4 years for my DD2

ChocChocPorridge · 29/11/2015 07:59

DS1 was nearly 3 - milk dried up when pregnant. He was down to just a morning feed by that point, but he really didn't want to give up (and I didn't mind). He was a milk monster though - still feeding in the night at 18 months.

DS2 weaned himself at about 8 months - he'd been sleeping through since about 4 months, and once he tasted real food that was it - he lost all interest in boob - I remember me offering him a feed one evening and he just pulled my t-shirt back down and patted me in a 'there-there' gesture, and went back to whatever he was doing!

So don't be sad if they give up before you're ready - kids are all different.

BeStrongAndCourageous · 29/11/2015 08:01

DD was three and a half. By that point I'd been tandem her and her baby brother for a year and was finding it all a bit much. We had a holiday booked, and I thought the change in our general routine would make it easier to stop. It worked, although four months she does still ask for it occasionally, usually if she's not feeling well.

DS is 16 months and I have no immediate plans to stop feeding him, although I may not let him continue as long as his sister. We'll see.

StylishDuck · 29/11/2015 08:02

I'm still BFing my nearly 10 month old. I had a target of 6 months in my head at the start but it was going well at that point so I just carried on. I'll keep going as long as she wants me to. I think she'll probably wean herself off completely between 12-18 months.

Luckystar1 · 29/11/2015 08:08

I'm still feeding at 13 months, DS has 16 (!!) teeth, and is walking, two things that I said would definitely make me stop - it hasn't...!

I've been bitten a lot, but he's generally very good.

I'm very newly pregnant so I'm hoping he'll self wean soon as I'd like a bit of a break. And i don't want to tandem feed, but then I have said that I don't want to do many things!

Good luck op, once you get into the swing of things it's by far and away the easy option!

amysmummy12345 · 29/11/2015 08:09

26 months here, still going morning and last thing at night, more for comfort I think, I'm 12 weeks pregnant so I'm hoping she might self wean before the next lil nugget gets on them 😂👶

BondJayneBond · 29/11/2015 08:16

DS1 - about 12 weeks. I really struggled breastfeeding him - he just couldn't seem to get the milk out properly, and for it to work at all, I was having to use breast shields, express after every feed to keep the milk supply going, plus give him top up feeds of expressed milk at night. In the end it just all got too much, so I dropped to just bottle feeding him expressed breastmilk until he was about 7 months when weaning was properly underway, then dropped to formula instead of expressed breastmilk.

DS2 - 2 years 2 months and still going. I didn't set out to breastfeed this long, but as with pp, it was going well, and there didn't seem any reason to stop. Continuing with breastfeeding was a lot easier than messing about with formula.

TeaPleaseLouise · 29/11/2015 08:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Jenijena · 29/11/2015 08:20

DS went on a nursing strike (from about 7 feeds a day) the week of his first birthday. I'd have carried on for longer. Having used formula in the early days and weeks, I was definitely in the try-to-avoid-formula-faff-if-possible camp.

BeenAndGone · 29/11/2015 08:24

DS was 2.5 when I stopped. Never in a million years thought i would breastfeed for that long. My initial plan was to get to six months if possible and then stop but it was so easy by that stage I just carried on.