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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

pregnant and breastfeeding - when/how did you stop?

16 replies

Loulee · 04/01/2007 16:57

I am 9 wks pg with no.3 and still feeding dd2 (18months). Really feeling exhausted by it as have also had a bout of flu, milk seems to be drying up....she says "all gone' after about 5 minutes!! I really want to have a gap where ~I'm not feeding before no3. is born, - would really appreciate some tips on how to stop. Don't feel like i can cope with lots of crying in the night - and know she will sleep through as soon as she's no longer feeding. But how to go about it?? How did you stop??

OP posts:
TheBlonde · 04/01/2007 19:16

I reckon I gave up around 12 weeks
I was finding it uncomfortable and DS then about 16-17 mths was losing interest
I just substituted bottles for breastfeeds and he seemed happy enough

redtent · 04/01/2007 19:24

buy a little plug in light and put it on a timer... when the light is on bf is on.. when it's off bf is night night. Spend some time explaining it to her before you actually start- like a week.... and set a time you want

for example no feeding between 12-6 am.... and then gradually extend the time.

I would night wean first and then gradually day wean by distraction techniques- offering a beaker or whatever instead.

I HTH

It's what I would do if i was not comfortable tandem nursing.

sputnik · 05/01/2007 11:11

I stopped bf DD completely when I was pg and DD was 2.5, thuough we were down to only 2 feeds by then. However I had night weaned her at around 18 months, by just basically saying not now, wait til the birds are singing/ it's light etc. I was expecting a lot of crying but she got the idea after 2 or 3 nights. Redtent's idea of the light sounds like a good one.

Do the nights first then work on the day one feed at a time, distract, go out, whatever.
Best of luck, it'll probably be easier than you think

Original poster
Loulee · 05/01/2007 11:16

Thanks for the tips. Redtent - i like the light one - will def try it. Are you tandem feeding? How do you find it? - and what do you do at nighttime? or have you sussed that one?

It all sounds so simple when you all write it down like that - and i did similar with dd1 when i was pg with dd2. I guess i just have the fear! - and dd2 (probably because she is dd2) seems to want the feeds much more than dd1 - often for comfort and attention i think.

OP posts:
2Happy · 05/01/2007 11:33

I didn't want to tandem feed and was wondering how to wean ds when he self weaned - he was 15m and I was about 20w (though he'd been cutting right back before we stopped - so much so that there were absolutely no nork problems when I stopped). Read on here that about 2/3 self wean when you get pg, so hopefully you'll find it easier than you expect.

mower · 06/01/2007 11:21

I got pregnant again when ds1 was only 4 months old. Carried on bf through the sore nipples ect till ds1 was 8 months then started to gradually reduce and replace with formula. Gave formula when he woke during the night and by 8 1/2 months he has been sleeping through, is 15 months now and ds2 is 9 weeks.

Good luck.

redtent · 06/01/2007 12:16

Lou- I tandem'd last time and will do again.

Last time ds 1 was an angel baby and slept thru from 11 weeks old so I only ever had to night feed one.

This time I am not sure how it will go... ds2 usually only wakes up once (he slept thru for the first time last night!!) so I will manage!!

I can recomend reading adventures in tandem nursing by hilary flowers- it talks about lots of tandem senarios and discusses some weaning issues.

HTH

Original poster
Loulee · 06/01/2007 17:37

I don't think dd2 has any intention of stopping! You're right, night time is the first one to stop - last night he only wakened once, but usually it can be 2 or sometimes even 3 times - too exhausting at the mo, esp. if dd1 decides to waken at the same time. God, i sound like I'm moaning - it's not really that bad!
Think we will start Monday.
Would you offer a cup (milk? water?) as an alternative when she wakes btw? Can't remember what I did with dd1.

Redtent, when are you due? Seen you on the Aug thread. I'm due 1st week.

OP posts:
slingmadmother · 07/01/2007 12:09

I would offer water initially but tbh my ds goes bonkers when we do that. SO DH usually goes up to their room and I stay out of it. Dh cuddles and kisses and calms ds down and puts him back down- wth music cd playing. It works most of the time and if ds is ill I prefer to just feed him tbh.

I would prefre ds 2 to be night weaned before baby lands- also due first week in August!

redtent · 07/01/2007 12:10

oops old username

vnmum · 07/01/2007 12:31

this thread is of interest to me actually. im afraid i have no advice but i am TTC at the moment and DS is 13 months and still BF on demand. He usually wakes 3 -4 times a night and to be honest after 13 months of this i am knackered so on advice from health visitor i am trying to night wean at the moment. she also advised that he should not be taking more than 2 feeds during day at his age as this would stop his appetite for solids but i am going to check this info with a BF counsellor i know. I actually want to tandem feed as i think it will help DS adjust to the new baby whenever that may be but i may feel differently when PG as last time i was exhausted for most of it.

i hope i am doing the right thing with regards to night weaning as he seems young compared to some on here that have been night weaned.

To night wean, i am sleeping in a seperate room and DH is co sleeping and soothing back to sleep at night. if he seems really unsettled he gives him water. the first night he woke every few hours then last night which was the second night i topped him up at 11pm in his sleep then he woke at 4.30 and was quite unsettled then on and off till DH brought him to me at 6.30 but is definately an improvement

Original poster
Loulee · 07/01/2007 16:05

That's what we did with dd1 as I remember - with dh getting up. Wish us luck! Somehow we got it all working in the summer, then dd2 was ill and like you redtent, I decided it was better to feed her during the night when she was ill - that was when we moved back to square one!

vnmum - my sympathies on the night wakings- know how you feel with the exhaustion. You are not alone! Will keep you posted how we get on or if we have any major breakthroughs / tips.

OP posts:
NotQuiteCockney · 07/01/2007 16:08

Only two feeds per 24 hours seems really low for a 13-month-old. I think mine were on four feeds per day then (and I did night weaning a lot younger than 13-months ... I'm bad at sleep deprivation).

vnmum · 07/01/2007 18:15

i thought 2 feeds was abit low, i always thought minimum of 4 so thats what im sticking too anyway as i want to keep my supply as i want to ideally tandem nurse.

ive got "mothering your nursing toddler" but not had chance to read it yet, guess i'll have to start

Laura032004 · 08/01/2007 20:45

I weaned DS1 completely at 22m (I was 22w pg at the time). I'd got through the sore phase, and the low milk phase, but I was still finding it really draining. I was absolutely exhausted, and coincidence or not, once I stopped, the tiredness stopped too. It wasn't difficult - I just offered a cup for that feed (it was the bedtime one), and he took it happily. We were down to one feed per day by then anyway, so no engorgement problems or anything. I was prepared to tandem feed if DS1 became interested again when DS2 arrived, but he's never expressed any desire to bf since.

bigknickersbigknockers · 08/01/2007 20:51

DS2 self weaned when I was 20 wks pg , he was 14 mths old and I had started to get concerned that I would still be BF a toddler and a new born. It turned out that he didnt "ask" for his feed at bedtime and I didn't offer. Now I just have to work out how to stop feeding DD who is now 1yr old, dont feel like she will ever stop

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