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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

When did you stop breastfeeding?

68 replies

Hope54321 · 25/04/2021 19:00

Hey guys, I’m interested to know:

When did you stop breastfeeding?

Why?

And did you need to offer an alternative such as formula or cow’s milk?

OP posts:
sqirrelfriends · 25/04/2021 19:24

22 months. I was planning on going for two years but lockdown wfh with a child who wanted boob constantly ended up being a nightmare. It was easier to just put and end to it.

Goodtohear · 25/04/2021 19:25

Dc1 15 months as he decided he'd had enough.
Dt 13 months as it was exhausting me with 3 young children and due back at work.

MaltedMilk88 · 25/04/2021 19:26

DD1, 2 weeks, I just hated it had a baby blues meltdown one day, moved to formula and gave it up completely

Hawse · 25/04/2021 19:26

I very very lightly mix fed from the start (e.g. mostly BF with a formula bottle here and there). However, my baby had horrible reflux issues and other digestion/latching issues, so I ended up with the unholy trifecta of triple feeding: breastfeeding, pumping, and formula top up. I did that for 9 months, and one night, my baby just chose not to BF. The next night - same thing. So I just decided that was that, and to switch to formula at 9.5 months. I was really surprised at how she weaned herself.

Nats1984 · 25/04/2021 19:28

After 6 hrs. Found it awful. Felt much better having my body back. I think I knew deep down it wasn’t for me, just felt pressured to say I would so they didn’t badger me. As soon as we were out of sight I whipped up a bottle :)

ShirleyPhallus · 25/04/2021 19:29

@MySocalledLoaf

2 years 7 months (last week). I had cut it down a lot but then got a really bad migraine and took a triptan (after 3.5 years of having to do without). I explained and he understood although he missed it sometimes.
You can take triptans both in pregnancy and breastfeeding, the guidance on this has now changed fyi
Hoowhoowho · 25/04/2021 19:32

DC1- 3 months due to death but she was having minimal quantities of breastmilk by then. I’m glad we gave her my remaining breastmilk once we decided to stop treatment.

DC2- 15 months , weaned himself, he was always business like about the whole thing and by then he seemed to find it too much faff

DC3- still feeding at 2 years 4 months, she is devoted to breastfeeding, I go between warm indulgence and utter irritation but not yet motivated to actually wean her.

MuchTooTired · 25/04/2021 19:33

6-8 weeks with my DTs. My milk never came in properly so I was mainly FF and expressing enough for 1 feed each a day after 24 hours of pumping.

I stopped because they were needing more from one feed than I could produce. I was sat there at about 3am hooked up to the double pump having just fed them both with tears streaming down my face and a lightbulb went off in head as I thought ‘why the fuck am I doing this to myself?!’

Stopped formula milk when they turned one.

scrivette · 25/04/2021 19:34

DC1 and 2 were a couple of months over 2 years and DC3 was 3 years, 4 months, mainly as I fed her to sleep.

MrsTerryPratchett · 25/04/2021 19:35

This thread is very skewed. IRL very few kids are BF until 3 or 4 years. It's a good example of a self selecting sample!

TheGriffle · 25/04/2021 19:35

Dd1, 21 months. She had a very bad cold and couldn’t feed as she was so bunged up so she went to sleep without and I decided to not restart.

Dd2, 3 years 5 months. I’d had enough by then and wanted to stop!

AbstractHeart · 25/04/2021 19:37

DC1 - 10 months because I wanted to get my period back so we could conceive again. He had a mixture of frozen expressed milk and formula until he turned 1.

DC2 - Aiming to continue until at least 1 year old but could imagine continuing until she's 2 as I'm not returning to work. We'll see how it goes.

ShirleyPhallus · 25/04/2021 19:37

@MrsTerryPratchett

This thread is very skewed. IRL very few kids are BF until 3 or 4 years. It's a good example of a self selecting sample!
Totally agree. Don’t think I’ve ever heard of a child being breastfed until they’re 5!

I’m still BFing but all my friends stopped, anywhere between 3months - 1 year

GrumpyHoonMain · 25/04/2021 19:40

@MrsTerryPratchett

This thread is very skewed. IRL very few kids are BF until 3 or 4 years. It's a good example of a self selecting sample!
IRL many women don’t choose to bf at all.
whattocallhim · 25/04/2021 19:42

@Hoowhoowho

DC1- 3 months due to death but she was having minimal quantities of breastmilk by then. I’m glad we gave her my remaining breastmilk once we decided to stop treatment.

DC2- 15 months , weaned himself, he was always business like about the whole thing and by then he seemed to find it too much faff

DC3- still feeding at 2 years 4 months, she is devoted to breastfeeding, I go between warm indulgence and utter irritation but not yet motivated to actually wean her.

I'm so sorry for your loss
TheMagicFarawaySea · 25/04/2021 19:45

Breastfed my first for three weeks and then switched to formula. Still breastfeeding my second who was combi-fed from birth; she's now nearly 3. I'm going to let her self-wean

OverTheRainbow88 · 25/04/2021 19:45

DS1 about 7 months- went to a weekend away wedding without child and was agony so didn’t want to go through stopping again

DS2 about 18 months- he started to bite hard

BagLadyy · 25/04/2021 19:46

Between 3 and 4 years for each. Just when they naturally stopped asking.

RedMarauder · 25/04/2021 19:50

About 3 days before her first birthday.

She just decided she didn't want to breast feed and wanted to drink out of a tippy cup. I actually tried until her birthday but she made it clear she wasn't interested.

I then spent the next two weeks giving her frozen breast milk to use the stock in freezer up.

amarya · 25/04/2021 19:50

Just shy of 2. Never used any formula, just switched to offering cows milk.

SteveArnottsCodeine · 25/04/2021 19:53

Eldest at 2.3, she self weaned. Younger self weaned too.... at only 10 months! Was perfectly prepared to go on with her as long as the eldest but just overnight circa 10 months she gave up breastfeeding and dummies all on her own. I gave her cows milk in a cup after that.

MrsAvocet · 25/04/2021 19:59

Betwern 3.5 and 5.5 years. All self weaned. Didn't need to provide any kind of alternative as they were all eating a good mixed diet. Nobody in our family drinks cows milk anyway. DS2 is allergic to it and none of the rest of us like it.(Well I have a bit in tea but that's all.)

KingdomScrolls · 25/04/2021 20:18

Just over a year 13/14 months something like that. I was back at work, expressing wasn't working out and he was old enough and happy enough to have cow's milk. He was also drinking water from a cup and was happy with milk from a cup, I didn't want to get into formula and bottles at that stage!

Oncemoretwicemore · 25/04/2021 20:22

@MrsTerryPratchett

This thread is very skewed. IRL very few kids are BF until 3 or 4 years. It's a good example of a self selecting sample!
Also agree

I aimed for a year both times, which would have been plenty for me, and in time to go back to work. Both times it tapered more quickly than I expected - I was pleased as #1 started biting and for #2 I started getting agonising pain afterwards, then one side dried up.
I switched to allergy formula for one and straight to cows' milk for the other.

Silverfly · 25/04/2021 20:47

DC1 - 12 months - my decision as I wanted to start TTC again and didn't like the idea of breastfeeding while pregnant. No need for bottles or formula, straight to cows milk in a cup.

DC2 - 11 months - her decision.

DC3 - 8 months - my decision. I put him on formula in a desperate attempt to improve his sleeping (it didn't work!)