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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

if i carry on bf dd 7 months is she going to find it v difficult when we do stop

31 replies

robinredbreast · 06/01/2008 22:35

well my main reason is that im worried that when i want to stop dd wont let me, and if i stopped now i dont think ill have a problem, but if dd is older she may find it harder to stop

will it be traumatic for dd if i stop when shes older
?

OP posts:
funnypeculiar · 06/01/2008 22:41

bf ds until he was a year - very easy to stop (much, much harder for me than him )
bf dd until 7 mths, but tried to cut down from about 5 mths, was a bit of a battle

Suspect that there are no gaurentees at any age that it'll be easy, but lots of things you can do to manage the process if/when you want to.

Other than trying to make things easy, any reason you want to stop?

funnypeculiar · 06/01/2008 22:42

Oh, and bump for someone who actually has proper knowledge as opposed to random personal experience

harpsichordcarrier · 06/01/2008 22:45

rrb, is there any reason why you would need to stop? in particular?

MerryPIFFLEmas · 06/01/2008 22:52

mine both stopped on their own at 16mths. Once down to two feeds at each end of the day at say 13mths or so I thought it was easier to stop.

Original poster
robinredbreast · 06/01/2008 22:56

thanks for the replies

well i think i want to carry on at least for a while longer
i really enjoy the st two feeds on the day, these have always been the best
and its great when i need to settle dd down as she can never turn down a little bf, bless her

just she now has a v sharp tooth that feels a bit uncomfy and tbh im getting a bit of pressure to stop which i know is a totally shit reason to even think about stopping but just being honest
its not the main reason just adds to my reasons iyswim

and dd has also been a very frequent feeder feeding upto 30 times a day !

i think i stopped now dd wouldnt really notice and if i stoped when shes older shes going to be v ubhappy and upset

OP posts:
Original poster
robinredbreast · 06/01/2008 22:56

although that has droped now [the 30 feeds a day]

OP posts:
fishie · 06/01/2008 23:02

i think bf is quite good metaphor for mothering generally. some of it is a delight, other bits are ok and sometimes it is enough to make you want to lock yourself in the loo for a week. people are also happy to criticise all elements of your mothering, bf, whatever.

you will find support here whatever you choose, but better to make it your own choice. doesn't sound to me like you want to give up, but are looking for reasons to continue.

Original poster
robinredbreast · 06/01/2008 23:05

yes you are prob right fishie
otherwise id just stop wouldnt i
?
dd hasnt bitten me yet but it does feel a bit uncomfy do i just need to get used to it like in the beginging?

OP posts:
fishie · 06/01/2008 23:08

no change position, take her off if she's digging them in - the teeth are new to her too!

tiktok · 06/01/2008 23:11

robin, we'd never do anything nice and loving with our children if we worried about what it will be like when we stop doing it....we'd never start going anywhere enjoyable or fun with them, in case they got upset if we had to stop going; we'd never kiss them or cuddle them or read them a bedtime story at night, in case they got upset if we were held up at work one night and couldn't make it back home in time; we'd never have a nice family holiday in case the next year we couldn't afford to go back.

If the time comes when you feel it is the time to stop before she does, you will wind down gradually and gently, and at a pace she can cope with.

Enjoy it!

Original poster
robinredbreast · 07/01/2008 09:57

yes that all makes sense to me, and i quite agree,when do babies normally self wean?

OP posts:
Original poster
robinredbreast · 07/01/2008 09:58

i think its just the tooth puting me off too iykwim

will i just get used to the feeling ?

OP posts:
cockles · 07/01/2008 10:00

selfweaning can be between 2-4. Anecdotally I'd say later is commoner for true child led weaning. I'm still feeding at 25 months and really appreciate it as parenting tool, tho I never thought I would do it more than 6 months. The older they are too the easier it is to impose limits, and reason with them - ie now I can say no milk, or quick milk, and that works. The only thing I would say is don't let them start twiddling your other nipple - it is a maddening trick of longerterm breastfeeders and enough to make me want to stop!

cockles · 07/01/2008 10:01

ps tooth will settle in within a few days/week , and my child has bitten me occasionally but always stopped easily and hasn't done it for over a year now. new teeth always feel a bit odd at first but the latch does settle down.

Flllightattendant · 07/01/2008 10:04

Ime they stop easier when they are ready to, ie no longer need the attachment as they have other ways of being close to you. They let you know when it isn't so important for them by mucking about, on/off boob, etc. and as long as there is another source of food/milk it'll be fine. Much easier to stop when baby is older I think.

Flllightattendant · 07/01/2008 10:06

...I stopped feeding ds1 at 16 months, btw, because he was happt to have a bottle by then and I was getting mastitis a lot.

No intention of stopping ds2 till I really have to, because I hate washing up and cooking and breastfeeding is just bloody easy!!

aquaticalltheboxes · 07/01/2008 10:09

Do unlatch and latch again with new teeth, also if you've got used to feeding casually in any position then you might need to go back to sitting carefully upright for a while - basically really monitor your latch just as with a newborn when you're getting going, and you'll get past the new tooth thing.

You may find if you look closely that a new tooth has scratched or caused a little graze, and that's what's feeling sore - again working really hard on a good position and latch for a few days will help that to heal (last time that happened to me I had to stop feeding lying down for a while at night and sit up instead, to be sure of a good latch while it healed). Watch out in particular for a sleepy baby coming off with teeth half-closed as without teeth that can be just a pinch; with teeth that can cause a little graze.

But teeth should not cause any long-term pain when feeding once you've both got used to them! I agree with Tiktok btw about how we'd never start anything good if we worried about how it would be when it ended - when you do stop you'll be able to do it gently and there's no way the stopping could come even close to cancelling out all the good things about the feeds before that. It is hard when you come under pressure - good luck.

lyra41 · 07/01/2008 10:11

I dropped the number of feeds to 2 at about one year, and then just to the morning feed at about 18 months. I think if you impose limits you're comfortable with, that will help. Now that my ds is nearly 2, we just have one feed a day, which suits us. He comes into bed with me in the morning and has both sides, which means i can get an extra 20mins - half an hour in bed in the morning. On mornings when I have to go to work I find it easy to distract ds with breakfast, and he doesn't even think about a bf as he totally associates it with my bed. If he's ever ill, I find it very helpful to still be able to bf, especially if his appetite is poor, it's just such a great source of comfort and nutrition.

JingleyJen · 07/01/2008 10:13

Hi there
I fed both the boys until they decided to stop themselves. as it happens this was 11 months with DS2 and 10 months with DS1 they just started refusing the boobie.
Although it upset me a bit it was much calmer than me making the decision. Go with what you feel.

aquababe · 07/01/2008 10:14

I was stopping every month till my dd turned (Had some tooth problems too)13months at which point Dh told me I was stopping when dd had left me with a particlularly nasty blood blister.
she was more than happy to stop.
I was a little sad at quite how easily she stopped.
I had largely kept going because I didn't want the faff or expense of formula. and because it was easier to console her when she hurt herself(which was a lot)

I don't think there's any right or wrong age to stop, but your baby will probably give you clues.

Original poster
robinredbreast · 07/01/2008 10:39

thank for all the responses, i do want to continue to bf dd, yes i have got a bit lazy with the latch,just let dd latch herself on these days but i can def look at that

OP posts:
Tapster · 07/01/2008 12:22

I'm still feeding my boob addicted daughter at 14 months. I am dreading trying to stop and I find out this month whether I will need to stop to ttc no.2 (drugs I need to take incompatible with BFing). I do think its easier to stop when you can get them onto bottles or else if you return to work after 12 months. I'm a SAHM and why would my DD not drink some BM during the day - we are usually down to 3 feeds but sometimes more if she is teething, upset etc...

tiktok · 07/01/2008 12:31

Tapster, don't assume you will have to stop bf because of meds....I'm sure you know you may have a choice. Very few meds are truly incompatible. Drugs incomp. with pg can be fine with bf, too.

Tapster · 07/01/2008 13:06

Tiktok thanks for that but the main side effect will be to make my DD drowsy although its safe. There are times where a drowsy daughter would be lovely ... but not best for her.

LiegeAndLief · 07/01/2008 13:11

Haven't had time to read all posts but from completely non-scientific personal anecdote point of view ...

Had to cut down ds's breast feeds when he was 9-10 months old and I went back to work. He went ballistic.

Stopped the night feed at 15 months, was dreading it, thought he would scream and scream. He had a beaker of milk and a story with dh, went to sleep without a murmur. I sat downstairs and cried.

So you never know how it will turn out - seems a shame to miss out on something because you're worried about how it will end!

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