When did you stop bf and why?

[justme27]

My dd is 6.5 mo and I am considering it but am undecided as whether to do it...

7m and 6m. Decided i'd had enough even though I enjoyed it. It was upsetting and emotional.

I stopped at just over a year old because ds stopped asking for it, not really a decision on my part!

Why are you undecided? If you don't mind saying so that is.

I found that period quite frustrating as ds took a loing time to build up an appetite for solids and so it all felt like a lot of work, still feeding just as much as ever but getting annoyed at me if I didn't provide solid meals too! It got easier though and once he started eating more he dropped bf pretty quickly (though rather annoyingly the last ones to go were 4am and 4pm not nice, sensible morning and night like most people )

I stopped at 15 months, cut down to three feeds a day at 6 months, then two feeds a day at 10 months when I went back to work.

Everyone says 'Wow, you did so well', but personally, I found it easier to carry on bfing than stop by the time I got to 6 months.

I half-heartedly tried to get DS to take a bottle of expressed milk but he wasn't having any of it.

It was heaven from 10 - 15 months to have those two feeds a day which was DS and my time together. Very special.

"that period" being 6 months or so

DD same here - am torn because there is nothing nicer than that snuggly feeling and the way they look all contented and happy, esp at night... but have started weaning which is going well and having issues getting her sleeping through which she previously did....

at least with ff, I can monitor how much she is having etc...

but it means my baby is growing up!!!! ( she;s my first so everything is a big deal!)

1 year because ds self-weaned . Would have loved to have carried on. very special feeling
Good luck with your decision

DD1 at 18 months because she got a mouth ulcer and went on nursing strike. DD2 at 35 months and I still feel a bit sad about it because I miss it.

15m when ds1 self-weaned (because I was pg). Didn't see the point in stopping under a year and going through the faff of formula when I had struggled hard to establish bf in the first place.

She self-weaned then.

dd1 3 and a bit, she self weaned.
dd2 not yet 2y4 months, I will hopefully wait for her to self wean too.

I nearly stopped when my DD2 was the same age so I gave her formula for a couple of feeds, but by the afternoon, I had had a change of heart, read a few positive threads on here and realised that formula was a complete and utter faff, and so have carried on. She's nearly 8 months now and I am so glad I didn't give up. The feeds have got a lot easier (she's stopped all that pulling off and looking around, just gets on with the job in hand now and is done and dusted, both sides, in about 10 mins)

The main reason I was thinking of stopping was in the vain hope of getting her to sleep through (most FF babies I know sleep through at this age) but actually, she only wakes to feed once a night, and is usually so fit and healthy, rarely suffers for long with a cold etc., that it all evens out in the end

Indith - see post above...

I have mix fed since she was born anyway so she is happy drinking formula as well as bf and she is also doing okayish on solids..

reasons I dont want to stop are more emotional really!

UDcake - 2 feeds sounds like a brilliant solution! Are they morning and evening?

Guess I could do morning and evening and bottle feed through night wake ups to guage how much she is drinking and whether she is waking due to hunger.....

DS1 14 moths because I was pg with DS2 and bfing was becoming painful and my milk was drying up.

DS2 16 months. We just gradually grew out of it.

I bf till ds was nearly 4
stopped because he wanted to

dd1 at 8 months as she was huge (10lb4 at birth) and I was going back to work and felt it would all be too harsh trying to work it all out over my horrible shift pattern

dd2 at 6 months because she was huge (11lb1 at birth) she was not a 'pleasant' feeder and it was maternal guilt that got me that far. with her I took every feed as it happened but by 6 months I felt I'd done enough

19 months.

dd self weaned.

though i would be upset but was actually fine about it.

dd 15 months

ds 2 years

Justme, yes, they were morning and evening. It worked really well.

My view is that if you don't want to stop, don't. I thought bf was so special and lasts for such a short time in life. I really miss it now. AM pg again and am looking forward to the closeness of it.

2.2

I just forgot to feed him one evening when I was staying with my sister and we were all out of our routine. He didn't complain and I didn't offer the next night. He was only having one bedtime feed at that point.

Wow - you guys all did brilliantly. Ppl have said I'm doing well and seem surprised I am still bf at 6 months!

I feel guilty because I have been lucky as it doesnt hurt (although she has started biting me and tugging away with her mouth which she then thinks is a game when I cry out in pain!)

Think i will carry on a little longer but just try and get the ff at set times and also ff her at night...

There's no reason to give up just because you've reached 6 months. If you're both happy with it, continue for as long as you want to. It won't do any harm to mix feed at this stage either if that makes things easier for you.

agree with lyra no need for you to give it up unless you decide to for your reasons
everyone is different and I think you'll know when its right for you whether thats now or in another 6 months or a years time

I stopped when DD was 9 months because we were going away for a couple of nights (booked when I assumed I would stop at 6 months - don;t know why i assumed that) but I sort of regret it now.

DS is only 12 weeks but I definitely plan to feed him for longer

DS was just before a year and I was pg and he didn't appreciate my preggie milk and bit me everytime I attempted to feed him.

DD is just over a year and is still feeding. We'll feed for as long as it suits us both.

IMO, the first few months are the toughest part and once they're beyond 6 months and onto solids too it's just an enjoyable, bonding, cuddly, convenient (especially if you forget to take lunch out!) experience. It made me not worry too much about 'quality' of solids as I knew they were getting a lot from their milk. I also stopped worrying about how mch they were having as their weight slowed right down anyway.

As for the sleeping thing... DS stopped feeding just before a year and didn't take any milk, cows/formula/expressed after that. He still didn't sleep through until 15 months.

ds1 - weaned at 16 mths self weaned pretty much
dd - the same self weaned at 15 mths
ds2 going strong at 12 mths...