Down to 2 BFs a day (13mo), now losing interest in bedtime feed

[MegBusset]

DS is 13mo and recently I have cut out his afternoon BF as I'm returning to work part-time. Since doing this a week or so ago, he has started to lose interest in his bedtime feed -- he will feed for 3-4 mins before pulling away. In the morning he will still feed for 15 minutes.

So I guess my questions are:

Is it because I don't have enough milk in the evening, do I need to express in the day to keep my supply up?

Is it the start of self-weaning and will he start to lose interest in the mornings too?

If he does drop the evening feed altogether, will I be likely to dry up if I'm only doing one feed a day?

I hadn't planned on giving up BF any time soon so would be very if this was the beginning of the end...

I BF both DS and DD1 til a similar age and I have to say (please don't cry) that once I got them down to just 1 or 2 feeds a day, they started to lose interest and self-wean. But obviously yours may well be different so don't stop offering and he may gain interest again.

If you've gone this far then you've obviously got very clever breasts and I would say you are unlikely to dry up, even with just one or two short feeds a day. So keep the faith!

Its always such a shame when BFing comes to an end I return to work in two weeks - DD2 now 6 months old and having to cut out morning feeds. Will still feed in afternoon/evening but feel gutted everytime I give her morning bottle!

At about 13mo, DS did the same - started biting me because he didn't want any in the evening. I'd been back at work since 6mo, so continued feeding mornings and afternoons at weekends and day off and he was happy enough then unless something else was too interesting. I continued to offer in the evening but he never wanted it. We went away for one night a couple of weeks after this began (first night away together, but not first night I'd been away) and I left a bottle of expressed milk as always but he didn't want that either. In fact, I'd day it's only in the last 10months or so (he's now 2.8) that he wants milk in the evening (always in the same cup).

I carried on feeding mornings and afternoons, but he did get less interested and I guess the last time was about 14 months. It was so gradual, and to be honest, so easy, that I don't really regret it because it seemed to be just the way it was. And as you can see, I can't even remember precisely when it was because suddenly I wasn't BFing any more!

But I'm not sure that gives you hope!

Well, my aim was always to let him self-wean, so if that's what it is then I suppose I can't complain.

But my next question is, what do I replace the BFs with when he does stop? He is allergic to cow's milk (comes up in hives) although he is fine with other dairy products and has plenty of cheese and yoghurt in his diet. His paed has suggested Nutramigen but I was hoping to avoid giving formula -- don't really know why but the thought really upsets me when I would much rather continue BF

Bump

If he's eating a balanced healthy diet he could probably do without a drink of milk altogether? My eldest gave up milk altogether around 11 months (ff)! My youngest self weaned around 11 months (bf) she'd been on one feed a day since 10 months and I gave her an evening drink for another few months but she wasn't really interested tbh.

Hi Meg,

My ds self weaned at the same age and it was very for me too, but it honestly does get better and be reassured that you are doing what he wants. It must be much worse to try to wean a baby who is not ready.

Formula imo is much better than cow's milk anyway as at least it is designed for babies - too much cow's milk always gives my ds a tummy upset but he is fine with formula. I hated bottle feeding at first but you do sort of get used to it!

It's hard right now but you should be really proud of yourself for bf this long, so well done you.

But if he still needs milk couldn't I give him EBM in a cup instead?

If he's self-weaning cause he no longer needs the milk then presumably he doesn't need formula either?

Meg, yes to both of those you could give him EBM or equally accept his milk needing days are over!