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Infant feeding

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

How to stop Breastfeeding without getting mastitis!

3 replies

Sallypoo · 30/06/2008 14:16

Hi all,

My DS is now 6 months old, and 19lb and has started to be weaned onto solids. We had a rough first few months with an undiagnosed tongue-tie and so have never managed to exclusively breastfeed, I just couldn't catch-up with his demand, but I was determined to breastfeed at least in part to six months and we have.

I have now started to reduce the number of breastfeeds I offer. DS gets feeds every 3 - 4 hours except at night (7am, 10am, 2pm, 5pm/6pm slit by bath, 10pm and about 4am). I understood that you should drop one feed a week, and so last week I dropped the 10am feed and he just got a large bottle of formula followed by some food and this week I'm dropping the 2pm feed, this leaves bfeeds at 7am, 5pm, and 4am - the others were bottle only anyway.....

However my boobs feel like they are going to explode! I must admit that because I've been giving formula as well at every feed I was expecting not to notice much engorgement... It's fine at the moment, but....

Do I need to think about hand expressing or should I not be dropping a feed every week? should I maybe do it so its a feed every two weeks? Its so difficult to find information on how to stop....

Also how many feeds can you go down to before your milk supply stops? I don't want to have to do a bottle in the middle of the night if I can help it - I'm hoping that now that DS is eating solids that by the time we get down to one or two bfeeds a day he'll be sleeping though!! {hmm]

Thanks for your advise,
Sallypoo

OP posts:
mears · 30/06/2008 14:31

Sallypoo- as you are now introducing solids you will ultimately be reducing breastfeeds anyway. Were you particularly wanting to switch to formula completely and stop breastfeeding?

I started to reduce breastfeeds when my babies were on 3 meals a day and replaced the feed with juice or water.

Would it not be easier just to continue with breastfeeding till solids are established since you want to maintain night feeds? With the amount of feeds you are doing during the night, you are highly likely to get engorged during the day if you are giving formula. You would need to express which defeats the purpose of reducing breastfeeds.

I would reduce the formula now rather than the breastfeeds as you may find that you have enough breastmilk.

FioFio · 30/06/2008 14:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Sallypoo · 30/06/2008 16:21

Thanks all,

Yes, want to give us the BFing now.

FioFio I'm doing five breastfeeds a day so would take 5 weeks to stop. It would be great if i could do the occassional one, and it sounds like this has worked for you which is great....

Maybe I should wait before dropping another feed until I don't feel too engorged for a few days...

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