To wean or not to wean?

[SenoraPostrophe]

OK this is my decision really, but I need some input/advice!

ds is nearly 13 months and breastfed 3 times a day: morning, before nap, and night time. I feed him more when he is ill.

Can't decide whether to stop soon or not. My reaons:

for giving up:

• have a wedding in May and can't take him. Can't leave him with dh unless he is already weaned (so says dh)
• he plays up a lot with eating generally and i can't help thinking that this would improve if i stopped b/fing
• it would be nice to wear dresses again!
• dh could give me a proper lie in occasionally.
• we might leave the house on time occasionally

against giving up:

• it's really easy in the mornings because I can just lie in bed feeding him. sometimes I doze off.
• he gets ill often and it is handy to be able to feed him to make him feel better.
• its good for him.

would you give up now/soon?

i have just been on the phone to my sister in law in san francisco and shes exactly the same, however i think she is going to stop her one morning feed, shes stopped the others as she was at work, as she feels its time for her stop.
her ds dosent eat great either.

maybe stop one/two feeds but express a stash for the times he maybe poorly? doesnt reduce boob size or the increase the chances of wearing a dress - my aim for april i have to admit!

maybe I could express some to keep for this winter's colds at least. How long does it last in the freezer again?

Up to a month in the freezer, SP. TBH I would start expressing now and get DH to give it to him in the morning so you could have a lie in!

Unfortunately, I think some of breastmilk's magic is destroyed by freezing it - your body makes antibodies to bacteria/viruses that are around now - so your immune system helps DS fight off a bug now. (And EBM can have bacteria in it, like formula, so may not be ok during tummy bugs.)

I'd be inclined to freeze lots for the wedding, and maybe cut him down to morning, or morning and night, particularly if you're still enjoying BF.

accorgind to a link mears posted a while back, you can keep breastmilk frozen in the freezer for up to 6 months

DD is 9 months and only bf's at night if that helps (bedtime and around 4 or 5am)

I have kept bm in the freezer for longer than a month. I think I read somewhere that up to 6 months was ok. Personally I wouldn't stop until you want to -May is a long way off yet

thanks all. the problem is, I can't decide if I want to give up or not!

Good point about ebm not being as good as the fresh stuff for poorly babies. I'm trying to remember when the colds stopped coming last year!

dd (30 months) is still breastfed twice a day (more if sick but that's pretty rare), on waking and on going to bed. I'm happy to wean when she's ready. Obviously she's not ready yet.

I find no problems with my supply or comfort level when I've skipped a feed or even two.

My thought on the matter is that dd is only a baby for such a short part of her life - I'm happy for that time to be enjoyed and unrushed. Breastmilk is free and good for her, so why call an end to it if we're both okay with it.

Keep going if you're both enjoying it. If you're busy with a rare solo night out, have a breast milk alternative ready. Good luck!

If you ditch the daytime feed you could wear dresses. May is a long time away, and you will probably find that you can either wean then (if you want) or keep going if you want. No point doing something in Feb that you don't need until May.

If he plays up with eating, at least you know by bfing you are putting something nutricious in him.

You can still miss a feed if you fancy a lie in. I do. Just get dh to give him his breakfast and play his favourite game straight away and he may not notice.

It sounds like you just need to be a little more flexible with yourself, but keep your milk in to help fight off bugs.