How do you stop bf?

[LaTrucha]

Just out of interest. I spent so much time trying to bf - and have done so for almost 8 months now, I can hardly imagine stopping. How does it work? Not wanting to stop now, just wanting to be informed.

I'm sure it involves DD crying

Not at all!

You hopefully will find that he gives YOU up not the other way round .

One day whatever he is doing will be just too interesting for him to stop doing it and feed.

Or he'll generally lose interest and you'll be busy and another baby will come along and suddenly he's not breast feeding any more.

No need to think about it now or for ages and ages!
with my dds, I have let them self wean, i.e. decide when to stop.
with dd1, she carried on until she was three and a bit, but after about 12 months she fed only in the morning, then at nap time and bed time. she didn't feed in public at all after abut 18 months. she stopped gradually, having the occasional feed until she stopped completely about 3y4m ish.
dd2 is still feeding at 2y10m, much more erratic and no set times, just when she feels like it.
by the way, in both cases I have left them for 3-4 days at a time and come back and they have wanted to start again! I have a full social life away from them and have a dribk when I want.
I would say that the choice to allow my daughters to self wean is one of the parenting decisions I am more certain was the right thing to do for us all. they have benefited greatly from continuing to bf, emotionally and nutritionally and health wise. and although it has sometimes been a PITA for me I have enjoyed it too. there have been some really special times, especially when I fed them together (only a few times!). and no tears or trauma when they stop, just happens naturally and gradually and at their pace.
bf a toddler is a great experience, I can whole heartedly recommend it.

I gave up this week :-(. DS3 is two and our last baby, so it was traumatic for me doing his last feed, particularly as he wouldn't let go at the end. I really wanted him to be the one to let go, not me to have to tug him off - he eventually unlatched and bounced around smiling.

For the last month I did one feed a day, rather than two. He can't have been getting much as I am in no pain now (4 days later) and was absolute agony by now with DS2.

I did wait until both of us were really ready though. At 18 months he was still asking for it quite a lot and it would have been more of a wrench for us both. He hasn't asked once, though he has cried a bit going down at night, but I think that is because we've started putting him down before DS1. I think he misses the cuddles that come with it too, so I have given cuddles just before bed.

This is interesting. I would like DD to wean off bf. She is 19mths. I feel I want my body back now. My DD has always fed erratically and never had a particular pattern. She drinks warm cow's milk now before bed but still comes to me when she feels like it. I have tried to stop her feeding from me but she starts crying so usually I give in.

Gagarin - I wish that could be what happens. I think that's ideal.

Harpsichord - I would love my DD to welf-wean.

Banana - DD is our first, but I already know I'm going to be so upet when we have (God willing) completed our family. Gla dit's gone well.

Babycat - good luck!

My problem is that we want to have another baby soon (starting to try around December). I can't really risk getting pregnant before that because I had an em c-s.I don't know if my periods have returned because I'm on the pill for c-section reasons. Also, I was really ill during my pregnancy and will need support in looking after DD if I'm pregnant again. We only have this support for, say February to August next year. I know you can get pg while bf, but it's a bit of a risk for us. So, I'm looking forward to a bit of a pressured situation, potentially. One to which I'm not looking forward.

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One tip I would pass on is to make sure that even when you are breastfeeding her, you brush her teeth afterwards to wake her up properly so that she is accustomed to going to sleep in her cot, off the breast. We have been doing this for a while and it has made the weaning process much easier.

Thanks for the tip Bananaskin.

Great tip bananaskin - will try that too as want to stop bf'ing dd soon (14 months).

Good luck latrucha

I got a tummy bug, my milk seemed to dry up or change as my DS suddenly became really difficult to feed. After trying to keep going for several weeks I decided reluctantly to give up. I gradually dropped feeds and got my DH to give the evening feed from a bottle while I was out of the room. In the end he was just getting a morning feed and my milk supply had really dwindled so he wasn't too bothered.

It is a good tip from bananaskin about waking baby before putting him/her down as we always did this with our DS and had very few issues getting him to sleep. Now he's nearly 2 and learning to play us up because he can, we have a few problem but it has been fairly plain sailing to here.

Thanks for replies. DD just thinks it's hilarious if we give her a bottle ATM. It makes a very good drum!