Help needed stopping breast feeding please

[momofha]

Hi there ladies,

I am hoping that you knowledgable MNers can help.

My DD is 16 months old now and I have finally managed to drop the day feeds. We are in our second week now. I still feed last thing at night, during the night (co-sleeping) and first thing in the morning. How do you suggest I go about dropping the remaining feeds without causing to much drama. She wont take any other milk but will drink juice or water from a bottle. I have bought that special juice milk and she is drinking that now.

HELP Please.

can i ask why you want to drop her feeds?

Only that unless you are really fed up of it now, i don't see a problem.

I still feed dd, 20 mths last thing at night, 1st in morn and if she wakes in ight. I cut it down to once at nigt when trying to conceive, she was 16mths then, I just stopped offering it and she didn't really seem to mind. Lol, soon was happy to pick it up again, once i'd sorted periods out.

Sorry that's probably not tat helpful is it?

Sorry she woke up and I ended up laying down with her and falling asleep so never got to reply!

The reason I want to stop is that the lower estregen levels (normal whilst breast feeding) are really knocking me. I think it is worse now then it was with my first 2 kiddos as I am, dare I say it, slightly older now! (36) I am really feeling the impact. Tired all the time, aching joints, depression sometimes, retaining weight/water, etc. Besides not being happy with the dry neither regions constantly!

I didnt realise all the symptoms of low estregen until my Gyni pointed it out to me and then I saw that what I have been feeling for the past 6-8 months is the effect of low estregen.

Anyway, there are the reasons. Hope someone has a bit of a solution to stopping for me.

Hello, I'm in the same boat (ds 19mo) and will watch your thread with interest! Can I ask what the special juice milk is please?

Sorry I am not more help btw!!

Hi

Interesting what you say about estrogen level. Been feeling the same.

From my experience, very difficult to co-sleep and stop BF.
DD sleeps in her cot but even so wakes a few times in the night looking for the breast. If she lies by my side then that's it! she has to have the breast plucked in her little mouth to sleep and will be rooting all night.
She's only 9 months but I don't see it any different in a few months.
She will not take a dummy either, which is actually a blessing I guess.

When someone else goes to her at night, she'll happily take a bottle or settle with a cuddle and patting.

Is it reasonnable to expect DH/DP to do that?

Hi Slim,

I am interested by the cot idea. I might have to resort to that.

Sadly I don't have anyone else here and am really struggling as mine won't accept bottle or dummy in place of my boob.

I feel like it will never end.

Hi there!

It's really tough isn't it?
I tried the dummy, the water bottle, the cuddly toy, the blankie. Nothing will help her self soothe.

I think the little animal can smell the milk!

LOl, we have a whole blardy line up of rejected transitional objects.

Hi there girls,

Thanks for the comiserations. Glad to hear I am not alone. I want this year to be a bit about me instead of just the kids and the first step to that is to try and wean my little DD. I WANT to feel like my old self again!! Is that too much to ask!!

Flightattendant7 it is called Danao made by Danone and I found it in the milk section.

very simple idea here...found my ds (who bf til 2.3) slept for longer when i placed a pillow next to him... still does...i'd bf (nw cuddle) him to sleep then pop a warm (body temp) pillow against him...the added warmth/weight seemed to reassure him, and the lack of milky smell stopped him rooting...just obviously make sure that your toddler is big enough that theres no risk of suffocation, and room cool enough so won't over heat...sure you know the drill! it didn't stop him bf'g but did spread out the night time feeds
oh and try stopping the morning feed first...it's the easiest...try and be up before your little one wakes, hopefully she'll just get up and join you...have a yummy breakfast and fun toys waiting to distract...
wear high neck tops so boobs not accessible to little hands
the bed time feed comes last, and was by far the hardest for us...i was lucky in that my ds was old enough to understant my explanation that my boobies were owey so i couldnt feed...that and high neck tops and a few tears got it sorted...but your lo is obviously younger, and I had to go cold turkey as was prg and advised to due to complications...
good luck!

lol...it's not too much to ask at all...i hope you get there soon and without too much hassle...just do me a favor and remind me what it feels like when you get there...that pregnancy i mentioned is now 9 weeks old and hanging off my boob as i type

Is there any way you could spend 24 hrs (or more?) away from her, therefore breaking the cycle? It worked with both of mine.
Out of sight, out of mind.
I have this theory that after 3 days denial of anything (bottle, dummy, breast) if you can keep up your side of the bargain , they will give up and move on.

If you want to stop I would do it a bit more gradually. When I weaned my PFB I did it over a period of three or four months. He was a bit older.

As for night weaning my bitter experience is to get the daddy to do this bit. Don't envy you one bit.

I had to wean DS2 far more quickly and at a similar age. It was tough.

Trulyscrumptious43, I was thinking about trying the seperation from her for a 24 hours to break the cycle and when I mentioned it to my sister she exploded!! Telling me I was wrong to even consider it and that I would tramatise my DD if I deserted her at this fragile time. [eyes rolling to ceiling] Really made me feel like a bad mom.

Oops so sorry momofha. I didn't mean to get you into trouble.
My sis was in fact the one who took over for the said period of desertion, perhaps it was made easier by the fact we were both single mums. I just valued my sanity for their sakes!

And now my poor deserted darlings are now 11 and 16 and have never shown any signs of weaning related trauma, I don't think. We all get on really well in fact!

...and I visit them regularly in the home for young, deranged serial killers....

oh no worries trulyscrumptious43, my sister can do no wrong! She is the best mother in the entire world. [sarcasm dripping]

i have left my DD for 24 with dh and went on a long journey. she was fine and had cows milk from a bottle something she had never done before. but as soon as i walked all she wanted was BM. i think i'd have to leave her for weeks! haha