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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

Tempted to put chilli paste on

21 replies

WinkyWinkola · 14/05/2009 19:40

I've had enough bfing. I'm 16 weeks pg and I think it's contributing to my feeling drained and very weary.

My DD is 25 months old. She's a little smasher, she really is and boy, does she love her bm.

I've managed to get her down to bfing only when she's going to sleep but even then she wakes in the night for more.

I would also like to have a break from bfing before the new baby arrives not least because I made the mistake of overlapping my DS's bfing with the arrival of my DD and he was really upset when I said he couldn't bf anymore.

Any tips to just stop? Or should I just stop and brace myself for the screaming because there will be screaming! Is there a better way?

OP posts:

TheButterflyEffect · 14/05/2009 19:58

This reply has been deleted

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browntrout · 14/05/2009 20:17

I BF my DD until she was 20 months. Like your DD she was only feeding at night and occasionally through the night for comfort. She never ever took formula nor would she drink cows milk so I carried on with the BF (not that I resented it). At 20 months I decided to stop and happened to go away with a friend for a weekend. I was gone for 2 nights. When I put her to bed the night I came back I told her my milk was all gone but that we could still have hugs etc. She was beside herself and cried and cried ... for ten minutes. Then she went to sleep. The next night she was upset for a couple of minutes. After that she didnt ask for milk again. About 4 months after that she started, occasionally, to have a bit of cows milk with chocolate in it. I think that, by that age, you can reason with them and, once they are over the initial shock of their trusted supply being taken away, they actually cope quite well. Good luck anyway.

SoupDragon · 14/05/2009 20:22

Just say no. DD (2.6 when I stopped) forgot about it within 3 days.

PortAndLemon · 14/05/2009 20:25

You could start cutting down the length of each feed -- so decide that you're only going to feed for (say) 2 minutes each time, tell your DD that and then count down the last ten seconds of the feed. Then cut down to one minute, then to 30 seconds, etc. It should then be easier to drop the feeds with no screaming.

iwantitnow · 14/05/2009 22:18

Cut out nighttime feeds completely first, send DH thats what worked for us. Then cut one feed out at a time, chocolate buttons worked for us. I was in the same boat, luckily DD self weaned at 23 months from the last feed when my morning sickness meant I just couldn't do the before bed feed for 2 nights - she forgot after that! There may be some screaming there was for me, but I was quite firm. My nipples really hurt towards the end when pregnant and feeding and it was a relief.

Good luck.

Original poster

WinkyWinkola · 15/05/2009 08:50

Thank you for your advice, all of you.

Last night, I fed her once when she went to sleep and said, "No," to her feeding requests in the night. She bleated a bit but went back to sleep pretty quickly.

Chocolate buttons? Could try that at bedtime in about two weeks to stop the bedtime feed. But will clean teeth afters.

OP posts:

babyinbelly · 15/05/2009 11:12

Not exactly the same thing but when ds fell over and cut his tounge not long after he was 2 I said he could no longer have bedtime bottle because it would hurt his tounge. Problem solved.

Not that I am suggesting you go cutting you childs tounge but just saying I seized the opportunity when it arose to get rid of bottles.

cartoonkate · 15/05/2009 15:56

I told DS (aged 2) that it had 'gone bad'. Then his dad took him off on holiday for three days. He was cool with that. There's more about weaning toddlers in my new cartoon book The Food of Love

StealthPolarBear · 15/05/2009 16:02

cartoonkate - I think you need to pay to advertise, apologies if you're not, but I've noticed a few of these threads with links to your book.
WW - I am feeding DS who is 2 but I have started being firm sometimes, he usually has a morning and nighttime feed but if I don't have time in the morning I'll give him a cup of milk instead. At first he sulked but he did drink it, then he started asking for it before his bm even when I was fine to feed him I don't think it will be long before it's instead of bm.
Can you do something like that?

tummytickler · 15/05/2009 16:25

My ds is 21 months and i am hoping to give up bfing soon. We have cut out the overnight feeds (a month ago!), and the bedtime feed, but he still feels he can help himself all day!
We are ttc at the moment, and wonder f this is delaying it.
No advice i am afraid, but i shall be watching with interest!
I like Cartoonkates idea of getting Dad to take him on holiday - i might pinch that one!

StealthPolarBear · 15/05/2009 16:36

tt I conceived while breastfeeing - probably was 3 times a day back then, more at the weekend. You can get very cheap ovulation sticks from ebay if you want to find out if you're ovulating.

StealthPolarBear · 15/05/2009 16:38

That's feeding 3 times a day btw!

tummytickler · 15/05/2009 18:18

StealthPloarBear - Might give the ovulation sticks a go if we have no luck soon!

Tinker · 15/05/2009 18:21

Oh well done you. I'm afraid I lied to mine when I wanted to stop. I said I wasn't well and that I couldn't feed her until I was better. And then she just got used to a cup of milk (cow's). She was older so understood but may be worth trying??

Blu · 15/05/2009 18:38

DS was still having morning and bedtime bf at 2..I diverted him from it by totally changing the routine, so that the events and time and place that would have been 'bf moment' simply didn't exist.

This actually meant me sleeping in the spare oom (oh, bliss! Uninterrupted sleep!) and DP comforting him in the night with water, and then whisking him straight downstairs in the morning for cuddles and play in the front room rather than cuddles in bed with me. After 3 days he couldn't even remember how to bf!

StealthPolarBear · 16/05/2009 06:42

tt get them now - they are about £2 INC p&p and it was when I finally had mine that I discovered I didn't need them!
I'd offer them to you but have already passed them on.

mawbroon · 16/05/2009 08:32

tummyticker - how long have you been ttc?

gagarin · 16/05/2009 08:35

wear clothes you can't feed in - it helps you stick to the "no means no" message rather than "no means oh alright then"!

tummytickler · 16/05/2009 12:47

mawbroon - not that long - only since just after Christmas, but it feels like forever and i have always fallen pregnant really quickly in the past - i just wondered if the bfing was making it take that bit longer than with the others.
I think ds would carry on forever if he could!

mawbroon · 16/05/2009 22:00

tummytickler - have you been charting your cycles at all? Are you ovulating?

I have been ttc for 2.5yrs now. DS is still feeding aged 3.6yo and the breastfeeding seems to have shortened my luteal phase so that implantation just isn't happening.

I find that knowing exactly why I am not conceiving makes it a bit easier....

appletiser · 18/05/2009 17:45

a friend of mine used bitter gourd around her nipples to try and stop bf her 2yr old........took a while but eventually he just didnt want it anymore

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