Tips on stopping breastfeeding please?

[CollyDolly]

Gutted about stopping -I still love it and so does DD - she is one year old in a week...but there are several reason why I think I have to stop. She wakes up a few times every night to feed (she sleeps with me once I go to bed) and I think she might sleep better if she thought there was no milk to bother waking up for, I am running in the London Marathon next year and running with these blinking things is difficult! I am using two bra at the minute and I am sick of having great big boobs..Also, quite a few people have said they lost more of the pregnancy weight they gained once feeding had stopped??? All these reasons to stop but I know I will really miss it... Any advise? :-)

hmm well this isn't advice on how to stop, but is my experience of breastfeeding

ds2 still wakes frequently in the night despite weaning several months ago! you could always night-wean her if you are really feeling the need for sleep, but as with ds2, this may not affect how often she wakes, and you then need to replace the feeding with another method of comforting her back to sleep

i gained weight after finishing feeding ds1 and ds2. after all, you aren't using up so many calories are you?

bra-wise I am pretty sure that a proper very supportive sports bra ought to do the job!!!

I feel really very strongly that you should stop when YOU and your child feel ready to. i stopped early with ds1 and ds2 and i really, really regret it.

I don't think I am ready really...not sure if I can wait for self-weaning though.. But if I am honest its more about external pressures rather than what I want. Its such a lovely physical relationship with her. She never bites and is so gentle, patting and stroking....she strokes my arm up and down with the slightest touch when she does it, its so sweet. :-)T he weight thing isn't really an issue as I am running and losing a pound or so every week now anyway. Thanks for your reply :-)

it is lovely isn't it?
you don't have to wait until she self-weans though, extended breastfeeding is a fabulous thing, but only if you are both enjoying it. it's fine to wean if you are ready too.

ds2 weaned at 16 months, but that was only because i was pregnant again and my milk went and i was soooo gutted.
I had thought that certain members of my family would find it odd, but no-one ever said anything but positive things to me about it. i miss it a lot! even though i now have a newborn to feed lol

why not give yourself a few weeks and think about it again in a while if you aren't totally ready to stop?

If you're not sure, don't change anything. If you are worried about what friends and family might say you can always keep the bf for at home only (maybe at bedtime only?)

You can stop offering milk in the night if you want to without ending co-sleeping, just wear a bra at night and/or consider swapping places with your DH so she is next to him. Or you could move her into a cot in your room.