Cut down on BF, feeling guilty

[janiemouse]

I have an 8 and a half month old, who's been having four milk feeds a day since about 7 months when he started eating more solids. I've now cut out his mid-morning and mid-afternoon BFs and swopped them for FF. I'm still BF him at bedtime and first thing in the morning.

I really enjoy BF and didn't expect to be able to do it as I have no relatives who've been able to do it.

I cut the daytime feeds out for a few reasons:

1. I wanted someone else to be able to do some feeds to give me a bit of freedom (I now think this is selfish of me)
2. At the time I cut out the mid-morning feed, he'd been teething for months and I'd been getting very little sleep. I wanted to be able to have a lie in whenever possible and get my husband to feed him mid-morning. He's now sleeping better and I kind of wish I'd not stopped.
3. I had been getting funny looks whilst feeding him at baby groups etc and when out of the house, I know this shouldn't have bothered me, but it did. I don't live in an area with very high rates of breastfeeding.
4. I think he prefers bottles as he gets the milk faster and seems to get really excited when he sees the bottle as opposed to my boobs!

I'm now feeling guilty that I've cut out the daytime feeds and it's also annoying me having to buy milk. I've been told I might be a bit hormonal about the whole thing. I've not got to go back to work until July so kind of feel like I'm putting myself first when I shouldn't be.

Sorry to ramble....

Hey Janiemouse Please don't beat yourself up! I think you have done fantastically well to still be BF after all this time. I think you are fully entitled to want a bit more freedom. I understand that you're feeling it's a bit of a wrench to stop altogether but just make the most of the morning and evening feeds. I found BF a chore to be honest but still felt a bit sad when I decided to stop (BF DD for 4 months and DS for 5 months.) It is such a unique time in your life. To still be BF in any form after all this time is amazing!!! Trust me, you will look back on this time with pride, not guilt. (I know what you mean about being annoyed about having to buy milk tho, but just you wait til he starts eating proper meals!) I think you've done brilliantly

Dont feel guilty at all, your doing the right thing for you and your baby because if you feel its getting too much and you need a little bit more freedom form the BF routinte then do it and dont worry a jot about the breastfeeding millitants.

Don't feel guilty! I also have an 8.5 month old and this week I stopped expressing at work as it was just getting impossible to schedule in. I express at night which gives 1 bottle of ebm and the 2nd bottle is formula. I felt momentarily sad when I bought the formula but the sense of freedom I have from constantly trying to schedule in an expressing session in a busy workplace is worth it. Please don't beat yourself up- you've done an amazing job.