Stopping breast feeding

[Daisies123]

DD is almost 17 months and still breastfeeding. I am totally fed up with it- always hated doing it and can't believe still doing it at this stage.

I reduced it to once or twice a day when she turned one as a compromise because I hated it so much but now fed up with even that. But obviously the WHO guidance says two years. Am I ok just stopping cold turkey from only one or two feeds a day? Ended up at the breast cancer clinic with a galactocele last year and don't want to risk that happening again.

Of course you are! You have done so well doing it for this long I wouldn't feel bad or guilty for stopping at all x

You don't need permission to stop

With mine, I cut down to two feeds for a bit then stopped cold turkey. Engorgement for a few days, then ok.

Not sure if that's the approved method though! But worked for me.

So hard though, I know I don't need 'permission' to stop but there was so much pressure to breastfeed early on, even though I loathed it. Made me so unhappy.

Sounds like I could just stop as it's only one or two feeds a day without awful consequences then? She can't be drinking that much now in terms of quantity.

The right time to stop is when one or other of you is no longer happy with the arrangement.
Well done getting to 17 months when you haven't enjoyed it. I haven't enjoyed it either so feel quite pleased I got to 9 and 10 months with my 2DCs.
When I've quit I've dropped 1 or 2 feeds/day at a time with a week between dropping more to prevent engorgement allow my body to adjust. Is your DD taking full feeds or just snacking? If full feeds I'd drop one the first week and the other the week after, if only snacking now I'd do both together.

She has one first thing each morning which is a full feed and then a post-nursery feed on nursery days which is really just a snack as she then goes on to drain two bottles of cow's milk! Could cut the post-nursery one out and see how we get on.

So relieved to hear I'm not the only one who doesn't enjoy it- was so disappointed when it didn't match up with what we were told to expect at the breastfeeding workshop I went on in pregnancy.

There's nothing wrong with stopping at all. You've done awesome to get up till now.
I'm considering the same, my 7 month old DS has had several teeth come through and has taken to biting me which he thinks is hilarious!

Isn't it better your DC has a happy mother? Moods reflect on Moods. If you are happy, they will be.
I hope it goes well xxx

LOL DD bit me at about seven months. I held her up and gave her a lecture on biting and how much I hated breastfeeding so if she did it again I was stopping. She didn't do it again so I lost that 'excuse'!