If you started breastfeeding, why and when did you stop?

[Heatherbell1978]

DD is 9 weeks and bf. I also have a DS (2.5) who I bf for 5 months. I stopped with him as he just became too difficult to feed. He would fuss, cry and generally would only feed well while asleep or just woken. For my own sanity I gave up with him.
DD is showing exactly the same traits but is so much younger. She fusses if my milk comes in too quick, too slow and will scream, scratch and generally drive me insane. She feeds great during the night and if just woken (assuming she's due a feed) but it's getting impossible to feed in public, just like with DS she's making me housebound. She's very colicky, way worse than DS. She's a good weight, on 75th centile so is getting enough.
After a disastrous family day out where she wouldn't feed and screamed constantly when awake I'm wondering whether I should throw in the towel. I'd like to do 6 months of feeding but not at the expense of my sanity. HV is very sympathetic but I've tried all the suggestions around colic relief, feeding positions and everything Kellymom suggests too.
I guess I'm looking for some reassurance that if I do stop i had good reason to😔

She might be the same even if bottle fed? However with the added hassle of having to pre/sterilise/take formula with you?

I fed dd1 until 2 (and stopped as I was pregnant and wanted a tiny break) and am now feeding dd2 (8 months). Regularly I think of formula but always land that it'll make my life more difficult in the end

Perhaps you could mix feed - daytime feeds formula and night time feeds breastmilk. That is if you want to keep breastfeeding at all. If you don't want to remember you don't have to and don't need a good reason to stop

I breast fed DS for 2.5 years and stopped because I believed it was preventing me from conceiving again.

He also had bad colic/reflux as a baby and the first 6-8 weeks of breast feeding were hell.

Any reason to stop is a good enough reason. If BF'ing isn't working for you anymore then just stop, you don't need anyone to justify your decision even though you probably feel like you do

I stopped at 6 weeks. I became quite ill and needed surgery when my dtwins were 6 weeks old. I was gutted initially but it had no impact on our lives at all.

I stopped at 1 year because I was bored of it and I wanted to.
You don't have to justify it to yourself

We naturally stopped daytime feeds out and about around 8mths (took well to weaning, too nosy to want to miss out on things while feeding), kept up morning, evening and bedtime feed longer. Gradually dropped these, until she finally gave up bedtime feed at 22mths.

I breastfed all four. First son I stopped age 2 years 5 months as I was pregnant and just not enjoying BFing at all.
Second child stopped by herself age 2 years 10 months
Third stopped as my milk changed when pregnant and she was 2 years 9 months.
Fourth and final self weaned around 2 years 10 months.

If I recall they all went through an unsettled stage around 6-8 weeks that some would call colic. I'd just call it unsettled. I'm sure that unsettled and fussing at the boob helps supply and demand. It's normal... but not great when feeding out and about.
Can you go to a breastfeeding support group? Seeing other babies at all stages is good for breastfeeding mums.

I stopped at 1 year. Before i had dd, I thought a year was what I would aim for if I was able to breastfeed. Once feeding was established, I was fine with it until about 11 months, and then i just wanted my body back and to not be responsible for all the bedtimes etc. We were down to morning and evening feeds anyway, so cut them down gradually over the month and stopped just before her birthday.

I fed mine til they were 15 months ( DD stopped herself when I fell pregnant) and 13 months (DS stopped when I went away overnight). I found it convenient but also quite limiting, particularly with my second who was and remains a hungry baby. He eats something every 2 hours still.
Don't feel guilty about stopping, I pushed it further than I really wanted with my 2nd after he developed food allergies (Some passed through my milk meaning I had to change my diet too. Have you looked into dairy or gluten allergy/intolerance? Both can pass through milk.)

Dc1 - stopped at 6 weeks. She stopped gaining weight for 3 consecutive weeks and I didn't realise I could combination feed.

Dc2 - stopped at 2 weeks, he would feed, fall asleep and wake hungry an hour later. I couldn't cope with that and a toddler so we switched to bottles. He continued to be a pita to feed but at least other people could help.

Dc3 - stopped at about 7mths although combination fed from about 8 weeks (a bottle of formula at bedtime). She weaned herself really - she was too nosey to be 'hidden' on the breast so would pull off all the time.

Dc4 - stopped at about 10mths - similar to dc3, he seemed to lose interest too. He wouldn't take a bottle at all so was exclusively breast fed until then.

I do think the baby and circumstances make a huge difference - each of mine was different. You have to do what is best for you at the time

I stopped around 6 months. DS had slow weight gain as I ended up with numerous infections & my antibiotics helped me but seemed to affect his weight so we had to increasingly up formula top ups & in the end he realised it was far less effort for him to take a bottle than it was for him to bf.

I felt incredibly guilty at the time but now he's stealing our food, is gaining weight at the right rate & is nearly walking at 10 months I think he's just a child that thrives more on actual food.

I stopped at 4 years because DS self weaned.

OP, you don't need to justify ANYTHING. If it's not working for you any more then don't do it. The main reason that I carried on for so long was because I found it easy and convenient. I think if that had been different at any point then I would have looked into stopping. I didn't because it just never came up.

You have to do what works for you. What do you want? If someone gave you a magic wand and you could either magic away the problems and make BF work, or you could magic away the guilt and move to bottles?

Dd self weaned at 22 months. Well she had no real choice as id given birth to ds and dd said my milk (colostrum) was now disgusting.
Ds was 2 and a half. I Stopped because i wanted to.

DD1 I fed until she was 20 months. I stopped because I wanted my body back.

DD2 is almost 13mo and I'm still feeding her - 3 or 4 times a day, rarely at night. I'll carry on until I get fed up; the advantage at this point is that she can go without for quite a while and my supply is at a point where I can not feed for a little while and my supply won't be affected.

Stopping feeding because you want to is a perfectly valid choice. But it may not solve the problem you're experiencing; you may just switch it for one with extra faff - you could combination feed for a while to see if that makes a difference?

DC1 because he used to bite me at 6 months old
DC2 still having a bedtime feed at age 2 then lost interest
DC 3 10 weeks because I had to return to work. He'd been having some bottles from 6 weeks because I was worried he wouldn't take one when I had to leave him.
DC 4 4 months when I returned to work but I'd been freezing my milk and continued to pump at work so it lasted til she was 6 months.
DC 5 returned to work at 12 weeks and continued with morning teatime and bedtime feed plus pumping until she was 4 months and started preferring a bottle.

I didn't manage it at all with DD and did 16 months with my DS. I think I just stopped because I had had enough, he was down to one or two feeds by then.

If you want to stop, just stop. That's a good enough reason. Honest. I spent at least six months of my DD's life berating myself for not breastfeeding and I wish I hadn't. A fed baby is a happy one. You do what you have to do and what's right for you.

HTH

DD1 lost all interest in milk at 9 months, DD2 was going a similar way and she'd started biting me as she was teething so I stopped bf at 8 months. Both of them were mixed fed to some degree though, and I never fed much when out in public.

If you feel like daytime feeds are a problem, why don't you try giving a bottle during the day and continue bf at night? Your supply should be well established by now so the odd bottle won't have an immediate effect on it, which means you can try bottle feeding and see how you get on if you don't want to stop bf completely straight away. I honestly think that mixed feeding is really underrated, I always found it to be the best of both worlds!

I stopped at 13 months because he just didn't open his mouth when the boob was there! He looked at me like ''Mum, put it away, I don't want your boob in my face''.

But I was only feeding at bedtime then. I forcefully stopped morning feeds at 10 months as it was like a battle, as soon as he saw me he would claw me and grab at me and it was getting really quite uncomfortable.

Could you express some milk and try a bottle to see like you say if that is the issue, rather than stopping immediately? That way can always go back to it if she is just having a fussing phase.

I started weaning at about 6 months and it kind of came to a natural end, my DD bit and scratched like a wild animal when I bf and i got sick of it and I felt it wasn't satisfying her. She also wouldn't feed under a shawl in public and I am a bit shy so I started becoming housebound. I do miss the closeness and the special time but it has freed me in so many ways. It also stopped the habit of nursing her to sleep so to me it had loads of benefits. I would have definitely stopped before if I hadn't felt comfortable with it, you need to consider your health too!

I fed DS until he was about 14 months and had to stop because I was pregnant with his sister and I was getting quite uncomfortable. I fed her and her sister until they were both 3 I found it really easy I had enough milk for the street!!

I EBF DD2 for 6 months, then on demand until 2 years. She is feeding in the daytime now at 2.9 years. I am aiming for self weaning.

DD1 was 10 days EBF, then formula fed until 11 weeks followed by mix feeding until 12 months after I relactated. I didn't realise I could carry on once back at work so stopped bf when my mat leave finished. She then had cows milk.

I am left with enduring regret about my breastfeeding journey with DD1. Usual story. Lack of good peer support, lack of good expert advice and growing up in a formula culture (I'm Scottish) meant I had no idea about the reality of Breastfeeding.

I fed until 12 months, though at 10 months the feeds dropped down dramatically as I went back to work. At 12 months I just felt that she was old enough to get by without it, and we stopped without any problems.