How do I stop breast feeding

[Littlejayx]

I have breast fed my daughter for 11 months bob on. She has rarely taken a expressed bottle and really finds breast feeding comforting.

The thing is I’m going back to work in a month and need to stop feeding soon.

She only feeds 3/4 times a day now but does get quite fussy without. She drinks skit of water and eats well.

My question is how do I transfer her off the breast? I’ve honestly winged it this long and don’t have anyone to ask.

Can I put her on cows milk? What bottle do I use?

Any advice would be so helpful!

It’s absolutely your choice but don’t presume you have to stop because of going back to work. At 11 months she can feed on wake up, when you get home and pre bed and have food/water whilst you’re at work. My third child never accepted a bottle and I went back to work when he was 10months. He just breastfed around work.

I’m still feeding my 15mo and I went back to work when she was 10mo. She feeds in the morning and at bedtime. You don’t have to stop if you don’t want to.

Following with interest as we're the same. Once they are 12 months old they can have cows milk in a beaker, I think they recommend stopping a bottle before 1. Ours is down to morning, late afternoon and bedtime feed and id like to stop at a year.

I agree, you don't have to give up completely if you don't want to. My DD went into Nursery at 12mo and I didn't send any milk. She would have cows milk and water and I would feed her before work, after work, bedtime and night.

You definitely don't need a bottle for cows milk. A cup is much better. My DD never drinks loads in one go though. She prefers to sip it throughout the day.

If you do want to stop, the advice is to drop one feed every 2 weeks to reduce your risk of Mastitis. By the time you stop comp,Evelyn she’ll be over 12 months so will only need 300ml of full fat cows milk a day if you’re not Bfing at all.

However, like others have said, it’s fine if you do want to stop but you can still feed her in the morning before you go to work, on pick up and before bed. It’s a lovely way to reconnect after a day at work.

To be honest I do think I want to stop completely. She has a few teeth now and I am getting bruised.

Can I start on cows milk now? I don’t really want introduce formula for the sake of a month.

Thank you for all the advice, I will deffo start with a cup not s bottle. And slowly take her off

I will be working 10 hour shifts so don’t want massive udders at the end of the day

Mine also never took bottle of anything, I went back to work similar time too. What I did was pick 1 feed in the day where I only offered expressed ( bottle for me, NUK, but go for the soppy cup if you want) . It was refused, grumbling etc so you have to be prepared. After a day or two they started to take a bit and then I introduced a second feed where expressed only, did it in hold so it was still comforting. Once I got to all expressed feeds and no breastfed I then started to dilute the expressed milk with formula/cows milk and gradually increased ratio so they got used to taste. Took a month and they did grumble/ miss a feed or two.

I know others who kept breastfeeding morning and night at work; and other who in that month used sippy cup for a feed of entirely cows milk so child knew this cup meant a different drink, not mum palming me off with her milk in a different receptacle.

I think expected veg rumbling no whateve you do as you are taking away familiar taste and comfort

What times are you feeding her now OP?

@Kraggle can I ask if your supply just adjusted we'll to this? My 10 month old feeds maybe 3 times in day and once through the night. I am back at work soon and concerned about how my supply will adjust although I guess it is just one feed a day. Sorry to tag on OP

@Owlettele it was perfectly fine, before I went back to work dd was fed on demand so a fair few times a day still. Now she’s dropped off by 8am and I pick her up just after 5. She feeds in the morning and at the beginning I’d feed her in the car at pick up and again when we got in but she can manage now until we get home or sometimes until bedtime without feeding.

I haven’t expressed at work this time round and for the first week or so I just had to hand express a little down the sink at work just to make me comfortable.

I work 2.5days and on the days I’m with her she swings between only being fed to sleep or when she’s poorly like yesterday she fed on demand all day and it was fine.

She had formula in a sippy cup at nursery until she turned a year old (never had it before then) and now she just has normal milk and she’s adjusted really well. I did the same with dd1 except I expressed at work that time but she’d never drink it and I ended up throwing it away which is why I haven’t bothered this time round.

Thank you @kraggle really helpful. Sounds v.similar to us. Some days monster feeds more or less so am glad to hear my supply will adjust fine to this. Or should do. I've never been able to express much and wouldn't really have the time to do so. Thanks for the help xx

I EBF for nearly 7months, I transitioned to second stage formula when I started weaning her - She had never taken milk from a bottle before so thought it was going to be really difficult, but It took five days, one feed change at a time, starting with the first bottle, then breast fed, then two...three etc.

She was really very good. - the hardest thing was the breast pain!! Someone recommended antihistamines and cold savoy cabbage leaves - and expressing only when engorged...it took two weeks for them to settle but worked.

Good luck OP

I wouldn't bother with formula for the sake of a month. (in fact I didn't, stopped bf at 10 months and went straight onto a mixture of goats milk/cows milk. I only used goats milk because I wondered about some cmpa but it was ever diagnosed and just a hunch from me).

My ds never took a bottle either, so we went onto a semi bottle/cup for any milk and drinks from a normal cup.

Like this for milk bottle/cup

Thank you so much everyone this has been really helpful!

She’s really good at drink water so she drinks out of 360 cups and soppy cups so that won’t be a problem. ☺️

She feeds normally at 11am then 3pm then 6pm then bed. So I’ll try her 11am expressed to get her used to it.

It’s just the night time that’s going to be a struggle I think.

Honestly thank you so much for all your advise

I think I am going to go straight to cows milk aswell. It will be confusing enough without me switching what’s in the bottle haha

(is it safe to go straight to cows milk as a main milk feed before 12 months?? I always thought that was a no!?)

It doesn't provide the right nutrients as a main drink, no

I'd put 100ml cows milk on her cereal/porridge for breakfast, 100ml in a beaker for morning and afternoon snack times, and then maybe offer a warm cup of milk before bed too.

Start dropping one feed per week or so now. This will give your boobs time to adjust so you don't get engorged, or develop mastitis. Try cutting out the day time ones first. Although it might be tempting to cut the night time ones first, it'll be easier to distract her in the day time and you could still feed her at night while you're at work. Instead of cows milk, look at follow on milk in a beaker. I know it's only a month, but the guidelines are there for a reason and she probably won't really notice the difference. You can put cows milk in food now, so I'd be doing that more and upping the amount of cheese and yogurts she's eating as well.