How did you feel after you weaned off breastfeeding?

[BlueMoon33]

My DS is 5 months old and I’m not ready to wean him off breastfeeding yet, but just wondering how people felt after they did - did you have more energy? Did you feel your own health improved after stopping BF?

I never struggled breastfeeding, didn't feel i had no energy or anything.

I felt a little sad but mainly happy to have my body back. I was ready to feel like me again after pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Also bottle feeding is such a faff compared to breastfeeding! 😂

No change in overall energy and health, but I was relieved to be able to widen my wardrobe a bit and not have to only wear clothes with easy boob access! My sex drive also improved (was non existent when I was breastfeeding)

I stopped at 2 years with both my older two and cried a lot. I’d been desperate to stop both times but weaning hormone swings are a real thing!

Physically I lost that ‘chub’ that my body had held onto, didn’t lose much on the scales but lost my double chin and general podgy look if that makes sense. I slept better. Stopping does have benefits but I still felt really sad they wouldn’t be feeding through illness anymore, I wouldn’t have that stopgap of even when they don’t eat they are still getting my milk.

Still feeding number 3 who’s a year old but probably closer to weaning than birth. Part of me is doing cartwheels at the thought of stopping one day and never feeding again!!! WHOO another part of me feels guilty and sad already lol.

Oh and breastfeeding definitely changed my immunity for the better but I felt that that improvement came around 1 year when I was still feeding. I think the research suggests you need to feed beyond a year (maybe to two?) in order to see the immunity benefits but that’s out of my brain fog and might be wrong.

Definitely when I got to the point of feeding my second at over one year I realised I had become a machine, illnesses barely touched the sides. I used to be a right weakling who took to my bed at the slightest sniffle. I’m so much healthier now.

Mosty a bit fatter, as I gained weight after stopping bfing (and with dc3 after I went back to work and dropped back to one feed a day), as I had got in the habit of eating a daily cake . Like a pp I did enjoy having a wider wardrobe though.

If you don't have enough energy when feeding then I'd check your diet - are you eating enough and getting enough vitamins (and ideally continuing with a multivitamin)?
Are you also getting enough sleep and exercise? Easier said than done with a baby, but makes such a difference to your mood and energy levels.

Generally much happier. We took to breastfeeding easily enough but I found it mentally very draining. Even though it’s a faff with bottles I actually enjoy feeding my baby now and find that we have that ‘bonding’ feeling when I’m feeding him which I didn’t get breastfeeding

I found breastfeeding very hard. When I made the decision to stop (at 12 weeks with both) I did my ‘last feed’, had a little cry, and then shook myself off and looked forward to not having toe curling pain, cluster feeding, night sweats, reflux etc which was all the reasons I stopped. It did make me sad and I did feel like I should have tried harder, but it was breaking me.

Thanks for all the responses.

It’s hard to tell if the tiredness is just 5 months of broken sleep or something else.

Think I need to readjust my diet and swap all the cake and chocolate for some extra veggies!

It’s interesting what you say Batteriesallgone about my immunity because a few times I’ve felt on the verge of getting ill but never surfaced like I thought it would.

I would definitely miss the breastfeeding if I was to stop now, the boob feels like the magic cure all sometimes!

I did miss it but lost weight which was nice. Oh and it was nice to feel my body was mine again.