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Parenting

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Original poster

Weaning/stopping breast feeding help please

11 replies

HarrowSmooth · 23/03/2019 16:06

Hi all,

I was hoping to get some advice about stopping breast feeding before I go back to work in Sept. My son has just turned 6 months and my plan is to cut down on bf before I go back briefly to work in July for three KIT days and to then stop completely when I go back in September.

If I introduce solids now will my ds have cut down on milk feeds by July or will solids still be more of a nutritional extra rather than a whole meal?

If I want to stop feeding completely by September, when should I aim to only be down to a night feed and a morning feed? I want to go back to work without my boobs aching!

Hope that all makes sense? There seems to be so much information on starting breastfeeding but less on how to stop!

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Chocolateandcarbs · 23/03/2019 16:16

I was so confused about stopping breastfeeding! Try the National Breastfeeding Helpline, the NCT has breastfeeding councillors in my local area and it might be worth a chat with the Health Visitor. The people I spoke to from the NCT were so supportive.

Chocolateandcarbs · 23/03/2019 16:18

I cut down gradually over about 2mths with child number 2 and quiet suddenly with child 1 (who lost interest when given solids), both ways caused a week or so with my hormones all over the place. Boobs were sore, but ok, hand expressing in the shower relieved pressure.

jomaIone · 23/03/2019 16:40

If you stop breastfeeding before a year you will need to replace the feeds with formula as that's where babies main nutrition comes from until 12 months.

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Original poster

HarrowSmooth · 23/03/2019 17:13

Thanks @chocolateandcarbs that all sounds like great advice, I'll give them all a call and thanks for the hand expressing in the shower tip!

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Original poster

HarrowSmooth · 23/03/2019 17:15

Thanks @jomalone my plan is to stop completely when ds is 1, so will be going on to cows milk then, but the aim is to cut down on breast feeds before then and replace with solids/formulas. I just wasn't sure if I would be able to replace them purely with solids or whether it would be formula and the solids as an add on!

It's all very confusing!

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Rainbowsandsnowdrops · 23/03/2019 17:41

I will have to do the same when I go back to work in May!

I think the best way to do it is to drop one feed at a time and substitute it with formula.

I plan to continue to breastfeed at night but didn’t want to be expressing at work during the day, so I’ll probably start substituting day feeds a few weeks before I go back so it’s gradual and less painful! My daughter does well with solids but still relies on milk a lot at nearly 9 months.

Kariana · 23/03/2019 18:06

You will definitely need to use formula as a top up, solids won't be enough until 1 year so you'll need to replace the breast milk with formula.

Original poster

HarrowSmooth · 23/03/2019 18:42

@rainbowsandsnowdrops I might well end up doing the same rather than cutting it out completely, I think i'll miss that connection if I stop completely, so might still feed at night.

thanks @kariana, that's what I thought but I just wasn't sure!

Thanks all xx

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rubyroot · 24/03/2019 17:00

Hi - your baby will need milk for some time as it takes a while for food to replace milk. I went back to work at 5 months. I expressed at work and then b fed when I got home. Decided to continue this even when I was on holidays and weekends- gave expressed bottles in day and did evening and night time feeds by breast. (Warning my breasts have gone quite flat now- dunno if that’s b feeding or allthe expressing! At seven months I decided to introduce formula as wanted my sleep back and thought it may help to no longer b feed- baby was feeding a lot at night. So I started to mix an ounce of b milk into formula and then half half and so on... my baby was not impressed with taste!

At 8 months he was almost fully on formula. He used to still feed at night (and if out and about or on holiday- for convenience) as I relied on breast to get him to sleep, but I’d give him 6 oz bottle formula first and then he’d feed for thirty mins and then bed. He’d still wake up in the night for feeds.

Then, he started to bite my nipple after his bottle and I took that as a cue to say he didn’t want it.

And that was that- no more b feeding and two weeks later he started sleeping 12 hours through- and still does at 15 months.

InRainbows · 07/04/2019 22:08

Hope your weaning is going well. I'm just starting to wean mine, it's such a daunting prospect!

DelphiMum · 08/04/2019 13:32

It depends how quickly your LO takes to solids. By 8 months I was down to 3 feeds and 2 feeds by 10.5 months (when I went back to work). Dropped the morning feed soon after and fully weaned by 1 year.

However my DS really loved eating so it was easy and he didn’t miss the boob.

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