Stopping breastfeeding

[melissa1215]

Hi,

My baby was hospitalised for rapid weight loss due to him struggling to feed from my breast (believe it or not I had no idea he wasn't getting enough milk)

After a week of pumping every 2 hours for top up feeds and feeding every 3 hours I'm at breaking point.

I've posted many times about this in the past few days so sorry if I sound like a broken record

I can't keep going, I supplemented his feeds with one bottle of formula at night time but I'm so exhausted and mentally and physically drained. It's effecting me so much that I just can't do it. I'm not myself and I need to stop

Do I just stop offering the breast and give formula or do I do a slow transition? My baby has no problem taking a bottle.

Also, will this make him sick or does anyone have any advice?

I've contacted my Hv she is on long term sick leave and another Hv will be getting in touch by Friday but I can't keep going that long

Hi. Sorry to hear you are struggling. It is very hard at the beginning. My milk took about 7 days to come in due to a c section. I expressed every 2 hours for a week. It was hell.

If you definitely want to stop, and baby is taking a bottle then I would stop offering boob. You might need to express a tiny amount, a few times a day, but don't empty them or your body will just keep replacing that milk.

By only expressing a very small Amount a few times a day, your milk will soon dry up. But its important to still express other wise you will end up with mastitis.

1. When was he in hospital?
2. What was the plan when they discharged you? (Was it feed every 2 hours and top him up with expressed milk for example)
3. What was the follow up plan?
4. Do you have a local BF group you could attend? If so, definitely go and get some advice.

If you and you want to continue BF

1. stop expressing so often its not doing your mental health any good. Cut it down to once a day in the morning, and give him that milk later in the day if he doesn’t settle at one of his feeds.
2. BF when he’s showing signs that he’s hungry, and don’t let him go any longer than 3 hours until you can get his weight re checked.
3. When he BF try and keep him on one breast until he seems satisfied before offering the other breast so that he gets the fattier milk. The first part of the feed is a watery drink, so if you swap sides too soon he’s just getting drinks and not the fattier milk.
4. If he falls asleep without a good feed try waking him by tickling his feet, gently blowing on his face or do a nappy change, and also wind him before swapping sides. Then on the next feed start in the side you finished on.
5. If when he latches on and it hurts you after 60 seconds, re position him.
6. Remember CHIN - baby needs to be close to you, his head needs to be free so he can move it when he’s finished feeding, his body needs to be inline with his head and his nose needs to be inline with your nipple.

If you want to stop BF and introduce more formula. Do as you’ve been doing and start with one formula feed and gradually decrease BF until he has more formula feeds. If your breasts become engorged when you give the bottle, express only a small amount to ease the discomfort. Also use a warm flannel or warm shower to help with any discomfort but whatever you do if don’t fully express as your body will continue to produce milk as it works on a feedback loop. If they’re empty they produce milk, if they don’t they don’t produce milk and eventually stop producing it.

@Blahblahblahnanana he was discharged on Sunday Following a week stay. The plan was pump every 2 hours and feed every 3. He needed top up of extra expressed breast milk which the amount they decided i have to express equates to 24oz a day.

Health visitor was due on Friday and a GP appt was arranged for Tuesday next week. My breastfeeding group is the same time as my health visitor is coming out.

I can't continue, my baby can't take enough fro me and literally almost starved from not being able to drink from me. I worked all week in hospital with a breastfeeding suppprt worker who monitored feeds and concluded that there is no issue with the latch but baby definetly responded better to a bottle, we tried various ways to get baby to drink more but it didn't work and when he took the expressed milk out of a bottle he gained 3 ounces in two days

.

1. use a breastmilk collector during feeds. I had a similar plan and found using one produced half my pumping output for the day so I could pump less.

1. Have you tried massaging your breasts before pumping /feeds and doing breast compressions during both? Compressions during pumping can often double your output.

1. Buy a double pump- faster and more efficient. Can often get a full feed in 15-20mins

Hey - just stop. Stop. Your baby takes the bottle, you are exhausted. Stop.

Reduce expressing down less and less each day, and gradually wean him off the boob.

Remember - fed is best, and a mum who isn’t absolutely exhausted is best. I had to stop soon after my section as, even after a blood transfusion, my body just needed to recover.

Good luck, go easy on yourself xx

If you want to continue breastfeeding but not pumping have you thought about combi feeding? If you want to switch to formula do. Your mental health is way more important than trying to continue breastfeeding. Happy mum, happy baby. If you can't get any help until Friday try calling the breastfeeding support line or LaLeche as they should be able to offer some practical advise whether deciding to continue or stop. The last thing you want if you stop is a blocked duct.

@melissa1215 stop expressing if it’s getting too much, and top him up with formula. If you want to stop BF do it gradually.

Watch for his cues that he’s hungry but don’t let him go over 3 hours until you can get him weighed.

How long does he breastfeed for?
Do you try the advice I gave to wake him if he falls asleep?
How soon do you swap breasts?

I switched from breastfeeding to bottle at 8 weeks and found it difficult to find advice on how to stop, but luckily I had quite a few friends that had been in the same situation.

I introduced another bottle every 3 days to reduce my supply gradually (I had a few problems with blocked milk ducts and didn't want to get mastitis from stopping suddenly). We did the evening bottle first, then the lunchtime bottle then morning, then mid afternoon then overnight. DS seemed absolutely fine with the switch the formula.

Another friend just went cold turkey - switched straight to bottles. She said that she had sore boobs for a week but no other problems.

It took me a long time to come to terms with it, but honestly the claims they make about breastfeeding aren't actually backed up by studies so fed is most definitely best. You need to look after yourself so that you can look after your baby. I'm so happy that I made the decision in the end, I hung on for a lot longer than I should have done.