When and how did you stop breastfeeding

[babyandadog]

And why?

Slowly after DC turned 1. I dropped down to 1 evening and morning feed. Then just an evening feed, then nothing. I had always intended to BF until he was 1 as I'm aware of the benefits but didn't want to get to the age where he'd be tugging at my top for milk and I wanted my boobs back.

Why do you ask?

My DS is 9 months old and I’m about to start weaning him off the boob - I think!! I go through moments of thinking “yep, it’s time” but then I get pangs of sadness as he’s my last baby. I BF my daughter til 9 months and remember feeling sad at first, but then super relived when she started sleeping through the night and feeding herself her bottle. Everything just got so much easier!
I’ve just started combi feeding for his bedtime bottle and daytime one (as I quite like not having to wrestle him onto the boob when I’m out now).

Stopped DS1 when he was 23 months as I was due to give birth to DS2 and really didn't want to tandem feed. By then he wasn't feeding as often anyway and tbh I just went cold turkey. He took it very well considering he was a boob fiend. We had a little book and I spoke to him about it also.

DD1 2 weeks as had a lot of problems so ended up bottle feeding. DD2 20 months! I left the country(not joking) had to go cold turkey. Ds 16 months kind of gradually weaned himself. Dd3 16 months and counting 😂

Went away for a weekend to go to a wedding. Breastfed DD the morning I left, offered when I returned but she was completely uninterested. She had turned 1 a week previously. Tbf it was only morning feeds and occasional evening feeds I think - she had weaned herself, I didn’t plan it! Was weird realising that my last breastfeed I hadn’t even known it was to be that! I was glad though, it was perfectly timed as I had returned to work a month previous and pumping was a bit tedious!

@BrutusMcDogface

Why do you ask?

Because he's 4 months and I'm looking forward to it... I know that's probably bad

It's not bad at all. You have given him an excellent start and if you arent enjoying it or finding it tough that's ok and your under no obligation at all. Remember fed is best ❤️

6 weeks.

We started on breast, struggled with latch so switched to pumping & formula mix at a few days old.

Then he was struggling with trapped wind so we switched to breast only (with help of nipple shields for latch) at 3/4 weeks.

Then switched to fully formula feeding at about 6-8 weeks (can't remember exactly) because he was crying loads and it seemed he wasn't getting enough food breastfeeding only. We started mixing in formula and it gradually was 100% formula.

It was great because I could eat my dinner without having baby attached to me, OH could share the burden & baby wouldn't just nibble all night long. He'd eat and then sleep a few hours which was a godsend by this point.

26 months and we just reduced and I was able to communicate that milk was nearly all finished

Ds1 was around 18 months and he just lost interest and did it himself.

Ds2 didn't want to give up so I went cold turkey around his 2nd birthday, then a week later he got chicken pox really badly, all down his throat and wouldn't drink anything so I started feeding him again and eventually weaned him at 2 and a half.

Ds2 was by far the better eater and sleeper, the only reason was that I was done to be honest.

Don't feel bad at all. It felt great when I stopped. Infact it felt great when I dropped to a morning and evening feeds and didn't have to think a out wearing boob-accessible clothes.

It also gets easier at months when they start weaning and you can gradually milk feed less.

Dd was nearly 2. Was very gentle/easy. Feeds had dropped down to a bedtime feed that lasted maybe 5 minutes and wasn't even every night. Then she got a cold and couldn't latch on as her nose was blocked so that was a week of no feeds. After she was better she didn't ever ask for it again and I didn't offer.

DS 2.5 years old.
Quit cold turkey the day I got a positive pregnancy test - now 13 weeks.
X

Dd1 was 22 months
Dd2 was 23 months

Stoped night feeds first. Then dropped a feed every few days until we were done.

Just stopped at 3. Followed advice from fellow mumsnetters. Luckily my DD was very obliging and it's all gone very smoothly. Did first DD at one - seemed like an age with the time but nothing compared to 3!

Both mine stopped when they’d weaned to the point of only having a bedtime feed and then a trip away disrupted our normal routine and we realised we gone a couple of days without one and it just seemed like the right time to stop.

Big difference in ages though - about 14 months for DS1, 2 1/2 for DS2!

I also left the country for a week. He was 3 1/2 years. It was a handy way to bin it off. I'd totally had enough by then

DD turned 1 last week and she pretty much feeds at night and in the mornings now though I'd love to stop completely. We moved house today so she was with the in-laws from 8:30-4 and managed just fine so I know she's capable, I'm currently following 'don't offer, don't refuse' and it seems to be going well.

DS stopped at age 2. I just stopped offering, I don't think there was much milk by then anyway and he never asked for it.

DD was 3, she was still having 2 good glugging feeds a day at that point but I'd absolutely had enough so just told her there was no more, that she'd drunk it all! She was ok with it and I'm glad I stopped when I did, I think any older and she may have made more of a fuss.

2 years. I stopped as that’s how long I’d aimed to feed for. Leading up to this to was gradually reducing the amount of breast milk. Also developed a bad habit of feeding to sleep which made things a lot more difficult.

Started dropping down when she was six months. Started night weaning at seven months. By eight months I was only doing one morning feed and a dream feed, decided to stop and see if she was bothered, and she wasn't, so that's when we stopped.

If it's not working for you, it's alright to stop at any time and swap to formula

13 months. My periods hadn’t come back and wanted to ttc baby 2 and also just feel like I had my body back. DS accepted it no problem. I’ll do the same with baby 2 most likely. Could not be bothered with sterilising and bottles etc.

Around 9 months with all of mine. Wanted to do it gradually before starting nursery/heading back to work. Weaned by 10/11 months. Mixed feelings of sadness and delight at getting my body back. Hello coffee! Plus I cannot lose weight whilst breastfeeding, just doesn't happen. The minute I stop it falls off rapidly, no diet changes. So weird.