Breastfeeding - pressure to stop, can’t decide.

[Flibbyjibby]

DS has just turned 5 months old. He is my second (and last) child and up until the last few weeks has been EBF.

I decided a few weeks ago to try and introduce the bottle for one feed a day, as I wanted to make sure he will be happy to take the bottle if I want to go out for an evening and for when I start doing KIT days at work. It was a struggle to get him to take a bottle but after 3/4 weeks of perseverance he now takes it with both breast milk or formula.

I have found breastfeeding much easier with DS than with DD (who was fully formula fed from 4 months), but now I have started giving him a bottle a day, I am getting pressure from husband/mum to switch him fully to formula.

I understand and agree with their reasons. They want to give me a break, let me leave him with them for longer than a couple of hours. He is cutting his first tooth and will soon be starting solids. It will get him into a better routine (he still very much feeds on demand).

But I just can’t help but feel sad. He’s my last baby. Breastfeeding is mostly working for us (except the waking every 2 hours at night), and I will never have the chance to do it again. It’s also really helped me to lose weight on the WW breastfeeding programme, with just over 2st down and 1 1/2 to go.

But I am so tired. I have a 2yo to run around after all day but spend a lot of time glued to sofa with a feeding baby. I’ve had to turn down a couple of chances to go into work for a day because I have to BF, but I would rather do that day in work! I can’t leave the kids with mum for a day and get the day to myself. I know this is the same story for any BFing mum.

It’s such a personal decision to make. I guess my question is: at the end of the day, will it matter if I switch to formula? Is it something I’m really going to regret for the rest of my life or will I just forget about it!

Yup. If the aim was to give OP a break they could entertain the toddler or do some of the two-hourly night wakings, not take away her probably one chance to sit down.

Just mix BF with FF for as long as you want to carry on breastfeeding. I went from exclusive to mixed just before 6 months and then carried on for another 6 months. My supply just adjusted to whenever DD2 wanted milk. It was the best of both worlds.

I genuinely don't understand why they think it will help to stop breastfeeding.

You now know that your baby will take a bottle. That's great because it means that you can leave him when you need to. If he needs more than one bottle a day while you're away, that's fine too.

I went back to work to work when my oldest was 5 months old but didn't see that as a reason to give up breastfeeding. I had a long commute and was away from her for 10 hours so she obviously needed quite a bit of milk during the day, even though she was on solids (we used to introduce solids earlier in those days). I built up supplies of pumped breast milk, froze it, and gave to her childminder.

I carried on breastfeeding her until she was 18 months.

Are you the mum or are they the mum?
You decide what's best for you and your baby. You are in control

Get yourself a decent breast pump and tell work you need time to express then you can easily do your KIT days at work. Baby takes the bottle so they'll be fine. You'll probably need to pump as often as baby would be feeding. Work needn't be a reason to stop BF. In the USA many women have 6 weeks or less mat leave yet manage to combine nursing and pumping or exclusively pump.
I think @Eastereggsboxedupready has it spot on!

6 months is quite young to stop if it is working for you. If it wasn't working or you wanted to give up, that would be different.

Your baby will soon be able to have water and solids so will be less reliant on you anyway. And in a few months, will be able to go without milk feeds for a few hours so long as they have something. So there's no real need for you to stop to get a break if you feel able to carry on for a couple of months longer.

You will regret it if you stop before you need to. Your body is making the perfect nutrition for your baby at the moment.

No no! It's so precious. It's only another few months and if you stop you may regret it and have a massive hormone dip. Nothing better than a snuggly baby nursing (said as a sad mum who had to give up sooner as he wasn't interested)

Do it until you know you’re ready to not. It’s your choice, not theirs