When, how, why stop breastfeeding?

[NewAmma]

When, why and how did you stop breastfeeding?

I want to but my 17 month old refuses milk in every other way since he was 11 months old (was on mixed feeds since birth)?

When: 18 months
why: I intended to feed until about age 2 unless she self weaned earlier. However I was pregnant and had hyperemesis so breastfeeding felt extra exhausting/ difficult being touched. At this point she was sleeping through the night anyway and was having 1 feed before bed and occasionally 1 feed in the day. She was taking cows milk 1 day a week when I was at work.
how: I just told her “tomorrow milk in bottle- no more from mama”
when she asked the next day I just repeated milk in bottle and gave her a bottle.

ill be honest it was a really smooth process for us and I suspect we were just lucky. I don’t think it had anything to do with how I did it but more a testament to my daughter’s nature. Some children handle transitions better and I think you will know what is the best way to wean off.

a few caveats:
my daughter did not depend on feeding for sleep. She was generally awake during a feed and would settle to sleep independently.
i know recommendation is no bottles at 12 months but I decided as she was only having 1/2 bottles a week and then once off bf 1/2 a day I was happy to continue with bottles. I stopped bottles at 21 months.

good luck! A few things to consider is would he prefer milk in a cup?
does he need milk- he can have other sources of calcium.
does he have any associations for feeding eg feeding to sleep?
or feeding after a certain activity/ time?

also your reason for weaning can play a part in what strategy you take. I know some people go for a slower process if they are still comfortable feeding.

First child

When: 2yrs 3months
Why: Milk dried up due to being almost 7 months pregnant.
How: I was feeding him one Sunday morning and after latching on he came off and said the milk is fifi (finished) so we went from there. Shen he came to feed later I reminded him that the milk was finished and he had dairy free drink due to being allergic to dairy.

Second child: 2 years 4 months. No reason, the opportunity presented itself. Had his last feed in Christmas Eve and got presents on Christmas Day and forgot to feed. When he came to feed later in the day I told him Santa took the milk and left Henry Hoover. Some tears but not much. No allergies here.

Third child 2 years 2 days. I was tired and the opportunity presented itself again as she fell and hurt her lip so unable to latch and I used it to wean. This child wasn't easily distracted from the breast unlike the other two. No allergies here so it was an easy decision to go with.

You will feel quite liberated for a few days and then maybe a bit low, make sure to look after yourself and acknowledge how you feel. The first time I knew I was going to be back breastfeeding in weeks but the second time hit me hard. I made sure I was ready when it came the third time. Best of luck and hope this stage is easy on the both of you.

Stopped at 3y4m for dc1. Still bfing dc2.at 2y1m, hoping to continue to 3y4m just to be equal!

With dc1, by the end I was just feeding in the morning and night and she was eating solids normally. There wasn't any drama about it, she had good verbal communication by then and I explained that she wouldn't have any more milk, and she was fine with that.

The reason we stopped was simply because it felt the right time, I didn't feel that she needed it any more. I think the fact that she didn't struggle with it ending was because she was ready and I took my cue from that.

13 months. He realised he liked a cows milk bottle and i wasn't keen on pumping when i returned to work

I weaned DD1 at a year, she was only feeding morning and before bed, so DH started getting her up in the morning and putting her to bed while my milk dried up, she was fine with DH putting her to bed and would go to sleep just fine, once my milk had dried up she latched a few times, then never asked again. I do feel incredibly guilty, as she was my first and I felt pressured to have her weaned by a year and in reality she was just a dinky baby and I could have continued to feed her for longer.

DD2 is 2 and still feeds before bed, but like her sister, if I am not home she goes down absolutely fine without. I am pregnant, and currently deciding if I want to wean her before the new baby comes along. I don’t know whether it is best that she was weaned or not when she will see her new sibling being breastfed all the time.

With my first I stopped at 3 years, 3 months. He would have carried on but we were going on holiday, I was pregnant again and wanted a break in between. With my second, I'm waiting until she's ready (within reason) but so far, 2 and a half years.

My son weaned himself off at 11 months. I was already back at work by then, so was used to having (expressed) milk in a bottle with the childminder. Went to feed him before bed one night and he'd already fallen asleep so didn't bother to wake him.

He was so interested/obsessed with food by that time anyway that any feed was probably less than 10 minutes in the end.

Stopped on his 2nd birthday. That was just the limit I'd put on it myself but he would have carried on.

We read the Booby Moon book everynight for a couple of weeks and talked about it a lot beforehand to prepare him. Then he had his last feed before bed on his second birthday. The next morning I put plasters over my nipples so he could see they were off limits now. He kept wanting to have a look but didn't ask to feed again.

10 months
I was admitted to a psychiatric unit with treatment resistant severe depression and psychosis with poor physical health having lost 16% body weight due to breastfeeding on a very restricted diet due my baby having a lot of food allergies and collapsed the day before stopping with a BP of 80/40 and low blood sugars. I had run out of medication that I could keep breastfeeding on
How cold turkey. Baby was sent home to dad for 3 days as she had a bottle aversion and wouldn't accept a bottle from me or any staff members. She didn't accept it off dad either and went 26h without a drink. She went to nursery and they got her to have 2 5oz bottles and we haven't looked back. She then stayed on the formula until 2

About 13.5 months, baby's choice. She was eating solids really well and drinking water and cows milk from an open cup. BF on demand but she usually fed morning, afternoon and bedtime/in the night by 1 year, we were out for her 1st birthday and she refused the afternoon feed, she latched for a second then came off, this continued so sometimes she would bf in the afternoon other times she'd want a cup of cows milk instead. Then she stopped feeding in the morning so was just feeding one side briefly at bedtime and then usually sleeping through, then one night she was just biting a lot and pushing me away, the second night the same didn't want to feed would rather suck her thumb! So I offered a cup of cows milk at bedtime and that was it

Mine fed to sleep until she was about three and then she still nursed to get back to sleep if she came into my bed in the middle of the night - which she pretty much always did. I stopped her on her 5th birthday. I'd warned her that when she was 5 we were stopping and I stuck to it. I'd said that at 3 but gave in when she asked but at 5 I had had enough! For the next year or so she'd sometimes talk about it wistfully but hasn't mentioned it recently (now nearly 7).

To be honest I'm not sure if she was even getting any! I had problems feeding her as a baby and had to give formula top ups and was warned she'd soon prefer the bottle to the breast but that never happened and she always loved to nurse whether she was getting milk or not!

13 months. He’d taken to jumping down from my knee mid-feed and running off with his (many) teeth clamped firmly to my nipple.

Eldest was about 6 months and I desperately needed antibiotics which weren’t compatible with bf

Youngest, I’d exclusively expressed for a year (he couldn’t latch), and was going on holiday and didn’t want the faff of sterilising the pump whilst away (I’d stopped sterilising bottles at about 6 months but was always careful with the pump because of the small bits and pieces. He didn’t bat an eyelid, but he was used to bottles so just went onto cows milk

Ah both times were really sad for me.

My first one was almost 2. He was nursing to sleep when he slipped and nipped me. I was in the first trimester with #2 and everything was really sensitive so I yelped. He woke up, bawled and never nursed again. We were kinda edging that way anyway, but I feel bad that his last nurse ended in tears.

Then my 2nd was 11.5 months. I had a close family bereavement and had to go abroad for a week to sort some stuff out. I tried to feed her when I got back but there was basically nothing there for her and she was getting so frustrated and it hurt. I didn't have the energy to try and get my supply back up, I was in the thick of grief. Would have loved to have carried on till she was 2 as well, but didn't have the energy to push it.

So, neither time particularly filled with happy memories. But I enjoyed it whilst it was happening.

Eight months, when I went back to work.

he didnt miss it and moved straight to a sippy cup, bypassing bottles altogether

DC1 - 12 months, because I wanted to start TTC again and didn't like the idea of being pregnant and breastfeeding
DC2 - weaned herself off at 11 months
DC3 - 7 months, in an attempt to make him sleep better (it didn't work!)

@NewAmma my DC1 was also a cows milk refuser - it's ok as long as they're having lots of cheese, yoghurt, milk on cereal etc.

When 2.5 years
Why - I was well and truly touched out and the thought was making me itch
How - cold turkey, he was fine thankfully and easily distracted.

We night weaned around one and he did have a bottle of cows milk before bed until 2.5.

I'm expressing this time round I couldn't face it again and finding it much easier.

I'm currently still breastfeeding my DD (3 years and 4 months), and her baby brother (10 months). Don't intend on stopping until they want to. My DD doesn't feed out of the house and hasn't since around 18 months, and she was night weaned at a year old. I will likely do the same with DS

When: 2yrs 1 week

Why: I had been hospitalised with pneumonia and been given medicine that could have rucked up his teeth

How: we did a lot of mummy has taken medicine that will make your tummy poorly.

He was old enough and I had had enough. It gave me the reason to stop.

Currently debating how long I feed his sister for who is 9M 🙃

DC1
When: 14 months

Why: I was back working, he was happily having cows milk from a bottle and breastfeeding was only really for habit

How: I went abroad for a week with work and just went cold turkey. I avoided having boobs out in front of him when I got back and he was totally fine.

DC2 is a different story. Looks like she might have CMPA and I’m selfishly wanting to eat normally again so might stop earlier. She’s 8 months.

5 months. My milk went away when I got my period.
I was planning on only bottlefeeding from 6 months and stop breastmilk at 12 months.

First child 3.5 years, no reason it just got less frequent and then stopped. She has never wanted cows' milkbut will have it in food and eats dairy products.

Second child 2.5 years, I was fed up of feeding, was going away for a week without her soon and thought 2.5 years was good enough. I stopped doing bedtimes and went out for a few evenings and she settled with my husband without milk. She will drink cows' milk from a cup.