Need to stop breastfeeding

[WHW123]

Hi

Due to health and medication reasons I need to stop breastfeeding. I won't go into details, and although it maybe seen by some as selfish. Unfortunately my current condition is causing problems for me physically and mentally. I feel heart broken that I need to stop too.

My DS is nearly 12 weeks old, I've started introducing formula top ups and he is happy to take a bottle. The problem is he won't take a dummy and I was nursing him to sleep/comfort. He literally just screams until he's given the boob to snooze or comfort. I've tried what feels like 5 million types of dummies/soothers and he just looks at me and spits them out.

I need to start my medication soon really, but want to try transition him smoothly.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you x

Is the father there with you? Your baby knows you have what he wants (your breasts), so it might be better to have his dad rock him to sleep whilst you are in another room. He might even take a dummy then.

I don't have much practical advice as I switched a lot younger but I wanted to say you've done amazingly to get to 12 weeks. Breastfeeding is hard never mind the fact that you have a currently untreated medical condition.

My advice would be to contact the special pharmacist at the breastfeeding network and just make absolutely sure you can not breast feed with the medication. Very often hospital doctors and GPs err on the side of caution because they don't really know and tell women they can't breastfeed with a medication when they can.
This link will give you contact number and email for them

www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/detailed-information/drugs-in-breastmilk/

I'm so sorry you're in this situation. I know it must be so hard.

Have you tried holding him facing outwards (still cradled and lying, but facing the other way) to rock him when he needs soothing?

You could also try to teach him to suck his thumb/finger for comfort, although this will be something you then need to wean him off later on, but for now I think its worth a try. I encouraged DD to suck her thumb for comfort which she did for a few months before stopping of her own accord for some reason.

If there's a chair or particular place you've been sitting to breastfeed or cushion you've been using, I would avoid that for a while to try to remove any expectation.

You could also try shuggying him gently in the pram to drop off to sleep. DD had all her naps like this as a baby.

Have you been in touch with Wendy Jones, the breastfeeding pharmacist? She's an amazing woman who has saved many a breastfeeding relationship by working with mothers and medical practitioners to find compatible medication. So many women are advised to stop by doctors who just don't put in the research.

Wendy is also a breastfeeding councillor. When a friend of mine had to stop breastfeeding to undergo chemotherapy, Wendy helped her to find alternative ways to comfort her baby and helped her manage her milk production so that she could stop gently avoiding mastitis.

Is dad or anyone else around / can anyone be around.

You need someone else to settle him to sleep for a week or so. With you, he will smell the milk and he wants that. If you're not there he will know it's not an option

Well done on 12 weeks breastfeeding and on making a positive decision for your physical and mental health.

This is a great opportunity to break the suck to sleep cycle, when he can nod off without it he will be able to link cycles and sleep better overall.

I agree this would be much easier if he can be comforted to sleep by someone who doesn't smell of milk if that's an option.

Best of luck X

Thanks everyone for your support. I've emailed Wendy to check, but I am pretty sure it'll be a no go. it'll take me some time to wean him off the boob I think, so will delay medication a little while longer, whilst I do this, unless Wendy has a solution.
It's horrible I feel bad that he's crying for comfort and I am stopping him. Wondering if / when I do properly stop and the milk goes whether that instinct will naturally stop more with him.
Will try everything suggested!