Stopping breastfeeding--how??

[Koogers]

I've started weaning my dd and so far it seems to be going ok. Up until now, I've breastfed her and I have absolutely no idea how to reduce these feeds? Will she just become less interested in milk once solids have become more established? And once I've dropped the feeds, I have no idea how much formula to give her between meals! Am a little anxious to understand how it all works-would love any advice! Thanks x

there's no reason to stop. why buy formula when you can breastfeed for free?
she will cut down naturally herself

Hi. I still breast feed but am looking to stop at a year. She is 11 months. My milk started to reduce as she wasn't waking in the night. I then stopped feeding during the day so just feeding first thing and before bed which I'm still doing. I will then just go down to morning feed in a couple of weeks. My body has adjusted really well at each stage.

How old is she? Until she's over a year, your BM forms a gread supplement to the gradually increasing amount of solids your DD will be taking in. If you continue into the second year as a supplement, there are still immunilogical benefits to giving your daughter BM.

If you are dead set on weaning, drop feeds gradually, one every week or so. Offer feeds after meals and use savoy cabbage leaves (see www.kellymom.com) if you suffer any discomfort.

But before you decide definitively to wean her off the breast, have a think about why you're doing it. If it's because "it's what everyone else does", that ain't necessarily so.

If your DD is still under a year, she cannot have cow's milk until over 12mths, and might not take to formula (which has a very different flavour). If she's over a year, make sure she is getting a good variety of foods and is happy to take fluids from a cup before you get her off the breast. If you can and want to continue feeding her yourself, don't feel you have to justify your actions to anyone who queries it. If you just want a bit more freedom, then there is no reason why you can't try dropping daytime feeds but nurse last thing before bedtime and/or first thing in the morning.

Good luck, whatever you decide.

Its just that I go back to work in January so thought I would need to make sure she could drink formula by then. I know it's a few months away but time seems to be going so fast and don't want to be caught unprepared!

Sorry lagrandissima, didn't see your post until i reposted. I do want to continue breastfeeding, I enjoy it and haven't felt pressure from anyone either way-it's literally just that I'll be back in the office. I'll try and do as supergreenuk auggested by feeding first thing in the morning and the last feed at night, if that works that would be great.

How old will your DD be in January? If around a year, then you would be able to leave her for a short working day with solid food and beakers/cups of water. I wouldn't bother about introducing formula at all. Often BF babies reject it as it has a relatively bitter taste (compared to sweeter BM).

You'll be amazed how the most breast-obsessed babies will take solids and water from their carers during the day. You could have a BF when you pick her up, then one at bedtime and one in the morning and she'd get her supplements from that.

You might find that she wakes at night again once you start work - this is normal and usually lasts a few months. Sometimes BF babies try to catch up with their moms at night (feed and comfort-wise).

You could also try expressing and leaving a bottle of that with your carer. Even if you only managed to squeeze out a few drops when you started BFing, you might be surprised how much you can pump out during an episode of Eastenders now your supply is more established.

Please don't worry about how it will go. I spent most of my first 6mths with my first child worrying about what would happen when I started back at work. He ate some solids and took some water from his nan, then I turned up after work, Dolly-Parton style breasts a-leaking and he gorged himself. We continued like that for another 6mths, until I got sick [sad face]. But happily I fed the 2nd for 2 years, so don't feel too bad about it! Seriously, it all works out. Don't stress now, just enjoy the next couple of months of maternity leave and being with your LO.

Hi, I've just been reading all about weaning over on kellymom.com there are some great articles about it there which are worth a read.

With DS1, I expressed regularly in the early days and he happily took a bottle. When he turned seven months, I started introducing formula in preparation for going to work at about 9 months. A week before going back to work, he gave up the breast altogether. At a year, we switched to cows milk.

With DS2, he didn't take to bottles very well and having done quite a lot more reading about BF by this point, I knew that I didn't need to switch to formula. I went back to work when DS2 was 9 months and did no 'preparation' at all...just handed him over and hoped. Fortunately, he happily takes water at nursery but feeds from the breast when he's with me. My boobs seem to deliver whenever he wants it, which is amazing. At first he fed more through the night but we co-sleep so that's easy enough.

At the weekends he BF's during the day too, but not during the week.

Having said all of this, all babies are different but I'd say that if you read something and it feels wrong, don't do it - you'll know best what suits both you and baby.

Sorry for mega-waffle and good luck!

Koogers, we did the same thing - aimed to get DS1 on to formula during the day in time for me to go back to work, and just BF first thing in the morning and last thing before bed.

I went back to work when he was 9 months, so we were doing this around 7 or 8 months.

I was advised (can't remember by whom, HV probably) that I shouldn't introduce bottles at this stage, but just give him formula in a spouty cup.

He would have none of it! Not sure whether it was the cup (although he was good at drinking water from it) or the taste, but we tried every brand and he refused them all. So we just gave up and offered him water instead, and all was fine.

We did find that as DS1 took more solid food he became less interested in milk, and my approach to dropping feeds was not to offer, but if he demanded it then I wouldn't refuse. In practice I don't think he ever bothered to ask.

We're just about to go through it all again with DS2, and I expect it will all be different!

Koogers you probably don't have to give up Bf when you go back to work. I know it's not necessarily the same for everyone, but I went back to work when DS was about 13 months, and fed him when I was at home, in the mornings and evenings, and bedtime. I didn't express at work, and it was fine, my supply didn't dry up.

How old is she? The saying "food for fun before one" is a good one I think. We offered DS food 3 times a day, but I still fed on demand outside of meal times, and this worked well for us.

Likes others have said, www.kellymom.com is great.

I am doing the same thing in a way. I now bf DD morning and evening and in the day she has two bottles. I want to make sure she has at least 600mls of milk.

Once on solids she dropped her mid morning feed by herself..I tried to feed her but she just wasn't having it(now I offer her a snack and a drink of water) I then offered her a bottle at lunch instead of bf for two or three weeks(it took her a month previous to this to not refuse the bottle though). I then went on to offer her a bottle for her afternoon feed. The instructions say to give 6 ounzes but I fill the bottle up to about 8 ounzes and she will take what she wants...sometimes 8, sometimes 7, sometimes 3...depends on the how she is feeling.

I have had no engorgement or anything as have done it gradually.

If you can express well you could go down that route. I spent months and months expressing at the beginning,didn't produce much..that was enough for me!

Good luck!!