Help. I'm done with breastfeeding!
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I’m going through exactly the same! Ive been ready to stop for a while now but getting no where! I managed to stop night feeds for a few weeks then she got ill and it started up again! I refuse to feed when we’re not at home now and try to distract her when i can. Definitely going to listen to the podcast posted above! X
@Rachael thank you. There are moments like last night's comment that I want out but the following day I'm fine and get upset at the thought of weaning her off. I will listen to the podcast thank u. Do you co sleep / feed to sleep?
@vicky hi I wanted to get to two years! It started at 6 months then a year then 2 years was my goal! So I've been working myself up to it but haven't physically tried the nights. It's too hard. The day time ones I can refuse like yourself with distraction. But bed time, night wake ups and early mornings are still there. Are you co sleeping ? I think I'm really going to struggle as she needs assistance to sleep and BF is the quickest way! We rock also.
Night times are hard, consistency is so important and you have to be really able to hold the boundary which at night when you're tired is really hard. Hey Sleepy Baby recently nightweaned her 2 year old, she has a highlight on her Instagram. Yes I bedshare and feed to sleep and a few times overnight. It doesn’t bother me at the moment, maybe because he settles pretty quickly. I just know I'm not ready to hold a boundary over it yet....I very much go down path of least resistance! But I'm sure things will feel different at some point.
The way I weaned my boy off was cold turkey and then a feed in the morning, when he woke up wanting boob I gave him a sippy cup of water instead. It was really hard the first few nights as he didn't want it but eventually he realised he didn't want milk but just that sucking motion so having his drink gave him that sucking motion and he would go back to sleep, he doesn't have his bottle anymore... I found Co sleeping made it really hard to wean off of boob so might be worth trying her in her own bed/cot it can be because she is next to you that she's wanting boob because she smells it. My boy is completely off boob now
@J (cant c waves, msg me) yeah i co sleep. She doesn’t feed to sleep at bedtime but if she wakes up in the night she won’t go back to sleep without it and sometimes wants to cluster feed at night which is frustrating because she’ll only do a few seconds the shout ‘boobie’ and push/pull me for the other side.
My son always fed to sleep, but I cut out the night feeds a few months back as the start of my weaning process. He would get upset at first when I wouldn’t feed him on the night, but I’d just say that my boobies were sleeping for the night and there were no feeds until the morning. He accepted that after about 3 or 4 nights, and then he actually stopped waking in the night too, so it’s been amazing for me! I then cut out day time feeds and explained that we would only be feeding before bed time. I’m still doing the one feed before bed, but have been reducing the length, so it’s a very short feed now (as long as it takes me to sing twinkle twinkle). I’m just working up to cutting this one completely now, as I think it will be the hardest. He does still sometimes ask for a feed at random times, but he accepts when I say no and say he can have some water or a cuddle
@Kdec22 hi thank you for your response. I'm finding it really difficult. I am talking to her more and more about it being finished. Or doesn't work and setting boundaries but I don't have it in me to see her so upset.. Ive given in so many times.
@J (cant c waves, msg me) ah, I know it can be really difficult. You’ll find something that works for you though. I did find Emma Pickett’s podcast, Makes Milk, and her instagram account really helpful, so check that out if you can.
@Kira I've done one day I'm feeling engorged what do I do!! Can anyone shed some light! I haven't felt like this since the early days lol
@J (cant c waves, msg me) I never got engorged with mine this late on. But I know some people suggest expressing just a little bit to get that relief, cabbage leaves are supposed to help as well? I don't know the science behind it but you wash them, put them in your bra and change them every 20/30 mins Massaging can help with swelling and pain as well
Check out the podcast 'Makes Milk with Emma Pickett'. There's an episode on weaning a booby monster and also one on setting boundaries. She doesn't advocate for going cold turkey, but things like boundary setting, gradually reducing feeds, using role play etc. I'm not ready to wean yet but found the episodes really useful to think about it when the time comes.