What was you reasoning to stop breastfeeding/pumping and

how long did you do it for? thanks

Re: What was you reasoning to stop breastfeeding/pumping and

I BF for 1 year. Exclusively up until he was 8 months old and then I had to start supplementing with formula only for bottles for daycare. I'd still use the breastmilk, but had to add the formula. My reasoning was because my son was born 10lb 12oz, so by that time, around 7-8 months, I wasn't producing enough milk so that's why I started supplementing. I starting weaning him at 11 months and by 12 months he was completely on whole milk. He also started lifting my shirt up and stuff when he wanted to eat so that made me a little uncomfortable. I also thought that I would have to stop BF earlier because he had at least 8 teeth by the time he was 8 months old, but he only bit my a couple of times! I also was pumping 2 times a day at work since I worked FT. He was in daycare at 6 weeks old and I went to his school everyday for 11 months to nurse him at lunchtime. I didn't think I'd last until he was a year that's for sure. It was a great bonding experience, and I was sad when it was time to stop.

Re: What was you reasoning to stop breastfeeding/pumping and

At 5 months, I switched to Level 2 nipples, and immediately angela didn't want the breast anymore (the milk came out so easily from those nipples that she got lazy). then i continued to pump for a few weeks - and suddenly I stopped making milk - turns out I was pg - and sadly mc'd. i was told there were ways to get my milk back, but I was so emotionally shot at that time I just gave up. Now I am in month 3 with danielle. I had initially said i would do it for 6 months, but I will go as far as a year - although at some point after 6 months I will probably add formula and just bf her at night and in the morning.

Re: What was you reasoning to stop breastfeeding/pumping and

I breastfeed in the hospital but a PP nurse gave him a bottle and basically ruined him going to my breast so after meetings with two LC and stressing myself and him out I exclusively pumped for about 9 weeks. I had to stop because the EyeWall of Hurricane Dennis was hitting our town and I had to evacuate with my son and it took forever, was stressful and it was just us so I dried up really fast.
I truely hated everything about breastfeeding and it was never a bonding experience for us. I am grateful I did pump though because he got breastmilk and everyone could help and give him bottles so IMO it was the best of both worlds.

Re: What was you reasoning to stop breastfeeding/pumping and

I gave Jake expressed BM and supplemented with formula for the first 6 weeks. I stopped because I don't think I was eating well and was not disciplined enough to control my diet properly for bfing. Things were hectic in the beginning so I ate whatever was available which usually meant fast food. We had an episode where something I ate must not have agreed with him and he projectile vomited. After that, I started to slowly wean. Plus the BM didn't seem to hold him over as well as formula. He seemed more satisfied with formula. I never BF'd, I only pumped.

Re: What was you reasoning to stop breastfeeding/pumping and

DS is 8.5 months and I'm still BFing. I have always supplemented with formula although I use formula less now b/c he is eating less often (use formula in his cereal).

I stopped pumping a few months ago b/c I found it discouraging. I would try to pump in between feedings to keep my supply up and I would only pump an ounce or two at a time . Now I only pump if I miss a feedings.......I am going away from the baby this coming weekend :(:(:( so I will be bringing my pump with me.

I honestly don't know when I will stop. It's very convenient for me. He has four teeth now though and I have a feeling when he start to chomp on me I will have had enough . I figure in the next couple of months I will probably stop (although I've been saying that for months now).

Re: What was you reasoning to stop breastfeeding/pumping and

I BF for 4 months. I didn't pump b/c I tried it and hated it. It felt so weird to pump. I must admit that I felt so much better when I stopped BF. I felt like I had my body back. It felt like it belonged to me again. After the pregnancy and the BF, it was nice to just feel like a sexy woman again and not a cow. I weaned very slowly and she was fine.

Re: What was you reasoning to stop breastfeeding/pumping and

My original plan was to absolutely BF for three months, and maybe go to six months if it was going well.

I'm now at 13.5 months and weaning seems far, far away...

Every time I've considered reducing nursing sessions by force, she has protested in a dramatic fashion. She is quite dependent on nursing for comfort, and I'm quite dependent on nursing for my sanity.

I've watched my friends in my playgroup wean without effort, so I'm hoping that at some point she'll just lose interest in nursing and we'll wean without a struggle.

Re: What was you reasoning to stop breastfeeding/pumping and

I EBF for 1 year which was my goal, which meant I pumped at work twice a day and often twice at home to get enough BM to cover the 8 hours I was at work. At 12 months I introduced cows milk and stopped pumping, which I was VERY happy about!....Now at 17 months old I still BF about 2 times a day, probably as much for comfort as anything else. I was hoping she would wean by 18 months which was my ideal limit on when to stop, so we will see. I have to say it was a GREAT bonding time for us, especially since I returned to work at 3 months, like a special connection we have.

Re: What was you reasoning to stop breastfeeding/pumping and

I EBF for 9 months and pumped 2 times at work during the day and 2 times at home so I made enough milk. I had to supplement just a little from months 9-12 because my supply was in jeapordy. At 12 months he was on whole milk totally and I nurse him now about 1-2 times a day when he wakes up screaming in the middle of the night or if he needs comfort. He is 13 months now and I am thinking the we will be weaning the next couple of months. I can honestly say that it our cherished our BF realtionship.

Message edited 5/15/2006 11:45:51 AM.

Re: What was you reasoning to stop breastfeeding/pumping and

I did it for a month - but my supply was low and having her latched on to me for 2-3 hours at a time (and sometimes more!) and every 1/2 to an hour later was becoming hard for me and for her.

I pumped for a little while longer after that and began supplementing also. She started taking a liking to the bottle and formula and about a month later developed a milk allergy - so we had to switch her formula to Allementum Similac so it was easier for her stomach to digest.

If I was still breastfeeding - I would of had to cut out all milk/ diary products - and this was something that was going to take alot of discipline - something that im not sure I would of been good at......Needless to say - my milk supply was not increasing much and with a growing baby in hand - switching her to formula was the best and most convenient decision for me.

Re: What was you reasoning to stop breastfeeding/pumping and

I stopped at 1 year...only pumped since Molly never latched. If Molly had been nursing I would not have stopped just because of the calendar date. I decided that after giving her BM for a year and pumping all that time I needed to move on. I was having a surgery at that time and would have had to pump& dump for 3 days so I decided that was a sign for me that I accomplished my goal.

Re: What was you reasoning to stop breastfeeding/pumping and

I breastfed Roman for about 6 weeks. I stopped because I had really bad PPD and figured it was better for him to have a healthy happy Mom more than breastmilk.

Re: What was you reasoning to stop breastfeeding/pumping and

My baby is 3 weeks old. I tried BF in the hospital and I couldn't do it. She was hurting me so much that I would cry every time I put her to me. I decided to pump because I really wanted her to have my milk. At this point, I really want to stop pumping too because my breasts hurt every minute of every day. I can't even hold my baby close to me because my chest hurts so much.

I feel so guilty over not being able to BF her like all the other moms; I feel like I have really missed out on something because BFing was not the wonderful bonding experience for us that everybody else has described; I feel like something is wrong with me that I couldn't stick it out and get through the pain so that she would feed from me; and I feel selfish over wanting to stop pumping just because of my discomfort which is why I am still doing it now.

The only thing that is keeping me pumping now is that I feel that breast milk easier on their little bellies, and my little girl seems to have gas/digestion trouble as it is -- on breast milk so I am afraid of what formula will do to her. But I can tell you, I really don't know how much longer I can continue doing this...

Re: What was you reasoning to stop breastfeeding/pumping and

I BF'd and pumped for 6 months and then weaned Alex. It started to get very uncomfortable for me because she started getting her bottom teeth. And, it was just to exhausting and time consuming to try to pump everyday while at work. I'm an attorney, and finding time to run back to the office to pump every few hours became a huge task, so at 6 months, I weaned her...

Re: What was you reasoning to stop breastfeeding/pumping and

Re: What was you reasoning to stop breastfeeding/pumping and

Melanie is 10 months and after she is over her cold, I am weaning her. With both girls, once I felt they were using me as a human pacifier instead of just drinking milk, they were weaned.

Re: What was you reasoning to stop breastfeeding/pumping and

Jesse just started to lose interest once he was on three meals per day. Then I would BF him morning and night, and pump twice a day, then BF in the morning and pump twice, then BF morning and pump once. My supply just dwindled to nothing and I stopped just after a year. He didn't seem to miss it!

Re: What was you reasoning to stop breastfeeding/pumping and

I bf for 6 weeks- then pumped for about 2 or so..... I also gave 1-2 formula bottles @ night as well...


I stopped for a few reasons:

1- because I really just winged it (esp. w/ the pumping) I didnt have the right pump, which decreased my supply BIG time.... I wish I wouldve taken a class- and intend on doing so next time around....

and

2. On a daily basis I had someone pushing formula on my child- accusing me of not giving him enough- blaming him sleeping often on dehydration....although my ped. assured me none was true- having someone constantly say you are starving your child- gets to you... I became obsessed w/ weight gain....and made myself crazy-So I threw in the towel...



This is one of my biggest regrets, and to this day makes me wanna cry..... My goal for the next baby is to try and to do it for the 1st year... but im def. taking a class next time!

Re: What was you reasoning to stop breastfeeding/pumping and

Re: What was you reasoning to stop breastfeeding/pumping and

I tried to breastfeed but after being in the NICU for 4.5 days and not getting to try as often as we should she just wouldn't take to it. SO I pumped for about the first month-month and a half and gave her as much of my milk as possible during that time, although I had to supplement with formula because I didn't get enough to feed her soley on breastmilk.

I do have to say that I wish I didn't give up so easily. I wish I had sought out a LC and at least tried to establish my milk more through pumping so that she could have had my milk for longer. But I can't go back and change that now, only try harder next time around.

Re: What was you reasoning to stop breastfeeding/pumping and

I had intended to do it the length of my maternity leave (3 months), but I stopped at 9 weeks. TMI, but my nipples were so cracked and bleeding that Andrew started to ingest blood tinged milk. Since I had to stop cold turkey while they healed, I decided to wean him then and started formula.

Re: What was you reasoning to stop breastfeeding/pumping and

With Gabriella she was a year and that was my goal. The last 2 months were difficult because I was pregnant.

With Gianni my goal was 6 months and now I'm up to 9 months. He does get formula though on a daily basis.