Think I Want to Wean My 5 Month Old from Breastfeeding

Hon I have been there and if you would like to stop then do it. Do not listen to anyone else, yes we all know that breast milk is best but not everyone can breastfeed. Do what you feel and please don't let others pressure you. There is nothing wrong with formula fed babies and I am really sick of people judging those that don't breastfeed. I have 3 children, my first I breastfed till he was 2 months because I had to go back to work and couldn't pump as often as I would have liked to so my milk dried up, 2nd one I breastfed till he was 3 months and my last only for 2 weeks because my left breast was in such pain I cried whenever I was breastfeeding. Some folks can't do it, or need to stop because of other things and that's OK! Good luck in whatever YOU decide!! :)))

WOW, I have to disagree with this comment

"On a side note- yes, formula fed babies don't grow a third arm or anything, BUT they are sicker, are more apt to develop allergies and several other side effects (which are just being discovered) they wouldn't have by being breastfed."

My brother, sister and I were all formula fed and none of us have allergies or had any serious illness, the most we had was the common cold. Also, I didn't breastfeed my babies long and they have had no more than the common cold as well thank GOD.

It is your body, and if you WANT to wean him and only nurse part time, that is OKAY! Yes, b-feeding is natural and all of that, but there really have not been any studies proving that formula is not good for development! Do not let others' make this decision for you, or make you feel pressured unto continuing b-feeding. Your milk supply will continue to meet the demands put upon it, so if you want to nurse only at night for years, you would be able to do so. Personally, pumps were HORRIBLE for me, and so after a few different brands/styles, I refused to even try with the pump anymore.

The decision to breastfeed and for how long is one that can only be made by the mother. It is , I believe, the MOST personal mothering decision involved in parenting....usually, all other decisions at least go thru dad, too.

Good luck, don't feel selfish for missing your body, and don't let anyone tell you you should! Those La Leche people can get kind of pushy sometimes (no offense to the non-pushy La Leche people), I know I was made to feel like the worst mother ever when I made the decision to wean my babies--even the last one who I weaned on Dr's orders.

I sense that you are feeling a little bit of guilt for even thinking about these things. PLEASE DON'T!! And, please don't let anyone else make you feel that way. I know that you will probably get lots of responses about hanging in there & doing the best for your baby. Yes, breast is best. But, isn't it almost the best for a baby to have a happy momma? There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting some time out. Formula fed babies can and are thriving.
That said, there are ways to continue to breastfeed. You can pump exclusively. I did for about 8 months for my daughter. I made sure to do it just before I went out. Even if that meant that I had just done it an hour ago. I knew that that gave me at least a couple of hours before needing to pump again.
As for drying up, it took only a couple of weeks after my first baby. Nuy, with my last, it took several months to have absolutely no milk. I wasn't leaking, engorged, or painful, but it was still there.
Again, please try not to feel guilty or selfish. You'll do what you think is best.

EDIT: After reading this, I, too, had to comment:

On a side note- yes, formula fed babies don't grow a third arm or anything, BUT they are sicker, are more apt to develop allergies and several other side effects (which are just being discovered) they wouldn't have by being breastfed.

In my opinion, this is somewhat of what I'm talking about by making woman feel guilty about not breastfeeding. I, too, breastfed for only a couple of weeks, but both my kids were formula fed. They are actually less sick than even the kids my son goes to school with.
And, yes, we do tend to take things personally when people tell us we are not doing the best for our children. Again, we all know that "breast is best". But, there are woman out there who can't breastfeed & these woman are still given dirty looks & comments about not breastfeeding. As moms, we are all doing the best that we can & don't need other moms telling us we aren't.

Please, K., don't feel guilty or selfish if you really want to stop.

I really think you should research before you quit. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months, and breastmilk along with solid food for a MINIMUM of 1 year. It took a lot of research on the benefits of breastmilk for the first year to get them to change their recommendation from recommending 6 months of nursing. The World Health Organization recommends nursing a MINIMUM of 2 years.

I know it is hard to be a nursing mom. I am nursing my third, who just turned 2. This doesn't mean that I never get out. If you just wait a little longer, you can have your husband start giving some solid food while you are gone.

It's not that mom's needs are not important, but you have to weigh the benefits and risks when it comes to the health of your children. Good luck with your decision!

Breastfeeding is the best thing you can do for your baby.
ONe day you will look back and this time in your life will seem like a flash.
He can start on solids soon, and soon enough you won't leek so badly and then you won't leak at all.
Do you have a breast pump?
Get a pump and practice him on it at home and if a bottle doesn't work then you can try a sippy cup with the breast milk.
PLease try your best to hang in there...at least until he is one : )
Good luck!
ONce he starts eating you can stay out longer for dinner out with your husband......Plus the older they get (if they are not having a growth spurt) the longer they go between nursings.

It's your choice. I stopped at 4 months because I went back to work and I didn't want to pump at work. It's so inconvenient. The only person that is going to give you a hard time is yourself....

Honey, you do not need permission from anyone to make a decision that is best for you and your family! If that means that for you and your family it is best to wean your child, then do it and do not feel guilty about it. And, if anyone tries to make you feel badly about your decision then they ought to be ashamed of themself. It's not their child - it's yours. They do not understand your family situation - you do.

I fell into the "oh my gosh, I won't be a good mother if I don't do this, this, or this" trap in the first few months of my baby's life. My son refused to latch, despite assistance, LCs, you name it! For 3 months I pumped 6-8 times a day. This was in addition to dealing with postpartum depression and trying to soothe a baby who was colicky and screamed all day, not just in the evening. At the end of those 3 months when I was about to emotionally lose it and snap, I stepped back and finally came to my senses and made a decision for ME and MY FAMILY...not what the LLL wanted me to do, not what some busybody, nosy judgmental mother wanted me to do...ME. And, what was best for ME was to make the heartbreaking decision to stop pumping and start getting myself healthy, both emotionally and physically. It was a tough decision. I felt like I was 'giving up' and 'going the easy route' and 'being selfish'. But you know what? I made a decision that made me a healthier, happier person which resulted in a healthier, happier family.

For some people it is completely appropriate for them to nurse their child until they are 4 - and that's awesome that they can choose that for their family. And, other families have different needs so they choose to formula feed. Don't be bullied by anyone or told that you are a horrible, selfish mother because you make a decision that is best for your family.

And now, for my edit :)
Try being a mom who did everything under the sun, took all the classes shelled out the cash for the LCs, went to meetings, and really gave it a good try but STILL was belittled and judged for being selfish, lazy, and giving up by probably 75% of people who think that if you don't breastfeed your child you suck as a mother. That's a little rough to handle and completely unnecessary.

If you want to wean, the best way to do it is one feeding at a time. Start with an afternoon feeding and replace it with the bottle. Eliminate one feeding ever 3 or 4 days. I weaned my dd when she was 5 monts and that's what worked best for me. Lots of people told me I was selfish, and I didn't care! I got married when my dd was 7 mos old and I didn't want to worry about nursing/pumping on my wedding day. Although, I will say, that I'm still not totally dried up. I haven't nursed in almost a year and I still leak all the time. Not enough that I have to wear the breast pads, but if I'm not wearing a bra, I leak through my shirt. I'm not sure why and I HATE it! If you do decide that you want to continue breastfeeding, try pumping a little before or after a feeding. I always pumped in the morning. This gave me enough milk at home so I could go out and do something. My dd never had a problem with the bottle. I would pump first thing in the morning. I would feed her on one side, and pump on the other. Either way, good luck. And don't let anybody make you feel bad about your decision.

Wow. I couldn't read your request, and the responses, and not respond myself. It amazed me that when I read your request you had *1* mom soley advocating breastfeeding and the rest had taken that advice (and maybe some they had received previously) very personally. The majority of us who encourage breastfeeding are NOT looking down upon those who don't, but rather want to spread the news about the great benefits. Ideally, we hope mothers will use what works for them and leave the rest, after being educated on the topic.

Anyway, I will be the first to tell you that breastfeeding is HARD, in so many aspects. I nursed my first daughter only until she was 7.5 months old. My 2nd daughter is just over 5 months old and it looks like we will last much longer this time around.

I don't think you are being selfish in any way by wanting to enjoy some time alone with your husband. The good news is, if you truly want to continue your breastfeeding relationshsip, it's completely doable. If you're worried about your baby not taking a bottle, switching to formula isn't going to help with that and could even make it harder of a transition. Know what I mean? My advice for this is to have someone else offer a bottle to your baby instead of you. You will probably even have to leave the room. Little ones can literally smell your milk if you're close by. It may take a few tries, but he'll get the hang of it. If he doesn't, you can offer it in a sippy cup or spoon feed it.

Can you pump your breastmilk? You can either use a pump or hand express. Hand expression might be the best if it's only for ocassional outings.

Also, if you plan on starting your baby on solids soon he will go longer between feedings and you won't have to feel rushed to get home.

You *can* successfully go between bottle and breast if you choose. Your supply may take a week or so to adjust, but it's all about supply/demand.

If you decide to wean completely, it's advisable to elminate 1 nursing session/day until you are no longer leaking, etc.

On a side note- yes, formula fed babies don't grow a third arm or anything, BUT they are sicker, are more apt to develop allergies and several other side effects (which are just being discovered) they wouldn't have by being breastfed.

In any case, it's ultimately up to you and your family. However, you said in your post that you "love" it, as does your baby. I hope something in my post encourages you to continue with your breastfeeding relationship since it appears you don't want it to end.

Good luck with your decision & and please send me a message if you would like more info on how to make this work for you!

ETA: LOL, I just wanted to add that I am NOT affiliated with La Leche League and am not supporting *their* views on the subject. I am simply stating facts, which I discovered through A LOT of researching. I don't take my role as a mother lightly and educate myself as much as I can on these sorts of things.

Please don't beat yourself up over this! As mom's we feel guilty about everything!

You should wean him off gradually so that you are not engorged and in pain. I would try cutting back one feeding at a time. You will still be able to nurse him at night. You milk comes in based on supply and demand. Some women nurse only once a day for an extended period. I weaned slowly and did not have a problem with leaking or pain.

Also, start to introduce your baby to a bottle. I went back to work after 13 weeks and it took a little time before my daughter caught on to how to use a bottle.

Good luck and I hope that all goes well!

I am going to be honest and tell you that I wish you would stick with it for at least a bit longer. But, it's your family and your decision ultimately. Nobody can make that choice for you.

My concern is that you mentioned a few times that you feel guilty or selfish. That raises red flags for me immediately. Is someone trying to force you into this decision? It sounds like you don't 'really' want to stop. Do you? If so, that's one thing, but if it's someone else, please think it through for yourself.

I know how hard breastfeeding can be, trust me. It demands a lot of time, attention and patience on your part. But, ultimately, it's the best thing for both of you. My daughter nursed for about 15 months (weaned herself because I was pregnant again and terribly dehydrated). I got a lot of criticism from it, but I did what I felt was best. My daughter is now 2 and has yet to have an ear infection, allergies (other than chocolate, but that runs in our family) or anything like that. She has had one minor fever and gotten sick once.

In any case, I pray that the Lord grant you peace in whatever decision you make for your family.

Oh, btw, pumping is a GREAT idea for those times you want to be out with hubby.

God bless,
A.

P.S. If you do decide to wean, would you be willing to wait until he is 6 months old? That's the age that is recommended most for parents wanting to switch to formula.

K.,
Time to wean is definitely your decision. Instead of feeding him just from you all the time, why don't you look into pumping. I didn't have any restrictions on working or going out with my husband because I pumped. Formula is so expensive, is why I made the decision to pump instead! I never had leaking breasts and just wore the Lansinoh pads for extra protection. I started pumping in the morning because my children were sleeping through the night and I would pump almost 12-18 ounces in the morning! I started offering the bottle just in the morning since they are hungry, but happy from sleep. The gobbled it down and then just would pump during naptime or something to keep my supply up. If you quit cold turkey, it will hurt! I don't think you are being selfish wanting to quit at all! Try it for one more month with the pumping and then see how you feel. I ended up stopping at 9 months (pumping and nursing) and had enough supply in the freezer to feed them from ME til 12 months! Good Luck!