Breastfeeding.. when did you stop and why?

kmdendy

I am a first time mom and I want to breastfeed my daughter up until a year.  I have gone 5 months without using formula.  Now, my baby girl is getting teeth and bitting and I am working.. so that means pumping. 

Did any of you pump exclusively? How many times a day?

I was just wondering how long you were able to breastfeed and why was the reason you stopped? 

naflmj

WIth my first I nursed to a year. With my twins I stopped at 3 months because one had a severe allergy and I really just couldn't keep up. I am hoping to nurse this little guy until he self weans/

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ashiscute

I nursed DD till 13 months and DS till 14 months.  As PP said the biting stage is usually pretty short lived.  

I hated pumping and never got more than 2 oz pumping.  If I'd had to return to work and pump for LO I'm not sure how long I'd have lasted.  

mcvgal

I nursed DS1 until 10 months. I was trying to last the entire first year, however I was in a 6 month training class at work and was not able to pump adequately at work and slowly produced less.

Charlotte51

I EBF weeks 1&2 but LO had weight gain issues so changed to EP from 2 - 8 weeks, going at least 7x a day.

At 8 weeks LO's gas was so bad we tried mixing in formula a few times a day so I moved to 5 pumps a day from weeks 8-12.

I stopped pumping at 14 weeks when LO started to refuse BM altogether (I think she got used to the taste of formula which I used exclusively when we were traveling for a few days)

My suggestion is do whatever works for you and don't feel guilty if you can't keep up with using solely BM.  Yes, BM is great and if you can keep that up you are a rock star, but it's also SUPER important for your LO to have a happy, healthy Mom.  

I shed a lot of tears on this topic - I hope you find a good balance that works for you!

Kriztyn

6 weeks. LO wasn't gaining and I was stressing myself out because of it so my supply was decreasing. My first full week on just formula put me at ease and I then got a happy healthy baby that was finally gaining weight!  

mymommyplace

I pumped exclusively from the beginning for nearly 3 months bc my LO had a problem latching. I found out he was tongue tied and two weeks later we had it fixed but by the time he was use to the bottle. So we did formula during the evenings and breast milk during the day. Unfortunately I did not keep up my supply and it slowed started decreasing. I got to the point I was so frustrated that I just decided to keep him on formula full time - my baby is happy and healthy and I'm happy he got breast milk for some time. I hope the next one I'll be able to do it for longer.

www.mymommyplace.net

TeacherVicky

I nursed DS until 13m. I went back to work when he was 12m and at that point, dropped to 1-2 nursing sessions a day. However, with work (teaching) came coaching, which meant I was missing bedtime 2-3x/week and so that's when we stopped. I would have otherwise continued.

DD is 8m and still nursing. I don't have a plan to stop, I do however plan on coaching a lower level of my sport so that I'm only tied up for a few hours after the school day is over. I'll just follow her cues at that point.

You don't need to stop nursing because she's biting. There are many things you could try and usually, as PP said, it's a phase and will pass.

rae6883

I stopped at 3.5 months.  DS has a milk allergy, and we were having some other troubles, so I said "hell with it".  My per said the first 2-3 months are the most important, after that it doesn't really make that much difference (as far as health).

kmdendy

Thanks! I was just curious. I hopeee to make it to 12 months. 

TeacherVicky

rae6883 said:

I stopped at 3.5 months.  DS has a milk allergy, and we were having some other troubles, so I said "hell with it".  My per said the first 2-3 months are the most important, after that it doesn't really make that much difference (as far as health).

While I agree that you should choose to do what is best for you and your family when it comes to feeding, you last statement is false. BF has major health benefits, well into the toddlers years. 

https://kellymom.com/ages/older-infant/ebf-benefits/

frasey

W DD I stopped just before 2 months. I hated it. I hated being stuck on the couch, didn't want to NIP, hated being the only one who could stop her incessant crying. Switching to formula was a huge weight off my shoulders. We used formula from day 1 s DS and I don't regret it at all. 

Peanutz21

i am ftm and still giving my go at BF-ing. i was for the most part EBF unless we were practicing giving bottle for daycare. i've been back to work now about 7 weeks.  i usually nurse LO in the AM, then pump every 2.5-3 hours while i'm at work, then nurse LO at night before going down if i don't have late hours that day.

HNRomance

I wanted to exclusively BF until I went back to work but our  LO had nights and days flipped around at first...and I overproduced big time so my LO only could drain one side at a time. I stared to pump the other side and that way my DH could take a least one of the night feedings and we could both get some solid chunks of sleep. Plus it made it easier for me to be able to leave the house since my DH could do the bottle. We were successful at doing bottle and breast for a while but then it got to the point where it was taking lots of extra time to BF and pump after too. I was heading back to work soon so we switched to pumping exclusively. My LO is 5 months old and I plan to go to at least 6 months and reevaluate but then I still have a freezer full of milk that will probably last for at least another month or two. He has a lot less issues than all of my other friends babies that have already switched to formula so I truly believe it is worth the inconvenience to me. Plus I weigh 10 lbs less than i did when I got pregnant!!

spinsoffresonance

I BF DD1 for 15m. By that point I was 6m pregnant and my supply was pretty much dried up. There's really no reason to quit BF because of biting. When DD started biting I unlatched her and told her no biting. It took a couple weeks for her to stop and she never bit again.

yepyepsms

With my first, one year and stopped because I was done with it and so was he. Also because that was my goal and made it so it was a good time to quit.

Same goal with my 4 mo old daughter, still going strong.

fsumom

Heck, my son just really started nursing at almost 3 months. He had latch issues and did not transfer milk well. He lost almost a pound from his birth weight. I have worked my butt off trying to get him to the breast and nursing well that I hope to make it to at least 2. My son was mostly bottle fed from 2 weeks until almost 3 months as I pumped at least 6 times a day and began only nursing for MOTN and morning feeds when he was a little over a month old. He hasn't had a bottle since August 25th !

PrimRoseMama

I am still BF my son at 14 months.

I stopped BF my daughter at 4 months due to an inexplicable drop in supply.

legaleagles

I nursed my DD until she was 21 months old. I pumped until she was 13 months old and then I only nursed when we were together. 

My twins had a lot of problems latching. I pump about 1/2 of what they make...they're almost 5 months now and starting to latch. My goal is to pump until a year and get them as much BM as I can. We're just starting to work on the latch for MOTN feedings...but I'm going back to work in a week so who knows how much nursing we'll actually get. 

shanbanana

I am currently in the process of weaning my 4 month 2 week old daughter from breast feeding, she has been exclusively breastfed since the day she was born, which is why this process has been so hard. I have had to stop breastfeeding because of medication that I need to start taking and even though breast milk is the best thing for baby, having a healthy mama is even more important. It has been a very difficult process for both of us, probably more difficult for me than her because I loved every minute of breastfeeding.

egohlke10

My goal was 6 months, but at 3 months my supply suddenly dried up with no apparent reason - I tried pumping and feeding more frequently to stimulate my milk production but nothing worked.  My son has been formula fed for the past few weeks with an occasional bottle of thawed frozen breast milk and we've had no issues.  I was bummed I only made it 3 months but try not to feel guilty or beat myself up over it  - he's happy and healthy, which is all that matters.

jfletcher3113

My son is 6 months and I'm still breastfeeding. My schedule goes like this, if it's helpful: 

- Feed in the morning before daycare 

- Pump three times during the work day

- Depending on his last bottle at daycare, I put him on for a little bit right when I get home

- Breastfeeds right before bed

-  I pump again right before I go to sleep 

- I pump one more time in the middle of the night (between midnight and 3 a.m.)

- Sometimes he wakes around 4 a.m. for a feed but if not, the cycle starts again. 

Good luck! 

sschwege

rae6883 said:

I stopped at 3.5 months.  DS has a milk allergy, and we were having some other troubles, so I said "hell with it".  My per said the first 2-3 months are the most important, after that it doesn't really make that much difference (as far as health).

As pp said everyone needs to decide what is best for them, but your pedi is 100% wrong!  I say this not in response to you, but so someone else reading this doesn't take it as fact.  Why else would the American Pediatric Association recommend 1 year or beyond if mutually desired and The World Health Organization 2 years or beyond?

OP: as others have been saying the biting phase is short lived and pushing their face into your breast will force them to unlatch.  I BF DD until 20.5 months and still going with DS (22 months).

Hershey26

I BF DD1 for 17 months. Went back to work at 11 weeks. Stopped pumping just shy if 12 months because my boss was awful. DD2 is still BF morning and night. She just turned 2. Stopped pumping with her around 19 months. Currently pregnant with #3. Will BF as long as possible. When #2 started biting, would take her off and say no. Only lasted a couple of weeks, then she stopped.

Russiandea12

My first lost interest in nursing and started bitting around 6 months old. I had supply issues the entire time, and was supplementing with formula.  So, I stopped pumping, which I did not enjoy doing at work, and only nursed morning & evening feedings, around 7 months we were done all together.  I plan to try for 6 months this time around too.

LadyMelian

Congratulations on 5 months of exclusive breastfeeding! As pp have said, biting is generally only a short phase and you do not need to stop breastfeeding because of it. For us, it generally happened right at the end of a feed when he was finished. I just paid more attention and took him off before he had the chance to bite. If he wasn't finished I'd offer him the breast again. The biting only really lasted while his first two teeth cut. I am still breastfeeding my son at 2 years 10 months and am almost 15 weeks pregnant with our second child. You do what you feel is best for you and your child, but biting isn't a sign that you have to stop. Good luck hun!

loveleebare

When I went back to work I pumped 2-4 times a day. Depending on if I nursed him before I left him and if I wanted to nurse when I saw him next. I'm still doing it and he is 14 months.

argonne

DS nursed until he was just shy of a year.  He self weaned, which was kind of nice since I didn't have to go through the stress of weaning him.  I plan to nurse DD until she self weans.  I work FT so I usually nurse in the morning before I shower, pump 3x (every 2.5-3 hours) at work, nurse right when I pick her up from her DCP and once before bed.  She still wakes 1-2x for MOTN feeds.

mercedesbenz802

I had to stop after a week of only pumping. My DD had such low tone I had to pump and she was on a cleft pallet nipple. After a week i had such bad depression my dad and husband made me stop. She has been formula fed from week 2 on. It took a month for her to get strength to suck from a bottle and then a week to transition to a regular nipple.  

yvanehtnioj

At three weeks I started pumping because it was so painful and the stars had to align for him to latch properly. It also wasn't as efficient as people had made it sound. 30 min on each side wasn't enough time and I couldn't stand it anymore!

Alifox061811

When my son started biting (nine months old and five teeth), I tried this firm "no biting" thing. It got him to stop biting (was only bit twice), but both times he got very upset about it. I felt so bad and even started crying myself. It took a minute to calm him (and me) down and nurse again. BTW: I plan to nurse him until his first birthday if not longer, but I plan to end the pumping when he's a year old. (I pump twice at work and my son nurses twice from me and takes one bottle of BM a day.)

blacktie3

I am Exclusively pumping....my supply isn't great.  I got mastitis 3 times and then figured out I had a yeast infection in my breasts.  Got that cleared up, they didn't treat the baby because he didn't show any symptoms of thrush so I chose to just pump.  I was sick for 9 of my 12 weeks of leave.  I still haven't gotten a great supply back....I pump on average about 14 ounces per day, sometimes more sometimes less.  Pumping is definitely an art form   So he is supplemented with formula, not ideal but I feel like the amount is worth keeping going.  I pump every 4-6 hours.

Weezy56

We are part formula/ part BM now. His appetite became more than what I could pump after I had been back at work for a few weeks, so my feezer-full stash depleted pretty quickly. I nurse LO in the morning, and he has part BM part formula at daycare, and then nurses at night. I'm only pumping 8 oz at work so sometimes I feel like it's not even worth it, but I can't bring myself to stop just yet