Tired of BFing

tamarar5 · October 2013

With DD I was super sad and disappointed when she self weaned at 10 months. I was all motivated to go a year at least with E, unless he self weaned earlier too. That said, I'm so ready to have my boobs back and maybe manage to go 24 hours without leaking... Or sleep without a bra on again! I need some bfing juju and good vibes.

musicalmama5 · October 2013

You can do it!!! I've heard it said around here and on other boards not to quit on a bad day. Remember that this time with LO being little is so so fleeting, and soon enough he'll be weaned and independent and won't be relying on you anymore. You will look back on these days, and what you will remember are the sweet moments of looking into his eyes or stroking his hand. The leaky boobs and night-time bras will have faded from your memory.

I have moments where I think it might be easier if he weaned. But then I realize I never have to wash bottles. Or mix bottles. Or get out of bed to feed the baby. Or remember to bring stuff when we go places. And even though a small part of me wishes DS could depend on someone else a bit more, a BIG part of me loves that I'm his mom and I'm the only one who can feed him and calm him and put him to sleep in this way. I truly feel that nursing has given us this amazing connection that I've certainly never had with another human and I don't think DS has with anyone else. Plus, nursing kind of forces me to slow down and relax a bit throughout my day. I tend to busy myself into a frenzy, so I feel like this is one lesson that DS is teaching me and nursing is his method of teaching.

Enjoy your LO. Revel in your status as a milk goddess. And for Pete's sake, enjoy those 500 extra calories!

kleigh926 · October 2013

I would like to wean too. We have had a lot of struggles with BF'ing and it hasn't really been an enjoyable experience for me. I haven't felt any special bonding or anything that I don't think I could've gotten from bottle feeding; in fact, FF'ing would have eliminated huge stressors like bottle refusal and feeling like I was drowning my baby due to oversupply in the beginning.

However, my little stubborn miss has decided she's not taking a bottle from me or DH, so we're still BF'ing for now.

bumpuser7698452 · October 2013

I am so with you. E has always been really active and now that she's mobile, BFing is so not relaxing. She's either kicking her legs or her arms are flailing and in the last couple weeks she's started hitting. Unless I pin her arm down she hits my face (and scratches) or pulls hair or hits my chest. I am so ready to be done with bfing but my goal was a year and we only have 3 months to go so I guess I'll tough it out.
Don't know how you've made it this long with sleeping with a bra though. Kudos to you.

lbonga1 · October 2013

kleigh, you might be surprised if you were to wean. I'm on a 3 week work trip right now, and up until I left, we'd only been able to get DD to drink from a straw cup occasionally. After I left for my trip, my fiancé said she wouldn't eat well for a couple days, and on the third day he called me asking for help because he couldn't get her to eat. I told him to try to give her a bottle, and she took it. Now he says she's been drinking from it like a champ. I think it just comes down to breastfed babies preferring to drink from the breast if they're given the option.

kleigh926 · October 2013

lbonga1 said:
kleigh, you might be surprised if you were to wean. I'm on a 3 week work trip right now, and up until I left, we'd only been able to get DD to drink from a straw cup occasionally. After I left for my trip, my fiancé said she wouldn't eat well for a couple days, and on the third day he called me asking for help because he couldn't get her to eat. I told him to try to give her a bottle, and she took it. Now he says she's been drinking from it like a champ. I think it just comes down to breastfed babies preferring to drink from the breast if they're given the option.

We tried giving her a bottle 3 different times over the course of 2 days and she wouldn't take it from either of us at home. She takes it fine when she's somewhere else and I'm not around. I'm guessing she associates being home (and me, of course) with nursing and she refuses to take a bottle there because that's not what she wants. I don't really know what to do besides start skipping feedings and only offering a bottle until she takes it, but that sounds incredibly stressful and I'm not sure I want to deal with that yet. I will probably call the pedi next week to find out what is safe and reasonable in a situation like this (I don't want her getting dehydrated or missing too many calories).

SidraJedi · October 2013

I love bf but Sometimes I fantasize about when DD weans. I have no intention of weaning her. I want her to self wean. If we hit two years and she is still going strong I will try some gentle encouragement and go from there.
I totally understand. BF is hard. I miss having my body to myself and I don't like being bitten and pulled on and flashing unwitting passerby.
You are giving your son the support of your immune system and the comfort and security that reminds him of when he used to be part if you. He may seem like he takes this for granted now but he is only a tiny man after all!
Keep it up, mama! You've come this far and you're on the home stretch of your goal!

kleigh926 · October 2013

Sterling13 said:

@kleigh926 I meant to ask you before, have you tried a sippy cup instead of a bottle? I know other bottle refusers that have done well with a sippy!

We haven't tried milk, but I do give her water in a sippy at least twice a day (with breakfast and supper) and she doesn't do too great with it yet. I'm not sure if it's because she's not thirsty, doesn't like the water, or something else, but she only sucks/chews on the spout for a few seconds and will then start banging it on her tray, turning it upside down, chewing on the handles, etc. And some of the water she does get out of it just dribbles down her chin onto her shirt/bib. So I'm not sure that would work for feedings

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