what happens when you stop??

earwig1971 · Mar 26, 2011 12:28AM

Hi all...just wondering what to expect over the next few days/weeks as I try to get my 8wk old onto mixed feeding or onto formula completely, and wondering what the best way is?

I go back to work in just a few weeks and so need to have her sorted out and taking a bottle as I'll be out of the house from 7.30am til about 6pm and I'm currently exclusively breastfeeding approx every 3 hours. With regards to what happens to your boobs, is it wiser to gradually decrease the number of breastfeeds over a period of time, or, if she takes to the bottle easily enough, to go cold turkey and replace all feeds? I'm guessing that if I do it gradually, by missing one or two feeds a day, that my boobs will get huuuuge and painful and will leak all over the place

which I won't really be able to deal with as I already hate my boobs...I want my little fried eggs back!

If I just go cold turkey will I get mastitis? How long will it take to stop producing milk? What happens to them? Just not sure how best to go about it, and any help would be appreciated...thank you xx

NIKKINOOS · Mar 16, 2011 12:14PM

I'm afraid i can't offer much help as i too am in the process of getting LO (nearly 8 months) onto formula ready for when i return to work in May. He feeds every 4 hours. I tried for ages and ages to get him to take milk from anywhere other than the boobies and only recently has he started taking milk from a beaker. Your little one is the perfect age to start on bottles. My LO took a bottle every Saturday night for a few weeks when he was the same age as your LO and then just stopped all of a sudden! I wish i had given him one a day as i'm sure that would have made things a lot easier for me now!

I have now dropped the mid afternoon breastfeed and replaced it with a beaker of formula and a snack (although the snack wouldn't apply to your LO at this age). My LO has taken to it really well now thank goodness and to be honest my boobs haven't been huge and full. However as he was always a fussy feeder anyway i'm not convinced he was having much from me anyway so that may be why my boobs haven't suffered. Going to attempt to switch the mid morning breastfeed for a beaker of milk too in the next week or so. I would recommend doing one feed at a time and seeing how it goes.

Good luck with it all. I'm sure some of the other ladies will be able to give you some more advice and i will be following this post to pinch any ideas, lol! xx

earwig1971 · Mar 16, 2011 1:00PM

thanks nickinoos.....any advice is much appreciated, so it's good to have another's experience. I've tried her with a bottle on a couple of occasions....my oh gives it, with me elsewhere in the house, but with no joy, but we think it's cos I had slo-flo teats and my boobs are anything but slo-flo!!! The poor child is used to getting her face jet-washed if she comes off the boob too soon!! I've now bought vari-flo teats and plan to get the oh to try again with her last feed of the day tomorrow night...hopefully, if the formula comes through quick enough for her, she'll be more inclined to stick with it!

I have heard its sometimes easier to get a breast-fed baby onto formula through using a beaker rather than a bottle...but I think Mia may be a little young for this? I guess it's just a case of persevering and seeing what happens with the boobs....I think they may just explode!!...watch this space!!

xxfairyxdustxx · Mar 16, 2011 2:45PM

Teehee, I have no advice sorry, as not stopped yet, but I'm having a little giggle at the milk jet wash image, the exact same thing used to happen to us, I can still picture her face now!

earwig1971 · Mar 16, 2011 4:36PM

thanks guys...I guess slow but steady is the answer then...I just hope i can be achieved in just 4 weeks! I may have left it all a little late, but breastfeeding is SOOOOOO easy and no messing that I've put it off for ages...oops!

lol fairydust!....the look of confusion and frantic shakig of the head to try and get away from the stream of milk is hilarious!! I'm glad I'm not the only one subjecting their child to a form of chinese water torture!!

xxfairyxdustxx · Mar 17, 2011 3:32PM

It does eventually stop thank goodness, I remember hubby's look of shock when lo unlatched and I didn't realise but milk was spraying out over her head in his direction!! Oh the glamour!!

peanutsmum · Mar 26, 2011 12:28AM

I ended up stopping cold turkey when my son was 15 months old. Really I was under pressure from others to stop and should perhaps have let him decide, maybe he would have weaned himself off gradually. But anyway, my boobs were like rock hard watermelons for a few days and sore but then they gradually went back down. It's do-able but I wouldn't attempt the cold turkey approach if you have to be anywhere or do anything in particular in case you find it difficult. Expressing a tiny little bit can take the edge off too without over stimulating more supply. I guess it's different for everyone. This time round I have to go back to work when bubs is 5 months old (he's due next week) so don't quite know what I'll end up doing.

what happens when you stop??

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