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How do I go about dropping BF's?

DD is 6 and half months old. I'm returning to work in 2 months when she'll be 8 and half months old. My original plan was to have cut out all daytime feeds by the time I went back to work so that I was only BF first thing in the morning, teatime and at bedtime. However, because the weaning process is taking a lot longer than I thought, and therefore BF are not dropping any time soon, I'm a little concerned about the timescale and my plans!!

I do express, but don't think I can do enough to give nanny at two lots of 7oz a day. I have also considered formula but am really not sure about doing this again as she had a bad reaction to it when she was a couple of months old and I've never done it since (shes probably had about 6 formula feeds)!

Part of my plans with only BF in the morning, teatime and at bedtime was that during the day she would have water or juice instead of milk, but this plan doesn't seem to be going well either cos she refuses to drink water, even from her regular bottle!!

I have recently thought about expressing at midday on my two full days at work and BF at midday on my three half days, so that would go some way to providing some more expressed milk.

How did you ladies go about reducing the breastfeeds during the day, it doesn't seem as straight forward as with reducing the amount of oz with formula milk!?
xx

Replies

  • We had exactly the same issue, yet now Isabelle is 12 months od we have got there!

    The water is the hardest one to crack, I was really worried and had HV involved, tried every cup under the sun (which may have been part of my issue) eventually, after constant offering and playing she realised it was good to drink!

    I started to feed in a morning early and then offer breakfast later, so 7 then 9 for breakfast that she gets either at nursery or off her Grandma's.

    I completely dropped the 11 o clock quite early in the weanig process, we did babyled and my mum was so worried she wouldn't be off me in time during the day! To do this, I offeed a snack of fruit or rice cakes at 11 am, before her sleep.

    We kept the 2 pm (post nap feed) going, but gradually from a couple of weeks after dropping the 11am I pushed it back, just 10-15 mins a day and distracted her again with a snack of toast or crisps just to buy a bit of time!

    Initially we had tea earlier at 4:30 5 ish, and I let her feed anytime from then, but now we all eat at 6 again, and I let her feed whenever she wanted in the evening (we have reduced that now! otherwise I had no life!)

    Anyway, its not easy, but it is doable! Good luck, just add regime for a while (we never had any with our feeds before!)

    Bets x
  • I've just been going this problem and have decided that I have to give one formula feed in the afternoon as my lo (9 1/2 months) will not sleep well if she doesn't get her afternoon milk inpreparation for going back to work in a few weeks but I am keeping up the morning and night feeds.
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