The last several weeks I have been struggling as to when I can quit breastfeeding. Well, pumping - Adrianne gave up nursing a long time ago. I have a ton of milk stored up and it should get us close to that one year mark, but in my head I keep asking myself - what if it doesn't. What if my milk has gone bad or we run out before May 27? What if she doesn't take to whole milk very well and we need more breast milk to get her switched over? AHHH! I know formula is okay, but it's expensive and I just don't want her to have to have formula. We had to give her formula for a little while after she was born and she hated it, so what if she still hates it and won't drink it?
I really want to quit pumping. I feel like my life revolves around making milk. I can't go anywhere or do anything without thinking about when I need to pump next. And on the rare occassion that I forget to think about that before I leave the house, my boobs get so full and sore that I'm miserable. I also am just ready to have my body back - I'm tired of sharing.
In my head I'm really struggling because I don't want to let Adrianne down and I want to give her the best I can. And although I'm fet up with pumping, it is the best thing I can give her right now. What to do, what to do?
So, for those mom's out there that have breastfed, when did you quit and why?
girl, you have gone so far with breastfeeding! you shouldn't feel guilty, although that's hard. but really, after that many months, she's gotten all the benefits for so long, which will still stick with her (antibodies being one of the biggest). my goal was 12 months, just because it was a good number. and that's probably why it's SO recommended in everything you read and hear...it's a nice, convenient number...i mean, what if they actually said "10 months plus 17 days is what moms should shoot for". it'd just sound weird.
ReplyDeletecalvin decided he was DONE at 7 or 8 months. did. not. want. me. at. all. anymore. so weaning was a breeze with him. thankfully he took formula ok. we eased into it for a couple days by doing part pumped milk, part formula. we had such a stock built up that we didn't have to buy much at all. my dr. gave us 4 cans of enfamil or similac EVERY time we went in for a check up and we'd just save it. i had signed up for every company's mailing list to get high value checks, and signed up with my mom's name/address, my cousin's, my aunt's... and he took every kind of formula just fine, could switch back and forth with no tummy problems, so that all worked out just great! whole milk started at 11 months with him.
fallyn stayed interested longer, but i had a lot of problems with my supply. i could've gone longer with her if my supply could've kept up. eventually she was down to just nursing before 1 nap and bedtime, and my body just quit. (pumping and all that never helped my supply when it would drop) she started seeming not too interested in her "snacks" (since i barely had anything left) anymore, and i realized that my body had quit altogether and that the milk was turning (gross, i know). that all ended when she was 10 months old.
i was sad, not because i thought she'd miss out on the nutrition (b/c formula is really SO excellent these days, minus the antibodies), but because i knew we'd be adopting after her and this was my last baby to nurse.
but since she was my 2nd baby and i figured she'd be FINE if she had whole milk before the "magic" 12 month mark, she started on whole milk at about 10 1/2 months. her tummy handled it fine. she wouldn't take formula, and we weren't going to try to push it if she was so close to being able to have whole milk anyway.
so there's my boob/milking story for the whole world to read :)
don't feel guilty--you've done a great job, and it's hard and tedious sometimes! sometimes the best thing you can give her is to make a decision that makes YOU happy and refreshed. it's so true--happy mama = happy kiddos!
so i say, after as long as you've nursed her, go with your gut and do what's best for both of you.
I quit at 9 months because I was READY. My body was just worn out, I had lost too much weight to keep up, and I was tired of coming home from work to wash pump parts and store milk instead of playing with Devan. We switched to formula at 9 months and then milk at a year and it all went really smoothly.
ReplyDeleteIf I were exclusively pumping, I don't think I could have made it as long as you have. You should be really proud, and should follow your heart on this one.