Feeling guilty about wanting to stop breastfeeding
  Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2013 9:35 pm
Post subject: Feeling guilty about wanting to stop breastfeeding HI ladies. I've had a rocky time breastfeeding my son but we've finally made it to 6 months. I'm really proud of myself as I had difficulties with my first son and only managed few weeks. I'm going back to work in a couple of months and I'll need him to be on bottles during the day and to possibly continue to breastfeed at night and first thing in the morning. In order to do this I know I need to gradually wean him onto bottles one feed at a time. However I feel really guilty about this! I feel so mean that I'll be depriving him of something so natural. I think I still hold a lot of guilt that I didnt feed my first soon for long. Also my son is a terrible sleeper so part of me is desperate to try anything to help him sleep better at night! I feel so selfish thinking this. Lastly i'm really fed up of wearing the same old nursing bras and tops and the fact that I nwver get anytime off or time to myself! But again, I feel incredibly guilty that I even have these thoughts! I guess i'm looking for advice on how to wean from breast to bottle, but also how I can get rid of these feelings of guilt. I know some mums breastfeed for 2 or 3 years and I feel so inadequate in comparison!!! Thanks x
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 Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2013 8:14 am
Post subject: Firstly stop feeling guilty, you've done a brilliant job
 I found the easiest way was to wean from the breast gradually at the same time as introducing food, so I dropped dinner time feeds first and introduced a cup for drinks after dinner and then dropped the tea time feed and gave a cup then as well (I used a cup with my others as when I tried to get my DD to have bottles she then wouldn't breast feed at all )they never really seemed to notice because they were full from the food  I kept the morning feed a bit longer as he would be starving then and had that before breakfast but as he got older and he would eat his breakfast first I dropped that, the bed time feed we kept until he was almost 1 and then when he was so big he almost wouldn't fit on my knee I dropped that  and switched to warm milk in a cup with a bed time story and still felt just as close .
I never really wore special breast feeding tops, or even breast feeding bras after the first few weeks, I do think you still need to feel like yourself and not just a milk making machine so I found wearing normal clothes helped me with that there's certainly nothing wrong with wanting more sleep although you might find that giving formula or even food won't necessarily help with the waking if its more of a habit
You shouldn't feel guilty at all its normal for babies to drop feeds as they get older and have more food , it happens whether you're bottle feeding or breast feeding , you're not depriving him , you might find once its only one or two feeds a day that you're happy to carry on for longer as well, but at the end of the day a happy mum is important too xx
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