How do I stop breastfeeding?

Over the last couple of weeks I have been asked a few times about this so decided to write down all my tips on how I stopped breastfeeding both boys.

The first point was that the decision was made and made by me. In the first instance with my oldest son it was a case of necessity because he had a mouthful of teeth at eight months and was doing a lot of damage. It was no longer pleasurable to feed him and I had been to the doctor twice with severe bites!!! With my youngest son it was my choice at around nine months as I was comfortable that he was well nourished with food and it just seemed like the right moment for us to stop. This post is not going to tell you when you should stop as that is a personal decision. What I want to offer here is the how to stop.

So the decision is made but how do you go about finishing breastfeeding?

The first step for us was having an established routine. I fed both boys from birth and started to introduce solids between 4-6 months, gradually increasing the quantity of food and amount of times they ate. This was a very slow process and by eight months they were both on a routine that looked something like this:

6am Breastfed
7am porridge with stewed apple
9.30am fruit and milk (from a cup - either breast milk or formula)
11.30 lunch - veggies, meat, rice etc
2pm friut and milk
4.30 tea - similar foods to lunch time
6.30 breastfed before bed
If they woke in the night (eldest did but the youngest didn't) they breastfed 

Once we were on this schedule it was easy to reduce down and feed them with formula and by one year they both drank cow's milk from a cup. We were able to completely eradicate bottles after their first birthdays using beakers rather than bottles.

To switch the boys from breastfeeding to food was a slow process that happened over four months but this gradual approach naturally decreased my milk production allowing the transition to be more favorable! I always tried to offer food when they were not desperate for food and I avoided breastfeeding them immediately after food so they didn't associate eating with breastfeeding. 

But what about the poor mum whose breasts swell and can become pretty uncomfortable. Yes it happened to me! When they were so full it was painful I would feed or express the milk to empty them. This may seem crazy but at least you get comfortable! Straight after emptying them I would use ice packs to help prevent the production and easy any discomfort. Once that was done I could continue on the routine and repeat these steps when necessary. In one week there was so little milk left I had no cause for concern and was done with breastfeeding.

If you have any specific questions, please ask in the comments or pop over to facebook and ask directly there. And if you have any other helpful tips to share please feel free to comment.