Quitting Breastfeeding For Selfish Reasons
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Anonymous
| I’m nearing 4 months and I’m considering switching to formula. There is really no reason other than I’m just over breastfeeding. I plan to use up my freezer stash and formula once I wean myself off of breastfeeding over the next couple of weeks. It’s going well and I don’t have any complaints, but I’m just tired of breastfeeding and pumping. I find bottle feeding much easier and there is no stress of how much milk will I make, is he eating enough, did he get enough before bed, etc. Did you stop for selfish reasons? |
Anonymous
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Why are you framing this as being “selfish?” If this reduces stress in the mother and doesn’t harm the baby, then it’s a good thing.
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Anonymous
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No baby can do well if their mom is miserable. Taking care of yourself isn't selfish, it's a prerequisite to caring for your kid. Motherhood is a marathon, not a sprint. No need to over-exert yourself early.
You are doing great. I kept pumping for DC1 through 7 mos. I hated every minute of it. I wish I stopped at 3 mos. I honestly think my hatred of pumping/BF'ing made me a less present mom in those early months. |
Anonymous
| I did and I don’t regret it. I hated breastfeeding and found it time consuming and stressful. I didn’t feel that big bonding experience that so many talk about. I was much happier after I quit. I’m pregnant with baby #2 and plan to do the same and rely heavily on formula. |
Anonymous
| Do it. It's not selfish. |
Anonymous
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OP, live what works for you. Your children will be fine.
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Anonymous
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Do it, you are not being selfish. A happy less stressed mom is what’s best for the baby.
I nursed my kids until around 2yrs because it’s what was convenient for me. You do what is convenient for you and stop shaming yourself for it. |
Anonymous
+1 Do it, OP. |
Anonymous
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Breastfeeding is not easy and I required a lot of support from my family and DH to do it successfully. Thankfully, our family really valued breastfeeding (and mothering), so my comfort was prioritized at home and both DH and I, were able to ease into parenthood fairly quickly. I am sure that this is not the case in many families.
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Anonymous
| You should try to make it to 6 months. |
Anonymous
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I don't think it's "selfish" of you to stop if that's what you want to do.
I am surprised though, that you think it will be easier to formula feed, if you've already made in to 4 months and you feel it's going well. I felt like breastfeeding, once established, was easier because I never had to wash a bottle. Never had to go to the store to buy formula. Never had to make up/warm up a bottle in the middle of the night. It just seems like you already successfully completed the "hard part" of the first several weeks/establishing breastfeeding, why quit now? |
Anonymous
+1000 I'm so disheartened that you think you're being selfish, op. Prioritize your own well being, always. |
Anonymous
| No judgment, but I just want to say it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. I did not produce enough for my ds, so I did a mix of ready-to-feed formula and breastfeeding. I personally found breastfeeding easier, so topping him off with formula as needed worked for me. That said, I’m not clear on if you work FT or not. I found pumping tortuous, and I absolutely would have dropped breastfeeding early if I had to pump to do it. Just wanted to say that mixing it up is fine if that works for you. |
Anonymous
| You don’t sound selfish, you sound tired. That’s a good enough reason. You’ve done your best for four months, that’s plenty. Give yourself permission to switch to formula. |
Anonymous
| Normally I’d say go ahead and quit but right now it can be hard to get a steady supply of formula so I would wait for that supply chain to get worked out |