So, stop breastfeeding. Just because you can BF doesn't mean you should or have to. Especially, if you hate doing it. |
OP here. I know many do it but I’m not interested in breastfeeding a toddler. A year has always been my end date. |
Oh, God, Stop with the “mommy martyr” crap. Simply accepting that you’re not going to love everything about being a mother is healthy and good advice. |
Aim for a six month end date. |
OP here. I’m quitting this weekend. I still feel guilty but it’s nice to know I’m not alone. |
I feel like 4 months is a long time and you’ve provided a lot of the benefits. |
No, it’s not good advice. There’s a perfectly healthy alternative that will significantly reduce OP’s burden. It’s not healthy and good to write that off. OP, you should feel free to switch to formula. At 4 months you already provided almost all of the demonstrated benefit, and continuing to BF while working os a big additional burden on you. |
don’t feel guilty! I think back on the fact that I did NOT quit at 4 months and feel slightly queasy at how hard I made it on myself. |
With a 4 month old, your child has already benefited from breastfeeding in a lot of ways. In terms of your child's health and development, your choice to completely wean now or supplement with formula is one of the most insignificant choices you will make as a parent. Do what works for you and your family. |
Girl, stop. You tried and it’s not for you. So stop and you don’t have to explain anything to anyone. Enjoy that baby. |
I nursed both my kids till 1.5 years of age.
If I hated it at 4 months I would have stopped. You can stop! No guilt. My kids are teens now—I have no clue which of their friends were breast or bottle fed—it doesn’t matter! |
My kids were adopted so I have no dog in this fight but the rational of “it doesn’t matter because I can’t tell now” makes no sense. First, you can never prove a negative. You can never say how much better off someone would have been if X happened. Second, your statement assumes that this X would be known and directly correlate. Third, what you observe in your kids contemporaries doesn’t take into account that you may not be the greatest observer. I don’t mean to attack you, PP. It’s this rationale of “it doesn’t matter if you can’t tell when the kid is a teen” that is so pernicious on this forum. |
Never judge yourself by what other moms are or are not doing. Taking care of your well being is an important part of being a parent. |
I loathed pumping and seriously considered setting the pump on fire.
OP, fed is best. Go ahead and quit if you're ready to quit. |
Then quit. |