When should I stop breastfeeding?

Question

I have a 5 months old baby. I have been breastfeeding her since birth. Well, I dont think Im making enough milk to satisfy her anymore. Is it time to stop breastfeeding her? How will I start her with a formula?

She's eating banana gerber now though, but that's the only thing she likes aside from my breastmilk.

I really want the best for her. I want to keep breastfeeding her. How do I keep on making more milk for her?

Answer 1

I'd say wait until she is ready to quit, when she isn't interested she will turn away from the breast

Answer 2

Is there a reason you don't think she's getting enough milk? The only way you can tell if she's getting enough milk is if she has plenty of wet/dirty diapers and is continuing to gain weight well.

If your breasts feel less full than they did before, that's perfectly normal at this point. The fullness in your breasts actually meant that you were making more milk than your baby needed. Now that your body has adjusted to her needs (usually happens somewhere around 6 months), your breasts will only feel full if she misses a feeding or maybe if she goes through another growth spurt.

As long as you're breastfeeding on demand and not offering supplements, your breasts will continue to make whatever she needs.

If you do feel like your supply is a bit low, you can just spend a few days letting her nurse, nurse, nurse as much as she wants, and your supply should catch up.

You've done a great job making it this far, and if you want to continue, you're so close to things getting a little easier. She'll start eating more solids in the next few months, and you're almost halfway to the one-year mark after which you wouldn't have to buy any formula at all.

Good luck, and please contact a lactation consultant if you need more help.

Answer 3

I have a five and a half month old baby and right now he is going through a stage where he wants to look and examine everything. The only time he wants to nurse is at naptime and bedtime. You may not necesarrily not be making enough milk. Especially since you ave been doing it this long, you should have a well established milk supply. Could be that your mil is just not enough anymore. I don't know how big your baby is, but at this point she might need more food. I have been, for the past month, introduing vegtables and fruits in. For three days I will try one food, then to the next and the next. You should talk to her pediatrician to see if he/she thinks you should introduce solids to get more calories.

Also, maybe you just don't want to breastfeed anymore and that's why you're on here. I know that a part of me doesn't want to do it anymore. I don't feel like my body is my own and I don't want mu husband touchin my breasts for fear that milk will come running out. I just don't feel that my body belongs to me anymore. So, sometimes I just want someone to tell me that it's okay to stop. And then there's the other half of me that will miss it, because it's such a bonding experience. You do whatever you feels best for yourself. there's nothing wrong with formula if that's what you would prefer to do. But if your seriously worried about the amount your child is getting, then I would make an app with your child's pediatrician asap and talk about introducing more foods.

Also, i know some people on here said to drink tons of water...but that's not necessary. There are sites that talk about this and how it has not been proven. As long as your drinking about 8 glasses or so of fluids, you should be fine. They are even saying now that caffeinated beverages aren't as diruetic as thought before. But I wouldn't go drinking a ton of caffiene, especially since you are breastfeeding. They also make mother's milk tea, which I am sure you can order online or buy in stores and my lactation sonsultant told me this would make you produce tons of milk.

Anyway, good luck on whatever you decide to do.

Answer 4

Why do you feel that you aren't making enough milk? Many times mothers think this but actually they don't have a supply problem? What are you experiencing that makes you feel your supply is low? It's important to note that the feel of the breast, the behavior of your baby, the frequency of nursing, the sensation of let-down, or the amount you pump are not valid ways to determine if you have enough milk for your baby.

If you really do have a supply problem, it DOES NOT mean it's time to stop nursing! First off, you can combine breastfeeding with bottlefeeding if you want. OR you can work on fixing your supply. There ARE ways to correct supply problems.

The very first thing to look at is always breastfeeding management. How often are you nursing? How long? One or both sides? Have you ever had your latch checked? Maybe you need a La Leche League Leader or an IBCLC to check your latch? Did you just start to feel that there was a problem after adding the bananas to her diet? How much solid food does she get per day? Does she get anything else? Are you pumping or exclusively nursing at the breast?

The very first thing to do to fix a supply problem is to start nursing and/or pumping more frequently! Breastfeeding is all about supply and demand. Milk is being made constantly, but most of the milk at a feeding is made when the baby is put to the breast. The more often you nurse, the more milk you should make.

I'd recommend "taking a nursing vacation" if you can. Spend 2 or 3 days doing NOTHING but nursing and caring for yourself and baby. Let someone else cook and clean and you pretty much spend that time nursing and resting and nursing some more. Lots of skin to skin and frequent nursing. This should boost your supply.

How are you eating? Are you drinking enough fluids? Taking prenatal vitamins? Have you recently started taking hormonal birth control? That could be part of the problem since hormonal BC can sometimes harm supply.

There are also herbs that you can take to boost supply. Fenugreek is the most commonly used one. Take 3-4 capsules 3x per day. If you are taking enough, you'll start to smell like maple syrup. Please note that there are a few people who SHOULD NOT take fenugreek! If you have a peanut allergy, hypoglycemia or diabetes, asthma, blood pressure problems or heart disease then DO NOT take fenugreek.

I'd really encourage you to contact a LLL Leader or a Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) in your area for some personal, one on one help. A LLL Leader will help you for FREE and may even be available to come visit you in your home.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that you nurse for AT LEAST the ENTIRE first year and then after that as long as you and baby want to keep nursing. For the ENTIRE first year her diet should continue to be at least 75% breastmilk. The solids are mostly just for fun and practice.

Answer 5

I haven't read the other responses so forgive me if I'm repeating what someone else said.

At around 5-6 mos your baby is going through a growth spurt and it may seem like she's not getting enough. Since they are growing quickly, frequent feedings is nature's way of telling your body to make more. If you want to continue to nurse her, then breastfeed her whenever she wants without looking at the clock. This period doesn't last long and you will probably end up with a ton of extra milk that you can save after it's all over.

Hang in there. I think you're doing a great job! It will happen again around 9 mos (going through that now myself..lol). Don't bother with formula, it will just mess up your supply and it's a lot more of a hassle than just breastfeeding.

Answer 6

As long as she is having enough wet diapers and is gaining adequate weight (as evaluated by her pediatrician at her usual visits) then you are making enough milk. At certain times, babies go through growth spurts where they seem hungrier and it may take a few days or a week for your supply to increase to meet her demands. But, if you start supplementing with formula, your supply will go down and you wont have enough milk to feed her (because breastmilk production works on supply and demand. If you demand less, less will be produced). It is not time to stop breastfeeding her! Women get caught in a vicious cycle when they start stressing out unnecessarily about their baby getting enough milk. They start supplementing with formula and their supply starts to decrease, so they get more worried and supplement more, which makes their supply go down even further, to the point where they completely dry up. As long as your baby is healthy and having enough wet diapers, DONT WORRY! Your milk IS enough for your baby! Dont quit nursing. Breastfeeding is one of the best things you can do for your baby. It is FAR more healthy than formula. If you are concerned about yoru baby's health, then continue to breastfeed her. You are giving her the best start possible!

Answer 7

NOOOO!!! Continuing to breastfeed is definitely best for her, even when she starts eating more foods. You can produce more milk by making sure you're drinking lots of fluids, and doing a little extra pumping or manually expressing milk. The more you nurse your daughter the more milk you'll make. I nursed my children until they were two.For the last six to nine months of that time they were only nursing three times a day. Definitely don't start with formula. Water for now, juice a little later and nursing every chance you get is what I'd do. Good luck. PS Nursing my children is something I have really missed since they've grown.Enjoy this time while you have it, in my opinion.

Answer 8

I am currently nursing my 6 month old and plan to go until he's at least a year old so that I don't have to make the switch to formula. I highly doubt that you aren't making enough milk to satisfy her. Unless you are starting to skip feedings or supplement with formula, your body was designed to adjust and make milk according to your baby's needs. (This is how babies survived before formula was invented.) At this stage in your baby's development, solids are not very important and are mainly needed to introduce your baby to new textures and flavors and help her learn how to eat. I would say for you to keep on breastfeeding her until she is a year old at least, so that you she can get a good start. Trust your body to do what it was designed to do.

Answer 9

She may be going through a growth spurt. Just keep on nursing, that is the best way to increase milk supply. Remember that the AAP recommends a minimum of 12 months of nursing, and as long a mutually desired thereafter, and the World Health Organization recommends a minimum of 24 months of nursing. Even if you can't continue breastfeeding that long, it is worth it to try!

Please read the links below about low milk supply and growth spurts. Kellymom is the BEST breastfeeding resource on the web and you owe it to yourself and your daughter to read those pages.

Answer 10

Keep breastfeeding, at least a year is best. I started having problems when my daughter started sleeping through the night and ate solids.

It's not too hard to boost your supply. Drink at least 10 glasses of water a day. Eat oatmeal. If you don't like breakfast oatmeal that much, you can eat oatmeal cookies. If you like beer, a 1/2 to 1 glass will help, too.

Answer 11

You should stop when you feel is ready. I stopped when my baby was five months. Are you working part or full time? You could always try using a breast pump to help increase your milk supply. Pump every 2-3 hours (like you were feeding her when she was a newborn) to help. It's supply and demand. If you keep telling your breasts, through pumping or feeding, that your baby needs milk, eventually your body will supply.
I had to stop because i went back to work and didn't have a regular enough schedule to pump. But if it works for you, great!