stopping expressing

[ezymay]

Ah Belfie my fellow EE buddy! I posted my stopping thread today too!!! I feel terribly guilty but I really feel for me its time, so feel a bit good about as well. IYKWIM.
From friday I am just going to express for comfort. I think..that's the plan, will see what happens. I am down to 2 times a day now anyway. I have been slowly introducing the formula. Mixing the 2 together. I can understand what you mean about stopping the RL. I stopped the motillium and was surprised at how much my supply dropped. I didn't really wean off the meds like your supposed to tho.
The morning pump before work was going to be too much so that was one of my reasons too.

What ever you decide to do know you have done a GREAT job!!!!

[MantaRay]

oh hun, what a big decision! You have done such an awesome job and you should be very proud. I had to exclusively express for just 2 days and I was exhausted, so I really have a lot of admiration for you.

Obviously only you can make the decision, but I hope it's helped you to write your thoughts out. It doesn't have to be all or nothing, but only you can decide what is going to work for you. FWIW I am pretty sure the ABA counsellor wouldn't try to talk you into continuing, so if you think it would help to talk to someone, by all means give the helpline a call.

I wish you all the very best with this decision hun.

[Jennifer13]

belfie, I think you've done an amazing job (you too ezymay!) and should be very proud of yourself. Just the fact that you are considering this so carefully is a testament to how much you put your DS's needs before your own.

and support for you, whatever you decide. And hun, the ABA is there to support weaning mothers as well, weaning is a part of our bfing journey, no matter when it happens, so I'm sure they'll have some good advice for you.

[Mak]

Belfie - what an amazing job you have done! Whatever you decide please don't feel guilty (easier said than done I know).
Make the decision that is right for you - it is such an emotional decision though. Take care and be kind to yourself.

PS I love your lists - something I do all the time!

[belfie]

thanks for all the kind responses & ploughing through my waffle (glad there's someone else who writes lists!)

Well I'd pretty much decided to go ahead, and while it's taken me all week to sort out which formula, I'd kinda started cutting back already, so my fridge reserves have disappeared. I rang ABA today just to talk through the physical mechanics of the best way to cut down... less expresses versus shorter expresses and I think the shorter expresses are the way to go for me. It also made me realise how much I can separate the two processes - what he drinks vs what i express.

So i gave him formula today and he didn't like it, so I snuck it into the EBM and he was ok with that. And I'd decided to phase in the equivalent of 1 FF extra per week. But then the ABA lady mentioned that even a bit of EBM for a bit longer is still beneficial... and I thought well I could try to save my freezer reserves to extend the time... rather than using them in the last week or so. But every time I talk to DH I feel like he really doesn't get it. His mother never BF'ed and was never all that supportive of what I've done. DH was super supportive for the first 6 months (could not have done it without his support) but now I don't think he sees the need.. and I've noticed his support has dropped off. And I'm finding it harder to manage as DS sleeps less anyway.

When I mentioned earlier that I felt DH didn't understand, he promptly said, yes I do, you feel blah blah blah - and it was nothing like how I feel! (which I told him). So I guess I'm feeling really frustrated. I feel like he wants me to stop and the lack of support is contributing to me stopping... plus the fact i've a 2 hr return commute when I go back to work next month adn I don't think i could fit expressing in.

So tonight I was just thinking aloud about this concept of using the reserves to extend DS's EBM a bit longer... then I thought... wow, what if I expressed at my normal full-time rate (so to speak) for a bit longer and got enough for him to have even one EBM feed per day till he was 1? but that would mean about 3 litres in the freezer and I've never had that much. But briefly I thought this was really exciting, cos TBH I'd always kinda wished we could make his 1st b'day. And DH just laughed!!!! I think he thinks I just get carried away with all this goal setting. So now i'm just confused. And upset. And I dont' know what i want to do, and I think giving DS formula again today was difficult and DH doesn't appreciate that (even though I did point it out). And I guess I read stuff about weaning but it's all about people who are BF'ing and I just feel like an odd little fish doing something weird, that nothing normal seems to apply to even though I still have my own feelings of sadness (and difficulty) at letting this go. I think the ABA lady thought it was really all very simple when you don't have a child BF'ing in the picture (and I guess in comparison it is), but it doesn't feel that simple to me.

Sorry this is more long waffle... but it has helped to get it out - so thanks for plodding through.

[paradise lost]

Maybe that ABA lady doesn't see it, but i do hun! I had to wean before i was ready (no supply TO pump) and i felt so sad when i weaned. I would expect ANY mum to feel somewhat sad TBH.

As for your dilemma.... Why not cut down to 2 pumpings a day (morning and evening?) and see how you go? It sonds lik 12 months is a big goal for you, and it's true that ANY EBM is good for him, eve if you're getting 100mls a day it will give him great immunities and be worthwhile. You're rearranged your life around pumping for a long time, and you're done a bloody INCREDIBLE job feeding BM to your boy. Maybe now it's time for you to arrange the pumping around yor life, so you're slowly phasing into the next bit of life/toddlerhood, rather than itbeing an all or nothing, kwim? Most women who BFed i know weaned soooo slowly. One day they were down to 1-2 feeds a day and some kids stopped a month after that, some not for a year or more. It's ok to pump a little less, give a little FF, and see how you feel.

Massive hugs and a huge congratulatoy knock-you-down pat on the back for all you've done thus far in feeding hun. Mwah!

Bx

[belfie]

Massive hugs and a huge congratulatoy knock-you-down pat on the back for all you've done thus far in feeding hun. Mwah!

Bx

Awww thanks! I've got that big goofy smile on my face now!!!! gotta say that's the best pat on the back I've had!

Well I talked it over with DH in bed last night (posting did help me organise my thoughts) and voila, got up this morning and my pump attachments had been washed tehehe. He's gonna think on it for a day or so. I'm gonna think on it for a day or so, but yes, keeping going at a low level does seem like a good solution.
We also realised that I've been the one talking to the health professionals and getting the indication that even a bit of BM is better than nothing. DH actually admitted he thought it didn't make that much difference any more... but the dietician told me that they've found with coeliac's disease for e.g. that even a bit of BM whilst intro'ing foods is very protective.

Thanks again Bx