How Do I Give up Breast Feeding Without Feeling Guilty?

You have done a great job! You have given him so much! You have to do what is right for you and your family. I have a 16 mo old and a 5 yr old- I tried to breastfeed both of them. I ended up pumping and bottle feeding- my little girl would only latch onto one side and my son would take a 1/2 hour to latch on and then so long to feed that by the time he was done it was time to feed again. This created stress for me so I pumped instead. Not to mention when my second child was born- there wasn't much time for the first. I felt a little guilty but formula is designed to be healthy for him. With bottle feeding you can still get that closeness- it is the bonding and closeness that is important too. Do what is best for your family- you shouldn't feel like a failure! You have done a great job!

Congrats on getting this far breastfeeding! I'm 23 and My son was born on April 30th and I too am a breastfeeding mom. My advice is that it's your decision to make. I breastfed my daughter for 2 years and I plan to at least nurse my son til he is a year old. I also do not have twins though. I have a friend who supplements formula and she says that feeding furmula is more time consuming, and I can see where that would be true. I'm an avid breastfeeding mom, I think that if moms can they should try for at least a year. Its the best gift we can give them to start life. Have you thought about pumping?? The WIC office will loan you a really nice electric one. But don't let anyones elses opinions matter. Its your life and we dont pay your bills...lol. Good luck with whatever decision you make =)

Hey S.
Now I have never breast fed, so this just hear say from a good friend of mine that learned from her Leleche coach that when your child bites you take his face and smoosh it into your breast, he causes a "semi suffocating" feeling and he lets off...a few times doing this is will suddenly click in that if baby bites he will get smooshed by mommy. Hope it helps.

Are you kidding??? Most women with two year old twins would not even venture to breastfeed with their new baby, and yet you did. Don't take this personally at all. You are VERY VERY busy, and you gave it a really good run. You should not feel guilty, you did the best you could. Anyone who tells you anything different is not considering what you are having to do everyday. Don't stress over this. You have enough on your plate. Most children don't even get breastfed for the first six months. You did a good thing for your child, but sometimes you have to cut your losses, which you did. Had this been your only child, there is no doubt in my mind, you would have seen every lactation consultant in the area to remedy it. However, the reality is you have two other small children to care for.
Please don't feel guilty about this. I am a breastfeeding mom, and i think you should be commended for doing as long as you possibly could.

S. my name is E.. I have a 11 mon old daughter and started off breat feeding. When i was able to go back to work i had to wing her off because i was never able to pump successfuly. Don't feel guilty. I think you should slowly stop breast feeding. Start with once a day giving your child the bottle then after a week twice ect. The fact that you have gone 6 mons with breast feeding is great and your baby will benefit greatly from it.

Re-examine why you feel that way. It might be that you just feel a little overwhelmed right now and you don't really want to stop.

Maybe try combo feeding for a while to try to take some of the pressure off of yourself. You don't have to commit 100% to breast or bottle.

Breastfeeding is always a personal choice, and like so many things in parenting, you need to decide what is best for you and your child. Giving him 6 months of breast feeding is wonderful. If it isn't working for you anymore, you should not feel guilty, or let anyone else make you feel guilty. Channel your energy into enjoying your son and your twins!