An expectant mother will quickly forget the pain of giving birth once they hold the newborn on their lap. Unless under certain medical or biological conditions, mothers’ joy is fulfilled when their baby breastfeeds in the first few months.
The first three months of breastfeeding could introduce challenges to moms, and they begin wishing if they could stop breastfeeding early or how far until it all stops.
The most contributing challenges could be work-related, housekeeping, erratic sleeping patterns, keeping fit, and so on.
Why do I want to stop breastfeeding?
Breastfeeding creates a strong bond between a mother and her child. Every mother looks forward to good breastfeeding moments like a time of clapping of hands, singing melodies, and talking to a baby who stares at you speechless during breastfeeding.
The expectations may turn ugly most of the time, and you begin receiving frustrations from your baby. If there is no hope of change in the shortest time possible, the frustrations develop into pain and a wish that the days will end sooner than later when you will no longer be breastfeeding.
There are various reasons why a mother would choose to stop breastfeeding her baby and turn to bottles or baby formula before the right time.
The baby won’t breastfeed
There are moments when your baby refuses to breastfeed no matter how much you try to change the surrounding, feeding positions, melody tunes, among others.
It is not very clear why babies refuse the breast when they are perfectly in good health, but a study suggests it could be due to the baby’s temperament or boredom.
The over-stressed mother
Breastfeeding moms can quickly develop stress, which can turn into pain if their baby is restless for no good reason.
The main contributor to stress in moms is when they refuse to breastfeed or keep crying for prolonged hours and days. The breasts pain is so inteste and unbearable that mother starts avoiding to breastfeed their babies.
My breasts do not produce milk
Several underlying factors could lead to a mom’s breasts failing to produce milk, some of which could be biological while others could be psychological.
If you have any issues with milk production in your breasts the first few months after birth, there could be high chances that you are psychologically stressed, although it is advisable to seek help from a doctor.
My baby is six months’ old
WHO recommends mothers exclusively feed their babies on breast milk for the first six months and then introduce them to the family meals and continue breastfeeding until the baby attains two years.
Some moms obey the first rule to the letter, but once their baby is weaned, they stop breastfeeding altogether.
I want to retain my shape and pump milk
Some moms want to retain their shape and rather pump their breastmilk into bottles and feed their babies. It is not common with many moms because most would seek the mother-baby bonding that develops during breastfeeding.
Can stopping breastfeeding help you keep breastfeeding?
The behavior of babies can be erratic and highly unpredictable. In their tender age, crying is their only way toreveal their discomfort, sleepiness, and tired.
The breastfeeding mom can withdraw breastfeeding before she learns their baby’s body behavior in different circumstances.
After making the hard decision to stop breastfeeding due to the above circumstances, the child may continue with the new feeding methods introduced by a mother but only for a short time before reverting and demanding the breast.
It can be both a surprising moment and a feeling of comfort when the mother who had stopped breastfeeding suddenly finds herself back to the routine, and this time it might work for better.
