When babies attack: the end of breastfeeding is near

When Babies Attack: The End Of Breastfeeding Is Near

The end of breastfeeding is near and it is like he can sense hubby and I have decided to wean him in a few days. The past few days my 1 year old son has been a baby obsessed. The kids and I have been at my parents farm without my hubby and my son has been literally attacking me. I cannot be in the same room with him without him crawling to me and scrambling onto me. The second he is on me he is clawing, scratching, biting, pecking me, headbutting, beating my boobs with his fists and ripping at my top!

It is not that he is just on the breast all the time. The boob must be out the top, just hanging there available for him or he screams at me. He latches and unlatches continuously, with his 6 teeth this is painful, very often laughing with glee in between each painful on, off session. He is biting and twisting his head and rolling over in what I now call the nipple twister. He is also practicing his standing with my boob in his mouth… up, down, up, down, up, down. He is generally quite a good sleeper, but he has been waking up every hour at night and won’t go back to sleep without a boob in his mouth.

As usual my mommy plans have gone out the window. My plan was to slowly but surely start offering a bottle at feeds before giving the breast and hope that he starts to take the bottle. I was not going to withhold breastfeeding but instead try and get him used to the idea of bottle. I discussed this with hubby and he totally disagreed with this plan, saying that he thinks I must continue breastfeeding on demand because our son will get used to being offered a bottle and if he doesn’t take it get the breast. Then when we wean him he will think if he refuses the bottle he will get the breast so he will be more distressed.


It does make sense but of course I still feel my way is better! We decided to do it hubby’s way because he feels very strongly about it and the truth is that I just don’t know which way will be better. How do you wean your baby off the breast? The fact is no matter what we do our son will be distressed and upset. I am not looking forward to that at all.

As it turns out it doesn’t matter what we agreed on, this boy has decided he is going to be on my breast all the time and there is not much I can do about it. Once again the baby wins the round!

My hubby has been my biggest breastfeeding supporter, encouraging me when things have been hard and helping me in any way he can. Now that I want to wean he is also supporting me 100% and willing to do whatever needs to be done to help me.

On Friday I will collect pills from my doctor to dry up my milk, apparently this takes about 2 days. I am going to move into my daughter’s room for about a week and hubby will sleep with our son until he is off the breast, my milk has dried up and he is on the bottle.

My feelings are very mixed. On the one side I am congratulating myself for a job well done – breastfeeding for a year is not easy! I am also so excited to finally have my body to myself and to have the freedom to eat in a restaurant without flashing a nipple, not be the only one getting up every single night to feed my son, the end of the nipple biting, twisting and general abuse. I am really looking forward to being able to have my son sit on my lap and not ferociously attacking my chest. Breastfeeding does not come naturally to me and I have struggled to make it this far.

The other side is that there is one thing I have enjoyed: it is clear to see how much my son loves breastfeeding. The cuddling and closeness, especially those early morning wake ups lying together in bed. The way he rubs his one hand up and down me in his half asleep state, it is such a loving, sweet moment. When he has a nasty fall or bumps his head and nothing consoles him, to put him on the breast immediately soothes him and within seconds he is calm and comforted.

It is the end of all those incredible moments, a closeness that only a mom breastfeeding her child knows.

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12 comments

  1. Ahh… I feel for you and bubba, it can’t be an easy decision! I hope he doesn’t take it too hard, but sounds like you really need to catch a break. Good luck 🙂

    • I really wish that I have made this decision earlier too it is now 3 years and still have a monster attacking me for my breast 🙁 Its the best thing you can do for yourself and your gogga.Good luck

  2. My baby will be 5 months old in a few days. I havent decided on when to wean as yet, however, I am not looking forward to it. Can’t help but feel a bit guilty and scared at the same time. Whilst I only feed at night, thats our ‘special time’ so the thought of taking that away makes me sad. Just hope it will be better than I think when the time comes 🙁

    • As long as it is working for you and your family no need to worry about it now. Some moms happily breastfeed until their baby decides to self-wean.

  3. I cannot imagine how hard it was for you during this time with him teething and also being so active.

    I think once they are old enough to actually know what they are doing- that is, to know they are feeding, then it’s harder to wean them off it.

    That was the same way for my daughter with the bottle.

    She just kept at it way too long and by time she agreed to wean (obviously she was on solid foods already but just using bottle as a pacifier/comforter), then she cried a lot as she knew what she was losing. 🙁

    I just think maybe it is best to wean them before they are too old.

    Though I know many places suggest one to two years is good. Though possible expressing the milk is the best option for the busy mom, more so than being available all time for baby’s needs in this way.

    Well I know you are doing the best you can for your child and that is what matters. 🙂

    Trust your instincts on this one. I know you will do well.

  4. Katie M Little

    I remember the end of breastfeeding too, that is definitely it! I’ve had three babies and when it was time to stop it was such a mix of emotions! I don’t think you can wean gently in this case at all, you don’t need pills from a doctor, just stand firm for 24hrs – no boob! He won’t starve, he’ll be mightily pissed off and those 24hrs will suck but once you’re through you’ll both be much happier. He won’t want your husband to comfort him either, it’s like pulling off a bandaid… Short and fast with the least mucking about! Much love.

    • Hi Katie

      Oh, I heard pills were needed? But I haven’t tried without pills… so I wouldn’t know 🙂

      Yes he just wanted mommy, it was very sad but like you say it really went very quickly. Well done on breastfeeding your 3 children, it is not easy but it is rewarding 🙂

  5. My son just turned 2 and he refused to take a bottle since birth I’ve tried every bottle, teats and milk on the market he rejected everything. I can dry up my milk but what do i give him during the night?
    Mom desperately in need of advice

  6. I’m currently breastfeeding and my son is 16mths old now, I have noticed a decline in needing it as he’s eating a lot more food now but definitely has it at bedtime and once during the day.
    As I’m a stay at home mum, I’m not too fussed on when to wean him off. With my 2nd child I let her wean herself off, she was 17months and just no longer needed it.

    However, with my first child I struggled with breastfeeding but did so for 6 months, I had it all from bleeding nipples (where I thought my son was bringing up blood) to biting and all sorts! I decided to wean him off it which I realized after talking to a good friend of mine that I was doing it all wrong. I would give in to him which just confused the hell out of the poor baby, until she gave me the word to go 3-5 days straight. Just be prepared for a battle but she guaranteed after this period it would be all over and so we did.

    It took 3 days exactly and lots of tears from both baby and mummy but we got there and he was done with it!

    I have lived by this approach with toilet training and weaning off a pacifier too and it has worked for me, you just need to be prepared that those 3 or so days are not going to be smooth sailing but if you stick with it all will be well. God Bless all you awesome mums out there!

    • Hi Jenny

      Yes I have to agree with you that making a decision to do something with your child and then giving in at the first sight of tears is not going to work because like you say, it will just confuse your baby!

      Weaning from breastfeeding is not easy for mommy or for baby. I found it hard even though I so badly wanted to stop, I felt so sorry for my boy.

      I agree with you totally, most new changes take 3 days of difficulty and then it gets smoother. I found exactly the same thing when I took my daughter off her night bottle. We had 3 tough nights and then she slept through.

  7. Does babies attack the bottle as well and wean themself hahaha i have a bottle baby.

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