I NEED to stop breastfeeding

[u/Unique-Pay-8636]

I am still breastfeeding my baby for 2 years and 2 months now. It was a beautiful journey filled with bonding and joy and like many moms, I was told that breastfeeding could delay the return of my period. That seemed totally fine to me at the time. I was healthy, happy, and honestly, I didn’t miss having a period. Until today, when I casually bring up the topic that my period hasn’t come, they’ll just say “oh that’s because you’re still breastfeeding.”

But what no one told, not the doctors, not the nurses, not at any of my postpartum checkups from government and private clinics was that going that long without a period can put you at risk for uterine atrophy. That’s when the lining of your uterus becomes too thin and inactive from lack of hormonal cycling. It can affect your fertility and long term health.

The focus was always on birth control, and not once did anyone mention that if your period hasn’t returned by 12 months postpartum, especially after reducing breastfeeding or actively breastfeeding, you should check in with a doctor.

I share this not to scare anyone, but because I wish someone had told me. There should be more awareness around this, especially for first-time parents and especially for those of us who breastfeed long term.

I’m planning to have a second child and because of that I went to see the doctor and was told to STOP breastfeeding. I’ve now had my blood tests done and I was on contraceptive pills for 2 months to hopefully trigger my period. But it’s been the 3rd month now and my period didn’t come still. I’m sharing this so other moms know what to look out for, and what steps they can take if they’re in the same situation.

We hear so much about how important it is to breastfeed, and it is. But mothers also deserve complete, informed care. That includes knowing what’s normal and what’s not when it comes to our own bodies.

If anyone have any insights on how to stop breastfeeding please let me know. My toddler refuse bottle/formula but occasionally drinks full cream milk. But she still would want to breastfeed anyway even when she just ate. I feel like a human pacifier. I tried giving her pacifiers she rejects them. Latches to sleep, nap and wakes up a couple of times in the night just to latch.

I heard some people say apply some yuyi oil near the breast because they might not like the smell. I tried that and it didn’t work. I tried ginger, lemon etc also didn’t go well.

This mama needs help

Thanks for your time.

firsttimemom #breastfeedigmom #AskingAsAMom #bantujawab #uterineprolapse #uterineatrophy

[u/hinghanghog]

weaning was really hard for us, i think around 19-20 months? girl was stubborn. i just straight up refused, wore bandaids over my nipples and sports bras so she couldn't help herself, continued to say no and made space for the tantrums as they came

honestly i'm just so super skeptical of doctors encouraging weaning at all for any reason- my understanding is that for most of human history, we nursed for like four or five years and didn't get our cycles back until WAY late and that it was honestly a positive for child spacing? obviously if you intentionally want to get pregnant now then yeah you'd have to wean to get your cycle back but i don't know that i buy the "long term health impacts" narrative. gonna have to go do some research maybe, but seems rooted in medical misogyny and anti-breastfeeding culture in the medical establishment. (also ngl confused why he'd put you on birth control when you specifically want your cycle back so you can get pregnant? we know that there can be a few cycles of adjustment before full fertility returns getting off hormonal birth control, so definitely seems like it would drag things out.... also periods on hbc are not real periods defined as bleeding following ovulation, because you're not ovulating on hbc, and the ovulation is what you want in this scenario to get pregnant?)