WHEN CAN I STOP BFing!?

[Adelheid]

I know that there are so many moms that just love breastfeeding and are sad to let that time go.
I cherish the time I have had with my 5mo old, but am honestly SICK of it.  Ok, not quite that dramatically, but still.

So here is what I am wondering: I am itching to phase her out of breastfeeding but am not sure how to do it. I offered some formula the other day via bottle but it was firmly rejected.
My Son was EBF until 8months until he decided one weekend he was not interested anymore. I was sad about it but also relieved.
My now 5mo DD seems far more baby-ish than he was. He was happy to start a formula bottle at 5/6mo via cup and straw and could STTN too. She wakes at minimum 2x and can't quite get past a 3.5hr EASY.

Am I just being to impatient?
Ok and here is the real reason I am wanting to stop BF (though I AM sick of it too). I want to get pregnant again! Last time I didn't get a period back until my DS sttn and I could do a formula bottle for his DF. I REALLY would like this next one to be close in age too, so I guess I am just getting stressed that she will never STTN and I will be BF forever.

Should I just stick it out? Wait until 6mo at least and then try to drop NFs? I don't know. The box of Formula in the cupboard seems like such an easy solution, but then again, I've never had to bottle feed at night. No idea how that works.

Any thoughts?

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

Has she ever taken ebm from a bottle? If not that might be something to try before formula just to intro the bottle. At this age a 3.5 hr EASY and 2 NF's are completely normal. I mix fed my first 2 babies from early on and tbh the nf's were just easier to do as bf! So I chose to replace the bedtime feed as then dh could do it as at the end of the day I was usually at the end of my rope lol and then I got a break.

[michaeljacknnugg]

She's old enough for a soft spouted cup at 5mo, I've just bought some that say 4mo+. Maybe try that instead of a bottle?

Life tends to throw at us what we need rather than what we want (she says, holding her 'surprise baby'). Maybe your dd is trying to tell you that you need to wait a bit longer for another baby? To enjoy her for a bit?

[*Ali*]

You can stop whenever you like but it does sound like your DD is happy to continue and won't wean easily. She is still tiny and milk her main source of nutrition so if you wean now she would need formula until at least 1yo. Of course formula offers no immunity so she wouldn't benefit from that at all.

How do you feel about waiting until 6mo when you can start giving solids in significant quantities and she will need less feeds? It's totally possible to get pregnant while breastfeeding, I did!

[weaver]

You can stop whenever you want. It's your choice whether you BF or FF your baby. No one makes that choice but you. 

And yes it is certainly possible to get pg while BFing (yes, me too!), and no two pgs are the same, so don't bet it'll be the same this time as it was last. It is also perfectly possible to BF all through a pg and to tandem feed the two children.  If you're looking for an "excuse", pg isn't it!!

Your LO is tiny and really needs your support now.  Even if you stop BFing this minute, she will still need the same amount of feeding, including at night but you'll have to do with all with bottles, which strikes me as more work.  A 5 mo *should* be babyish!  It seems a real pity (for you) not to enjoy what you've got (a beautiful 5 mo) because you're thinking of something you might have. 

I wonder why you're "sick" of it? What bothers you about it?