how long ???????

[munchkin05]

just wanted to ask everyones opinion

how long did you breast feed for and how old do you think a baby should be before you say enough is enough ?

ben is 10mths and everyone (my mum friends and strangers) keep telling me i shouldnt still be feeding him
i dont feel i should have to give up yet

am i being silly

[*Sal*]

No you are definitely not being silly. You should breastfeed your child for as long as you are both comfortable.

My daughter turned two the day after her last breastfeed, and my son was weaned at 18 months. I would have gone longer if they wanted it. By the age of 14 months or so they were only having boobie last thing at night, so no-one else had to see it. But if it offends other people, that's their problem.

[Goosie22]

I Breastfeed my first to well into his 3rd year and he gradually self weaned (his idea ), I planned on doing the same with No 2, but he had other ideas and weaned abruptly at 15 months ( I am still grieving the loss of my breastfeeding relationship with him........he on the other had dosnt care at all)

Personally, I think its a childs right to be breastfed untill they no longer need it. The Who recommend Breastfeeding exclusivley for 6 months then continued on for 2 years at least. Breastmilk contains among other things enzymes and hormones that actually help to finish the development of your childs immune system, central nervous system, digestive system and their emotional state without it they will be at risk of various disease processes and will not develop as well as they could. Extended or Full term breastfeeding is also helpful to us mums aswell as it cuts our risk of developing type 2 diabetes, breast/uterine/ovarian Cancer and osteoporosis.

here is some links to get some more info.
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/start/prepare/bf-benefits.html

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/bfextended/ebf-benefits.html

http://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/bfinfo/general.html

[draught]

I feed DD1 until she was 13 months and DD2 until she was 18 months. Ignore the family - breast milk, if you are able to feed, is best and as Goosie says - the world health organisation recommend feeding until 2 years so at 10 months you are certainly not doing anything "unusual"!

[drewid]

14 months and still going :D

I have to say, I just assumed in the beginning that it would only be 6 months - that was the only recommendation I had heard at the time. At 6 months I couldn't even have IMAGINED giving it up.

We are only having 2 feeds now, first thing in the morning and last thing at night and I won't be doing anything about dropping them - Andrew will decide when he's ready to move on. I'm not looking forward to it, its such a special thing to share together.

Oh, I'm getting teary.

[Oscar's mum]

14 months and still going :D




Theirs that parallel life again Noo!:laughing:

Well for me it's exactly the same as Noo, 14 months and still going!;)

[Rainbowbrite]

11 months & not stopping any time soon :thumbsup: I plan to let MJ wean herself when she's ready :smiliedance:

[Jinx]

I can't believe that people are telling you that you shouldn't still be breast feeding a 10 month old - how silly!! I b/fed DS1 until he was about 13months and will prob do the same with DS2 but I won't make that decision just yet.

The decision is completely up to you - do it for as long as you (and bub) enjoy it and feel comfortable and don't let anyone else make that decision for you. :)

[ButterflyKisses]

it's your baby and at 10 months he still is *a baby*, it's your body, your boobs and frankly *your business*.

I'd ignore what they are saying to you.

[Jem]

I guess its up to both you and bubs, only you can make that decision.
im still BF ds2 who is 11 months,
i must say i want my boobies back soon, so im planning to introduce him to cows milk with-in the next few weeks. :)

[Sherrie]

I got those same comments from MIL when my daughter was 6 months, she then went on to tell me how much my boobs will sag because I have been feeding for 6 months and how her son will have to get me a boob job :eek:

Last time my daughter was sick I was then told by the lady in the chemist I shouldn't breastfeed her because it will make her congested and then from the receptionist at the doctors I was told I should be feeding her water because she weighs 12-13kg which was more then her grandaughter weighed at 3 years old. :rolleyes:

[Rainbowbrite]

Its sad really. You get rude looks/comments if you bottle feed before 6 months, BUT if you bf after 6months people look disgusted :eek:

It doesnt bother me though. If my family comment about MJ still being bf then i purposly go, get her & give her a bf :p

[Goosie22]

Last time my daughter was sick I was then told by the lady in the chemist I shouldn't breastfeed her because it will make her congested and then from the receptionist at the doctors I was told I should be feeding her water because she weighs 12-13kg which was more then her grandaughter weighed at 3 years old. :rolleyes:

Sorry you had to put up with such idiots, just for the record my oldest son was 12kg by 6months on Boobie alone. Its hard when someone who should no better than to give advice does and it was so wrong too.

[Sherrie]

Yeah needless to say I am not going back to either!

The bit that annoys me the most is if I was someone else that doesn't have internet access and research this stuff then being the position they were in I would have beleived them!

Its like the first night after my daughter was born I had a midwife/nurse have a go because I wasn't giving her a dummy! :eek:

[Briannabear]

I used to hate people asking me when I was planning on giving up breastfeeding.
I bf my daughter until she was 10 months. She weaned herself off and broke my heart! :crying: I wanted to bf until 12 months at least, but obviously she had other plans!

I plan to do the same for this bub too. I love breastfeeding!!
My MIL used to always make comments about how any babies breastfed past 9 months turn into sooky babies. What a load of rot! :laughing: I used to just laugh and say 'well I dont really agree with you on that one!'. She brought it up the other day again too - and I retailiated by saying "Well Brianna was breastfed until 10 months and isnt the slightest bit sooky is she!'. She just went "Oh I guess not!". Haha! Take that! :shame:

Stick to your guns. You are your baby's mother, not anyone else. Breastfeeding is a special time - dont let anyone make you feel like you're not doing the right thing. :smiliedance:

[the_queen]

I unfortunately had to stop breastfeeding Vallerie:crying: at about 16 weeks old, after her cleft lip repair surgery.

My personal belief, what I think is best for me and my family, is to breastfeed until the child wants to stop. I'll be doing the whole "Child Led Weaning" thang with Chomper.

It's such an emotive issue, and everybody (and their neighbour's cousin's dog's ex-fiancee) has an opinion about it.

[JE's Mum]

Like Noo and Oscar's Mum we are almost 14 months and still having two breastfeeds a day (morning and night). We had such a difficult time getting the whole breastfeeding thing going (had to feed with a nipple shield for the first 5 months) that I have been reluctant to give it up and I feel really proud that we made it this far. Just ignore them - they have no idea what they are talking about. Anyway, the WHO recommendation is 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding and some breastmilk until 2. That said, I don't think we will make it that far - going back to work makes it more difficult!

[becca74]

I have had varying experiences with bf...unfortunately my dh coerced me into giving up bf'ing at 12 months with my 1st, but since then I have told him to b*gger off about it (grown stronger!!).....but I have to say, the experience I was having was that my ds was having his nightly suck, and was enjoying it for comfort till my milk let down, and then he would come off the boob and spit the milk out. He just wanted to comfort, not the milk anymore. He would get frustrated and upset when my milk came out, so my dh figured that he was ready to finish bf'ing, and I went along with it.....maybe it was the right time (he wasnt hungry for it), but it annoys me that I let someone pester me into the decision to stop....should have been between my and my ds I think!

By ds2, I was a bit more militant about it, and dh could just go st*ff himself! But bizarrely ds2 gave up of his own accord at 11months, and would only take water from a cup after that, which totally freaked me out. (He had only had the odd bottle of ebm during the first couple of months of his life, but never a bottle since then, so never liked them).....so, would have gone on much longer, but I couldnt really argue with ds2's decision to stop....

DS3, however, I had fully intended to carry on and tandem feeding after I had this current baby due in June, and managed to feed him for the first few months of pregnancy, but as my anxiety disorder kicked in (for other reasons) and wow it really hurt (prob because I was tense and I had huge morning sickness), so I just gave up when DS3 was 22 months old.......luckily DS3 really didnt care, and went to bed peacefully the night I stopped, and started sleeping thru the whole night from that point forward.....I truly wish I had the ability to have gone on further, but I think 22 months aint that bad, considering some people dont even bother to begin bf'ing in the first place!

So I think it works both ways.....I prefer to wait till the baby is ready to say 'when', but sometimes I think there are times when mummy needs to say 'when'. Bf'ing is a 2-way relationship, and both parties have to be capable of giving 100%......so do what you feel is best for you and your baby, and ignore the pressure to do anything different from any outside person ;)

[*Chels*]

my MIL said i should wean riley onto a bottle soon,asking how much longer i would feed him for.i said i would do at least a year,if not 2 and see how it goes."oh no,thats too long!!" she said!!what a biatch!i said,"look they reccommend doing it for at least 2 years,and its not like he will still be having just milk at 2 years!!"
some people!!!do it for as long as you both want too!its nobodys bloody business!!!they are only babies for such a short time,cherish it while it lasts!!!

[Bronte Pot-Pot]

just wanted to ask everyones opinion

ben is 10mths and everyone (my mum friends and strangers) keep telling me i shouldnt still be feeding him
i dont feel i should have to give up yet

am i being silly

This comment incensed me so much I haven't got as far as reading what other people said I just wanted to answer straight away - HOW COULD THEY! You have every right to feed *your* baby for as long as you and he want!

Ohhhh that would make me so angry if I had friends and family like that - the friends may not get a serve but my mum probably would and I would probably start spending less time with the friends that didn't support my decision and spend more time with the ones that did.

DON'T you dare give up because of what they say.

sorry if I was a bit full on there but really that just made mad! :mad:

Be strong stick up for want you want :)

[doin'mybest]

My DS is 12 1/2 months and has just cut back to 4 BF a day! I will continue BF well after his 2nd bday if that's what he wants - even if it means tandem feeding.

I've had similar comments from my mil. I don't really give a rats what anyone else thinks. This is my baby and I'm gonna do what i know is best for him - not quit just cos everyone else thinks i should.

[munchkin05]

thanks for all the advice guys

i want ben to self wean cause then its taken out of my hands and i hopefully wont feel like im taking something away from him

we had lots of problems with breast feeding to start with and i was nearly ready to put him on the bottle by the time he was 1 mth old but i got through that and after all mine and bens hard work i just think it should be up to him to finish with the boob when hes ready

but thanks again guys its made me feel like im doing the right thing again :D

[vavavanny]

My son is 15 months and I am still breast feeding him.

I get told every second day (family, friends, strangers) that he is too old to be breast fed - I let those 'opinions' fly over my head.

It's natural and beautiful to breast feed if you can. We're lucky to be able to.
I dont know what the natritunal value of the my breastmilk is for him at this age, but we're both happy.

I do not plan to stop breast feeding just yet, unless he decided that he preferred cow's milk, or I was to get pregnant again.

Good luck with YOUR decision - dont let anyone else make that decision for you :)

[Bronte Pot-Pot]

I am heartened to see all the support you have received in this thread :-)


bron

[mummybeast]

This makes me really mad sometimes ... it is no-one else's business except yours & the baby's how long you feed him for. I had a paedeatrician (?spelling) at the hospital once tell me that #2 was "spoilt" because she was totally BF at age 7months & had no interst in solids (that is a whole other story!). I got so cross, I wrote to the hospital PR dept, and ended up getting a written apology from the dr. concerned.

I BF for 12months with #1 when she decided there were more interesting things to do, and 17mths with #2. I had to stop with #2 because she bit me so hard it has left 2 scars ... but she was only in it for the cuddles by that stage, once I stopped offering, she didn't try, and it was onyl at bedtime by that time anyway, her choice.

[Milly]

I breastfed DD for 13 months and hope to breastfeed my son for a bit longer than that. He is really sensitive (easliy iritable skin etc) and it looks like he may react to things, so he may be breastfed for a while yet:D WHO recommend 2 years plus, so heaps of time to keep breastfeeding. No need to wean at all if you and your baby don't want to.

I personally think breastfeeding is great and to keep at it if you want to!

[vanillabean]

I gave up breastfeeding (DD sort of gave up too) only about 2 months ago at 12 1/2 months, purely because each and every time she fed, she bit me and I mean hard. I probably would have been happy to feed her till about 18 months.

[aardvark]

My thinking is that you feed the child until they no longer require it, either for nourishment, or for emotional needs.

I fed both my daughters until well after their 3rd birthday (one of them is now 15, so prolonged breastfeeding back then was quite uncommon), and they gradually weaned themselves.

I'm intending to do the same with DS, regardless of what anyone may comment. My reply to them is MYOB.

It's especially nice to be able to breastfeed your toddler after a day away from them at work, and it is so reassuring to have boob on offer if they are sick and off their food, even if they are 2 or 3 years old.

[Rockett]

I'm still feeding almost 15 month old DD,though we are down to only once a day now.:)

OP, feed your baby for as long as you want to!

[Bessie]

It seems there will always be opinionated people around, sometimes u just can't win! They are always worse with 1st time mums though... grrr :no:
I breastfed dd until 11mths, she weaned herself, then ds at 14mths... I missed it when they both stopped! With dd, I remember getting the "advice" to wean her at 4 months at a playgroup, I felt very intimidated (was younger than the other mumss) but persisted, glad I did as both kids are very fit and healthy... dd is a right little brain box too!
I want to feed the next bub for as long as possible, but I had a scare last year with fibrocystic disease (breast cysts) and I'm due for a mammogram, but they can't do it until I have given birth and finished bf :crying: this is because bf boobs are spongier and stuff doesn't show up... so I will have to ask a professional I think.

[Mummy_Johnno]

Hi everyone

I have just had my son Lucas and am breast feeding. I love it! He feeds every 3 hours and i am expressing a bottle a day to put in the freezer 'just in case something happens' :)

Can i ask a silly question .............. how do babies 'self ween' themselves off your breast?

I am gonna need support keeping going with the feeding and especially when i have to breast feed in public ( i am at the stage where i just have to have my boobs out to feed ........ no discreet feeding here ) I hope this is the place to get that support.

BTW ... i am planning to feed Lucas as long as he is happy to do so .............

Take Care

[Goosie22]

Can i ask a silly question .............. how do babies 'self ween' themselves off your breast?

You breastfeed them untill they no longer want it, usually after about 2.5years but some do it before (they are in the minority). Weaning before this age is usally associated with some kind of prompting, be it routines, bottles, dummies or cups. There is plenty of information on the internet and from the people here to keep you going.

[mamachops]

If you're happy with it, go for it.Why do people feel the right to offer their opinions to near strangers???? If anyone did this to me I swear I would love to jsut tell them to f*** off!

Just one thing though. It is advisable to stop BFing before they get their adult teeth though, because BM is high in sugars and can cause decay very quickly as it's in contact with the teeth for a long time. Although the occasional feed probably wouldn't be a problem.