BF an 11 month old? Shock Horror!

[Madi]

The comments are starting already! My little man is only 11 months old, and already friends and family are starting to pressure me to wean.
My own sister, who has had two kids of her own, said to me that it was time for me to start weaning myself away from the feeds and that it was more about how I was feeling than what Hudson was wanting :confused: .
Hudson is still on five feeds a day, I have plenty of milk, he eats lots of solids as well. He sleeps through most nights, is a contented little man most days.
He's happy, I'm happy, I don't know why people are making me feel bad. :banghead:
I plan to wean by around 14 months anyway so we can start ttc, but even when I tell people that, I get comments that that is too late.

Thanks for reading, just needed a vent:ecomcity:

Madi.

[subaruforestermum]

My mum BF us until we were 2.....or longer I think... We weren't on her boob all the time, but ....

We grew up fine....do what feels right for you and your little man, I don't see a problem with it...

[Manxie]

Hi:wave: Madi

I havent had the comments yet DD has just turned one but I am waiting for it! To be honest though as I cant be bothered with dealing with peoples attitudes I am just not going to mention it to people. If they see me feed or ask then I'll tell them but otherwise its none of their business.

I'm happy, DD is happy, DH is happy (well not this morning but thats another thread lol!!)

Stick to your guns, its none of their business and yay for breastfeeding!!

[jembelina]

A big fat "ppfffttt" to all those people who are getting on your back about it!! Tell them to mind their own business. As you said, you are happy and your bub is happy - what else matters??! Us bf mothers really should get the WHO recommendations tattoed on our foreheads!
I was lucky enough to get af back while I was still feding so we could ttc and fed ds till 16 months and I was 5 months pregnant!

[Goosie22]

My own sister, who has had two kids of her own, said to me that it was time for me to start weaning myself away from the feeds and that it was more about how I was feeling than what Hudson was wanting :confused: .

I would say it has something to do with how your success is making your sister and others feel about their own achievements with regards to Breastfeeding. You have succeeded and have a happy enjoyable relationship with your baby, you are confident with the choices you have made. It would appear she is envious of you and the connection you obviously have with your baby.

How many times do we hear its only for your benifit? Well its Definitely not for theirs is it:p .

As a previous posted said its not any barrier to TTC.

[Rainbowbrite]

I agree with Goosie :yes:

I've been hearing "its time to wean" since MJ was 6 months old. MJ will decided when she's ready to wean, no-one else :smiliedance:

[shed]

everyone i know feeds till 12 months.

i thought that was standard procedure? Thats what I was planning and that's what DP is definitely planning, unless its just not working anymore.

I can't imagine anyone else saying anything about it. He's our baby not theirs.

I think she needs to worry about her manners more than anything else.

[bigglet]

ohhhhhhhh I get that as well!
I've already had some comments on "weaning" the little one and that she's old enough to stop breastfeeding and that my boobs are going to go saggy if I continue!! :rolleyes:

It's hard to tell people to butt out when they are your family members! They get so offended!! :(

[BJelly]

Hi there, I must be another selfish wierdo because I'm breastfeeding my DD at 18 mths. I'm definitely doing it for her and not for me - I'd love to have a bit more freedom, and get a night to me and my hubby while the grandparents had her for a night - they'd love it too.

I am weaning her but she's still asking for feeds so she gets them when she needs them. EG yesterday she had a really bad cold so she asked for probably 6 feeds yesterday, and I gave them to her because it's a nice comfort for her and she got some extra fluids, nutrition and antibodies. Today she's much better and has only had two feeds(early morning and lunch) and probably will have only one more for the rest of the day.

BTW I'm currently 3 mths pregnant and only had to TTC for 4 mths and I'm an "older" mum at 36 (once your over 30 your fertility is supposed to drop off)- The only thing I changed at the time was to stop the overnight feeds which I wanted to do to protect her teeth anyway.

Sure, some kids self wean before they turn one, and others don't - there's a wide range of normal. Stay strong, there's nothing wrong with you or your bub.

[meme]

well i say YAY for breastfeeding your bubs :smiliedance:

[Karizma]

You know what gets me on this, is if you were FF, you buy formula until they are 12 months, and noone questions it. But BF a baby to then people have a problem with. I am a Formula Feeder personally. But isnt it recommended to feed them the breast or fomula till they are 12 months, when did this change??? :confused:

[Rockett]

I got that all the time from friends who didn't BF.Each time I saw them they would say" Is she on the bottle yet?"
Argghhh it was so frustrating,but immensly satisfying to see the look on their faces when I said nope,we are still going strong with no plans to stop.
I BF till DD self weaned at 15 months.Good on you for going for as long as you have.:yelclap: And tell those people to mind their own business!

[Mum&bubs]

Well im still breastfeeding DD at 16 months & she loves it!! Wean her when your ready & when shes ready. Dont let anyone tell you when the right time is. My sister is still breastfeeding her DD at 22 months. Everyone to their own!

[Pippi Longstocking]

Damn Goosie, ya beat me to it! I was going to respond to this
My own sister, who has had two kids of her own, said to me that it was time for me to start weaning myself away from the feeds and that it was more about how I was feeling than what Hudson was wanting by saying that in turn, it sounds like what your sister is saying is that she is feeling inadequate the longer you feel. her comments were actually about herself, rather than you and your baby. People always try to pressure you to do the same as they did because they feel that anything different is a criticism of their choices. Like if you choose to cosleep, you are saying that putting them in the cot is bad. if you delay solids, then you are saying that they did the wrong thing by introducing solids early etc...It is silly and just demonstrates their own feelings of inadequacy.
Keep up the good work :) . And you can definitely still TTC while breasfeeding *looks pointedly at own 7yo daughter, conceived while son was exclusively breastfed* :o

[Madi]

Thank you all for your support:D I also never thought twice about bf till 12 months until the comments started - I've just been feeling grateful that I've been able to. We had a pretty rocky start to feeding (bub was prem and tube fed for the first week, and we had attachment probs) but especially since we passed the three month mark, it's been so easy.
My sister fed until two months with her two kids, then stopped after she returned to work full time, so it's probably pretty accurate to say that the issues are hers. It seems a bit hypocritial considering her kids had bottles until 15-16 months.:rolleyes:
It's just hard being made to feel like I'm doing something wrong when I feel like I'm doing something very right! Usually things like this doesn't bother me, it's just been so unexpected.
Re TTC - I'm a insulin dependant diabetic, and even after a year of bf, I still find that it affects my blood sugar levels quite badly. I need at least a couple of months to get them under control before we ttc. Otherwise there would be no immediate plans to stop feeding. :)

Thanks again for your support.

Madi.

[bec79]

Coming from a family of breastfeeders, (mum, sis, aunties, etc) I always thought that it was the 'norm' to breastfeed babies for as long as they wanted to.
So it came as a real shock to me, when people started constantly asking me if dd was 'on the bottle yet?' Yes, call me naive, but it wasn't until some time later that I sadly learnt that b'feeding after 6 months isn't as widely accepted as I thought it was. Its a sad state of affairs.

[Sherrie]

I got those comments especially the you'll get saggy boobs ones when mine was almost 6 months then a few months ago it was suggested to me to put mine on toddler formular to give me a break (mine is almost 16months).

But thats it really, I don't think anyone dares to say it to me now hehe

Mine still is a frequent feeder and I have had my periods from about 8 weeks after birth despite the 2 hours feeds.

[MordecaiAliVanAllenO'Shea]

Just tell them that the WHO recommends bfeeding till 2yrs. I think a lot stop at 12mnths because then you can wean them straight to cows milk instead of worrying about formula if you want to stop, but they continue to benefit from antibodies etc after 12mnths.
Mel

[BubbaNoogie]

I breastfeed my eldest until she was 3 years 2 months!! I got "comments" :ecomcity: but just ignored them. I am planning on breastfeeding new bubba as long as possible too. :fingerscrossed: :thumbsup:

[Milly]

I hope to breastfeed my DS for over a year like I did with my fist, but a bit longer (13 months for DD). We only weaned when I became pregnant with my second and when a few other things happened. But I was geting the wind up comments from a few friends around the 11 month mark too. I ignored them though:D . A friend was telling me that she found it 'just wrong' to breastfeed a toddler:rolleyes: On the positive though, another friend and I have a good fun joke about beating each other and our own personal milestones for breastfeeding length record. She did 11 months and I did 13 months with our first, and if our kids are wanting too, we want to do even longer again and get to the WHO 2 year recommendation. So, I have support there from a friend and many of my cousins breastfed well into their babies second year. :)

[stellarella]

My mum BF me til I was 22 months.

I intend to BF as long as bub wants it. I would be sad if he wanted to wean too early.

Just tell anyone who comments that bub will be continuing to get the wonderful health benefits of breat milk for as long as both of you want.

[tera]

Gee some people just dont know when to butt out. I have been getting comments for over 18 months, is she still on the boob, you're crazy, thats disgusting shes too old. Mind you my daughter will be 2 in 2 weeks. I didnt plan on bf her this long it just happened. I bf both her brothers for 14 months each and got all the same comments.

Go with your heart and what you and baby want. Mind you though I think I've had enough but she hasnt.:o

Take Care
Tera

[stellaj]

Madi- good on you. I think the other ppl have the problem not you, geez ,sorry for trying to give my son the best start in life, sorry that i like it, he likes it and it is a special thing between the 2 of us:mad: Grrrrrrrr. Congrats on being a fantastic mum and don't let others stop you doing what you think is best for your son.

[pookiesossige]

People always try to pressure you to do the same as they did because they feel that anything different is a criticism of their choices. Like if you choose to cosleep, you are saying that putting them in the cot is bad. if you delay solids, then you are saying that they did the wrong thing by introducing solids early etc...It is silly and just demonstrates their own feelings of inadequacy.

Wow- that is such a good anaysis of this kind of behaviour from family. My family would support me really well I think- except my DH's granny who thought I should stop before now (Ariene is 4 months! :eek: ) but I don't let it get to me. It's a cultural thing for her anyway, she had servants and a wet nurse in Sth Africa to care for my MIL and really doesn't have a clue about what goes on :rolleyes: Water off a duck's back!

[Jo_Jo]

It,s funny, but i have found being older and ready to attack...lol i have had no comments about breastfeeding ethan and he is 17 months and i feel the same im going to keep going untill he turns 2, my mum comments all the time to me on how she admires my sister and i for going so long as mum breastfed to 5 months with the 3 of us so she really builds the old self esteem.....i think some other family members have wanted too but are not game..lol i found when i was younger with my first 2 i had comments thrown at me all the bloody time and it did affect the way i felt about breastfeeding when really i needed more support at 17 and 22, the MIL commented all the time in a negative manner towards breastfeeding but i have found now at 33 no one will mess with me about it and the comments i have had have been all pro breastfeeding:smiliedance: i have a good friend that has no kid,s and she ask,s me stuff all the time about breastfeeding but in a curious way!! she thought that at 12 months the baby just stops breastfeeding and your milk just stops she was amazed when i told her how it works...lol:laughing: i loooooooove breastfeeding my little man!!


cheers..jo

[Jodiee]

:yelclap: Good on you for breastfeeding that long, well done.


I b/f all mine bar 1 for around the 18mnth mark, and it was flippin fantastic, it was, for me, Mummy and bubby time, bonding time, and also sitting, relaxing time.

This time, I will do it for as long as it takes, even if its a couple of years, I am soooooo looking forward to breastfeeding again. so looking forward to giving my baby the nutrients, protection and everything that goes along with it.

On another note, some may disagree, but my friend at ballet b/f her daughter until she was just over 4, and her daughter used to call it "Mummys chocolate, yummy mummies chocolate", it was gorgeous, and she took lots of flack for it, but stood up to herself, and did a fantastic job, I am very proud of her.

[motherlylove]

I agree with Goosie :yes:

I've been hearing "its time to wean" since MJ was 6 months old. MJ will decided when she's ready to wean, no-one else :smiliedance:

yep people are amazed when they find out i still bf who cares my bub is 1 on 22september and i am proud i have fed her this long she doesn't look like giving up her boobie anytime soon