how much breastfeeding? help please

Casey - posted on 12/23/2009

haha ok thanks for letting me know i never heard them before

Katie - posted on 12/23/2009

DD=dear daughter, DD=dear son, DH=dear husband, LO=little one...there are more too. I'm really used to using these abbreviations because they're used often on the babycenter message boards. I noticed that people don't really use them much on here though.

Casey - posted on 12/23/2009

thats great to hear and thanks everyone also haha what is DD?

Tara Lee - posted on 12/22/2009

I think it's great! My DD is 15 months old and still BF many times a day and once or twice a night. As I work at home, I see no reason to stop and plan to allow her to self-ween. although I am actually dredding it. I know I'll miss it more than her. My DD refussed to drink any milk other than my milk and thats ok too. She eats 4 - 6 times a day along with her bfings and drinks juice and water from a sippy cup. She is healthy and happy and thats what matters. She also gets so excited to bf. My husband and I think its adorable how happy she gets at bf time.
Great job, keep it up!

Casey - posted on 12/22/2009

Quoting Clarissa:

Sounds great! My son gets excited too... I think it is the Mommy time he loves. The only thing that you might want to start cutting back on is the night feedings. I think he is doing that more for his comfort than for nutrional value. He sounds like he is on a routine that will continune if you do not stop it. When my son was teething, he wanted to nurse at night. I gave in for about a week but then realized that waking up twice at night is not normal. I stopped and he now sleeps through the night without nursing.

But yes... nurse him as much as he wants throughout the day! :)

yeah i thought this too about comfort but i just heard that we are co sleeping so its just gonna confuse him like ok my mom and her milk is next to me i smell it and want it but cant have it?? lol i no it sounds crazy but is that how he is also he has never slept though the night that i can remeber but maybe once. i think he gets thirsty and maybe his mouth is dry. i have tried giving him water in a bottle at likr 5 mths it was warm too. to confuse him and see if he would just drink that and go back to bed but no luck. he knows if i am feeding him a bottle my milk is near and thats what he has his mind set on; haha i just dont no cause he co sleeps!

Emily - posted on 12/21/2009

Sounds normal to me too! actually sounds exactly like how my son was at a year.

Clarissa - posted on 12/20/2009

Sounds great! My son gets excited too... I think it is the Mommy time he loves. The only thing that you might want to start cutting back on is the night feedings. I think he is doing that more for his comfort than for nutrional value. He sounds like he is on a routine that will continune if you do not stop it. When my son was teething, he wanted to nurse at night. I gave in for about a week but then realized that waking up twice at night is not normal. I stopped and he now sleeps through the night without nursing.



But yes... nurse him as much as he wants throughout the day! :)

Teresa - posted on 12/20/2009

What you decide to do is up to you. Personally, I'd keep going as you are. At that age my son was averaging 7-10 times in a 24 hour period. At 21 months now it is only a little less cuz we are night weaning. Sometimes I can get him to not nurse til 6 am. Other mornings it's 4-5ish and again at 6-7....

Katie - posted on 12/20/2009

I don't really know how long we'll go for. My views of breastfeeding have changed so much from before I was pregnant, to when I was pregnant, and then the past year with my son. Before I became pregnant I never really even thought about going longer than 6 months. Now, I really like the idea of self weaning. And I even find the thought of breastfeeding a 3 or 4 year old somewhat intriguing. I feel so lucky that I was able to be successful with breastfeeding in the beginning and even more lucky that we've come this far. It really is a wonderful thing.

April - posted on 12/20/2009

seems like both of you are enjoying it...just go with the little guys cues! :)

Andrea - posted on 12/20/2009

He sounds normal to me! My daughter will be one on Christmas Eve & she nurses about 4 times during the day & 1-2 times at night. I plan on night weaning her after she is a year old & then following her cues for total weaning. I'd like to nurse her through flu & cold season, but don't see myself nursing much past 18 months, that's just me though. You should nurse your son as long as both of you both want to nurse.

Minnie - posted on 12/20/2009

I am allowing my daughter to self-wean. She's 14 months old, and I nurse her whenever she wants it. She nurses a couple of times an hour of a few minutes each, longer sessions for nap and going to sleep, and wakes a few times a night to nurse for about five minutes and then goes back to sleep. I am letting her take the initiative to decrease how much she nurses.



True self-weaning, when not prodded by mother and when the child is allowed to satisfy comfort needs at the breast typically does not occur prior to 2 1/2 years.

Casey - posted on 12/20/2009

thank you. i just want to make him happy and im a stay at home mom so i dont see why stopping and making life harder when he loves it so much! how long do you see yourself bfeeding?

Katie - posted on 12/20/2009

He sounds pretty normal to me. My son just turned a year and still nurses just as often as your little guy. I still haven't introduced cow's milk either. If you don't want to cut back or start the weaning process then just go with the flow and follow your little guy's cues:)