Nursing past 6 months....

Sarh - posted on 11/24/2010

I know it is recommended till 2 yrs, I still feel a bit weird about it, but I should be fine if we wean about 12 months.

Teresa - posted on 11/24/2010

Keep nursing, start cereal and solids, introduce different ways of eating like bottle, cup and spoon, that way at a year the transistion will be easier. There is nothing wrong with nursing your baby past 6 months, infact it is recommended up through 2 years. Although I prefer to stop before they are 18 months.

Sarh - posted on 11/24/2010

Yea, when Cade is sick he wakes up about ever hour! I bet it does suck while being pregnant. I wanted to sleep constantly, but pregnancies are really hard on my body, and my crazy butt wants to have twins! lol. Night time cuddles are the best, I love those when baby is sick (aside from him being sick that is). We don't have the night time cuddling time so Cade and I just take a short nap or watch tv for a bit together (more talking to each other then watching tv lol).
I would LOVE to get 7 hrs of sleep!

Laura Zoey - posted on 11/24/2010

Eric still wakes up once or twice on a good night, when he is sick like now it's more like four times a night. Sucks while I'm preggo and want more sleep. But I like our night time cuddles, and I really will miss it when he grows out of it.
But I do hope he isn't needing me so much in the nights by his second birthday cuz when the baby comes I'd really like to not have to wake up for both kids all night!
Eric sleeps usually 11hours total, but since being sike right now he is only sleeping 9 hours which sucks cuz I'd like to get 8-9hrs but I'm only able to get 7 or so recently.
I know I'll get plenty of uninterrupted sleep one day, but for now it's ok!

Sarh - posted on 11/24/2010

Oh wow! That is craziness! I couldn't imagine that! I'm thankful that Cade started sleeping 7hrs a night at about a month old, then 9hrs at about 2.5 months old and since about 3 months old he has been sleeping 9-12hrs a night. Sometimes longer, but I end up waking him because it makes me nervous. I'm still stuck on his schedule from when we brought him home, I can't fall asleep till 3a.m. and then I have to be up at 6a w/my daughter to get her to school. :(
I hope your baby wont have reflux either. I hope it is all up hill from here!!!

Laura Zoey - posted on 11/24/2010

oh thats great! my friends daughter had reflux, but i think she didnt spit up much, she just was in alot of pain and couldnt sleep much at a time. it was aweful for her mom, because until they got a better dose of medicine the baby was waking to breastfeed at least every two hours in the night for a 45min feed for the full first year! then she took her to a new dr and he immediately said the dose was too small and got it fixed, now the baby sleeps 14 hours straight every night! im so jealous of my friend but i think she deserves it! she was so patient that year and now she gets some rest finally.

im thankful Eric didnt have reflux, and im hoping this little baby wont either, i hate seeing babies in pain! im glade Cade is getting over it. it should all be uphill from here with his reflux right?

Sarh - posted on 11/24/2010

Laura, he is a perfectly normal boy! Even at 13, somethings on my brother's hands are gross to him. lol. And I'm not talking about poop. haha.
I don't use bibs w/Cade either and he only gets a bath twice a week, unless his reflux gets bad and spits up, but that has been to a bare minimum recently!!!!! So exciting, I think he is finally growing out of that, I haven't given him the medication in about 2 weeks now, but he is getting solids twice a day now, I way prefer the solids then medication! He is finally SO happy!! :)

Laura Zoey - posted on 11/24/2010

I'm glad erics not the only boy who is so against being dirty! I think it's awesome, but I worried he was not a 'normal' boy!
I do love it that we haven't had to use bibs and we only need to bathe him twice a week. There are some perks to a clean boy! But I guess it won't last forever.... :)

Laura Zoey - posted on 11/24/2010

Becky, just FYI, the health recommendation is to breastfeed two years. Bottles cause jaw and tooth damage whic is why they say to stop at a year, but sucking from the breast actually creates a strong jaw and the milk protects the teeth as well as gives them immunities so that's why they say to breastfeed two years minimum. American academy of family physicians says that 'a child weaned before two years is at increased risk of illness'
Self weaning is between the ages of 2.5-7 years.

Becky - posted on 11/24/2010

btw... my son has 2 teeth adn cutting his third.. he tried biting a few times at the very beginning but after me telling him no and flicking my finger on his mouth a couple of times when he did, he hasn't done it for nearly a month now

Becky - posted on 11/24/2010

my son is 7 months old and i'm still nursing him exclusively.. i dont think there's anything weird about that at all. As he is very active, this is a special moment I get with him..especially sicne he never lets me cuddle him otherwise.. i plan to nurse him unless he self weans himself until his first birthday... as it is normal to BF or feed formula and urged to by AAP until First bday

Julianne - posted on 11/23/2010

when i first started feeding my daughter, i had the intention of only feeding her until 6 months or she got teeth. i didnt want to be bitten, but you and your child need this time, and i didnt realize how important it would actually be. She has 3 teeth, doesnt bite is 11months old and still feeding. I wasnt ready to stop, and if you dont want to, dont force yourself, you may just regret it when hes older.

Sarh - posted on 11/23/2010

Laura & April, my little brother was the same way about the hands being dirty! Then when he was about 2 you could NOT cut up his food because then it was "Broken" and it like devastated him! Unfortunately for my mom now he is a messy teenage boy! haha. I hate my hands being dirty, but my daughter could care less, she would walk around filthy if I allowed it. lol

And I am going to try the baby led weaning! Hopefully it goes well for us.

April - posted on 11/23/2010

@ Laura..my little man is just like Eric! He HATED being spoon fed! I offered the jar stuff until his first birthday and he maybe ate 1 or 2 whole jars from the time he was 6 months. I'm doing the same as you...with my next baby I'm going baby led weaning style all the way! my little guy hates to get his hands dirty too!! He accidentally got ketchup on his hands the other day and had a fit over it! lol!

Sarh - posted on 11/23/2010

Thanks! I was sort of lost at first. haha. Well that is reassuring, I think I may be pregnant, just too nervous to have a test done yet. :)

Laura Zoey - posted on 11/23/2010

Tanith, I suggest the book called "adventures in tandem nursing." and also a great one "mothering your nursing toddler" oh and one I'm trying to get called "breastfeeding older children" it sounds great, but I have to order it online, I guess barnes and noble doesn't think it's a book that would sell :)

Tanith - posted on 11/23/2010

Awesome Laura. We planning our 2nd baby next month so it's encouraging to know Mom's can and do breastfeed two children at once.

Laura Zoey - posted on 11/23/2010

Tandem nursing is when you breastfeed two siblings. Technicly twin is considered tandem as well, but usually most women use to mean two differently aged siblings.

So I'll be tandem nursing this may when my baby is born since I'm not weaning Eric before then! Your body makes newborn specific milk, and the toddler is just along for the ride so to speak. So during pregnancy your milk turns into colostrum and toddler can drink the colostrum until you deliver, then you try to give the newborn as much colostrum before it changes to milk. Then after that it's first come first serve! Many times moms like it when the toddler can relieve engorgement so the newborn can latch easier, and then the newborn tends to not lose weight in the begining cuz they are getting lots of the hind milk. It's also a great bonding time with the siblings cuz the toddler doesn't feel replaced by the baby.

Im really looking forward to tandem nursing my two! Can't wait for this baby to come out :)

Tanith - posted on 11/23/2010

I was also initially planning on breastfeeding until 6 months or until he cut his first tooth. 6 months came and went and I too never felt ready to wean. Mainly because I tried a bottle of formula and he refused it. I tried everything and he just refused. So I continued to a year, a year came and went and I'm still breastfeeding. I tried a bottle again, nothing!!! He's now just over 14 months and we still going strong. He's down to 2 breastfeeds a day and we both happy with it. He has 10 teeth and thankfully never bitten.



Dont' feel weird about nursing an older baby. I also felt the same but your feelings never really change for your child, no matter how old they are. When he's walking around, he looks like a little boy, when he's breastfeeding, he looks like a helpless, innocent little baby.

Sarh - posted on 11/22/2010

Laura, If I have more babies (which I do want), I will continue to start solids, it helps them learn how to eat and it is an adventure of new tastes and textures for them as well. He loves eating purees, but not Stage 1 like the Gerber website says he should still be on and I just have to make his cereal thicker.
Gina, what is "tandom nursing" or did you mean random?

Gina - posted on 11/22/2010

my baby is a year old and has 7 teeth....we still nurse. I nursed my 2 older girls for 2.5 years even tandom nursing for awhile...its okay. Hang in there.

Laura Zoey - posted on 11/22/2010

lol Eric too hated that spoon feeding stuff, i think with my next abby ill just not start solids till he/she can pick up pieces and eat it alone! lol i guess spoin feeding isnt too much fun for them afterall!
oh and erics awesome with a fork already! he ate his 1 yr birthday cake with a fork cuz he doesnt like getting his hands dirty :) he is so sweet :)

Sarh - posted on 11/22/2010

Laura, yes, Cade is in 6-9m & 12m at only 5 months old. lol. My daughter was bigger though, she is now in 6/7&7/8 in girls and a size 1 shoe in girls, she will be 5yrs old in January! I can't even imagine nursing her still.
Cade is eating rice and mixed grain cereal along w/fruits and veggies, he still nurses his normal feeding after wards, so I don't see how solids could even cause an infant to self wean that early. Natasha, was it maybe a nursing strike that you mistook as self weaning??
Some days I think my bubby is on a nursing strike, or he just wants more solids. He is sooo interested in our foods, and according to gerber his development (wanting to feed himself w/the spoon, opening his mouth for more food, sitting independently, extreme interest in our big kid foods, etc) is not typical for his age, but he is doing all of that. I'm just thankful that his solids have not replaced his nursing feedings. I also have to give him stage two he even hates soupy cereal, which the breast milk seems to make cereal very soupy w/in minutes! Quiet bothersome, he then wont make eat the cereal anymore and gives me this look like "What in the world is this crap!" haha

Laura Zoey - posted on 11/22/2010

Sarh, you can come round my place in a few months and see how breastfeeding a two year old looks! lol, he already in 2t-3t clothes so hes a big boy, but you know when he is snuggled up in my arms, and staring into my eyes with such a calm and gentle gaze, its the most natural thing in the world!
Natasha, how does a 6 month old self wean? what did he eat? im completely confused, everything ive ever seen clearly states that the earliest age a child can self wean is 2.5 years old!

Sarh - posted on 11/22/2010

Sarah, I couldn't imagine breastfeeding a 2yr old either, but my daughter was a huge baby, my son is 5 months and weighs 20lb and 26in long so he is a pretty big boy as well.
We have had soem challenges to work around, but we have made it.

Thanks! :)

Sarah - posted on 11/22/2010

My daughter is 8 months old and i'm still breastfeeding :) i also planned to stop breast feeding when her tooth came through, but i haven't had any problems with her little tooth yet :) shes crawling now and i dont find it weird to feed her, shes still the same tiny little baby she always was so it makes no difference really.
good on you for breast feeding for so long :) and if you're not emotionally ready to stop then i say don't. its reccomended to feed for 2 years! (i can't imagine feeding a 2 year old) but don't stop just because of his age. it sounds like you've had a lot of problems so i think its great you are still breast feeding :D xxxx

Sarh - posted on 11/22/2010

Thanks ladies. I know he is not ready to be weaned, I posted a different thing on her about why he was drinking 2-6oz while my mom has him about once amonth, he is fine while I'm still away, but as soon as he sees me it is like my mom was starving him and I know she is not! He then nurses right away and only wants to sit by me for about 1-2hrs after I pick him up from grandma's, so I guess that is my cue that he is not ready for weaning.

My fiancee is ok and glad that I want to nurse till a yr, but he also said it will probably be kind of weird after he turns one.
Nursing is MUCH easier then pumping. I HATE pumping, it is soo boring, granted I can pump for 5-10mins on one breast and get 4-6oz, but I still rather just hold him and watch him eat, and cuddle.
Yea, after typing that I am SOO not ready to wean yet! lol.

Thanks again for the encouragement and kind words ladies! :)

Natasha - posted on 11/22/2010

My boy weaned himself at 6 months. I was a bit sad that he didn't want anything to do with it anymore. Then, my first daughter nursed until a week before she turned one and weaned herself. My baby girl just turned 6 months and is still nursing, even though she only wants to when she first wakes and before she sleeps. I'm not ready to wean her and hope that she decides she wants to nurse until she's at least one. After my older daughter got her teeth, I didn't get bit once. I got bit more while she was teething before her first tooth came in.
If you're not ready to wean him, he's probably not ready either. That mommy-baby time is something special! Enjoy it while it lasts! They grow up way too fast!

Jeannette - posted on 11/22/2010

I am currently at a year with nursing. I'm not planning on stopping any time soon, but I did stop pumping. I work weekends, so he gets whole milk from daddy while I am gone. My husband kind of thinks it is weird that I'm still nursing and Bryce's ped. basically told me to breastfeed less. But like I said, I'm not planning on quiting yet. It is totally up to you, but if you aren't ready yet, then I wouldn't. You already have 6 months under your belt, you have 6 more to go, where you wouldn't have to buy formula. I'm really proud of the fact that Bryce went a year with breast milk (almost) only. 3 days before he turned one, we tested him out by mixing whole milk with breast milk.

I can't help you out if it is easier to wean, since Bryce is my first and we are still going strong. I actually love breastfeeding now. It is so easy to breastfeed Bryce in public, without having to squeeze the boob and "put" him on. He goes at it on his own. LOL

Amy - posted on 11/22/2010

no really???

ASHLEY - posted on 11/22/2010

I think you adjust as you go so it won't seem so weird once you actually get that far. I also think its actually easier to wean when they are older my son naturally cut back on feedings as he was able to eat regular food. I nursed till his first birthday and weaning took about 2 weeks I just began slowly replacing nursing for cow's milk in a sippy. By then he ate breakfast lunch and dinner with the family so he just got something different to drink. I loved nursing him that long he had one ear infection his entire first year while my friends children consantly has some kind of illness every few weeks. I think that alone made it worth it :) This probably isn't for everyone but I rarely put milk in a bottle or sippy I just found it easier and faster to nurse from the source ya know nothing to clean. I'm a stay at home mom so that made it uneccessary to pump but of course when you work you got to. I would likely still be nursing my now 15 month old if I wasn't pregnant again.

April - posted on 11/22/2010

i'm going to see if i can find that article...laura made me wonder if that woman was charged with anything. i never heard anything about her being charged. sorry to get off topic...carry on!

Sarh - posted on 11/22/2010

It was not my son's pediatrician who told me that if my son was lactose intolerant he would not be able to handle my milk, it was several mothers on COM who INSISTED! that he would not be able to nurse if he was lactose intolerant!

WOW! I did not hear about the baby passing away during Hurricane Katrina due to an ignorant mother. I agree w/Laura! I would definitely call that murder!!!!! I'm not at all exposed while nursing unless I am in my own home w/no guests, but if I was in that situation I would have nursed my child in the open w/no cover! That is completely different. People need to pull their heads out of their a**! Sorry. And if she was a young mother that is NO excuse, I am/was as well.

Laura Zoey - posted on 11/22/2010

I'd call that murder. I hope she was charged.

April - posted on 11/22/2010

a child did die during hurricane katrina due to starvation. the family was stuck on the roof and the mother did not nurse the baby ( i assume the baby was FF). after the baby died, the mother went to the doctor to ask for something to dry up her milk and the doctor was like YOU HAD MILK THAT WHOLE TIME?????

Amy - posted on 11/22/2010

yea i dout that breast milk is only good for baby till babay is 9 months. why else would we make milk tway pasy when a child is 6 if allowed? we are all used to running to the nearest store for food but years and years ago and still today in some places w/o running water and totit and all this was/is the only way kids and babies can get something healthy to drink w/o drinking nasty nasty yuck water. so i do think there is lots of vitims and whatnot that is good for baby/child past 9 months or one year. or else in this day our breasts wouldnt make milk past one year. cause nature learns and adapts.children would die who had moms that nursed them cause they weren't getting nutrition. my thought anyway...

April - posted on 11/22/2010

Keep doing what feels right to you! I am nursing my almost 2 year old (one month from today he'll be 2!) When I look down on him, it seems very natural to me. It doesn';t feel weird or gross at all. He looks very content and peaceful.

I started out like you, thinking that I would have to wean him at some point. I know now that self-weaning is a choice my son and i can make together and we're choosing to take that path! I believe in natural duration breastfeeding ( minimum age 3 up to age 7). I am willing to nurse for the natural human length

Jessie - posted on 11/22/2010

Speaking as a mother of a baby with food allergies/intolerances.... just keep nursing! I actually did not know my son was dairy intollerant until we introduced cow milk in a cup the week of his birthday. Had I known to cut dairy from my diet I could have reduced his tummy bloating troubles much sooner! I would really advise you to completely eliminate ALL dairy from your diet, lactose intolerant or not. If the advise you got didn't come from an actual allergy specialist then I wouldn't put a lot of faith in it, just get rid of dairy in your lives, period. Yes, it IS hard. After getting rid of dairy something was STILL wrong with our son and we took him to an allergist (he is a former pediatrician so he specializes in babies/children allergies) at 15 months old and we now know he is HIGHLY wheat intollerant and midly allergic (yes, there IS a difference) So, for a month I cut out all dairy AND all wheat from my diet. overwhelming and I was just getting used to it when my baby stopped nursing. He is 16 months old and I was not ready to quit but I found out last week I have Mono and have been really ill so I am thinking I must have tasted funny or he knew mommy was getting sick... but he has refused to nurse for over a week and I am a little sad. I planned to wean at one year originally before going back to college... it just never happened and now that he doesn't want to I am a little lost.... so don't give up yet (and don't let anyone tell you too, lord knows I have been hearing that for over a year!) My son didn't get teeth until 11 months old and by that time he understood things like no biting and it was never really a problem. If you do get bitten (yea it hurts but so does childbirth and we still do that right?), take baby off the breast, and set them beside you, kinda like a booby time out. do it every time and he will get the hint after awhile. worked for me at least. I hope all that rambling helps. Oh and also, the few times my son had formula, it made him sick and uncomfortable, we didn't know why at the time but the doctors later told us that had he been formula fed he would have had A LOT more tummy/digestive trouble than he did just getting exposed through my milk...

Amy - posted on 11/22/2010

so true mama. you must read mothering! very smart ♥

Amy - posted on 11/22/2010

way to go mama! :J

Amy - posted on 11/22/2010

yup....this is so true...im not sure why ur doc said that ur baby cant have ur breast milk if he cant do cow's milk. breast milk is made up differently than cow or other animals milk. ugh i hate misinformed doctors!

Amy - posted on 11/22/2010

woot go extended nursing! ♥

Amy - posted on 11/22/2010

i think it is easier to nurse till they get older past age one and wean them. since they are older and get around better and totally take table foods by than. at 6 months sure they may be crawling but they still sleep in a crib and nap thur our the day alot and really are "more babylike" but you do what you have to do hun. some moms dont wanna nurse that long some get sick and have to take meds that babies cant indest w/o getting sick and mom has to stop. some babies are given a bottle and never look back....its what is best for you and ur child. what works for one child/family may not work for another...i just stop nursing my 4 and 6 year last year. they were 5 and 3 at the time. and it was only t bedtime or when sick or getting ready for a nap. but like i said this was my story. i think its soooo fab you are nursing and want to nurse longer! ♥

Gabriela - posted on 11/22/2010

You know it's gonna be hard to find a suitable formula. You also know it could be very expensive. But you also have the kind of milk that he tolerates best and you get it for free! Why make it hard when you've got it easy? It won't be weird for you to breastfeed your older baby. To you he will be just that: your baby. Mine is 8 months old and still BF, and I would like to BF her until she's 2 y.o.

Liz - posted on 11/21/2010

i stopped nursing at 6months, after the 3rd chomp down - very painful. but my daughter is a year now and i still pump. i started to quit pumping and began giving her soymilk but right away she started getting a runny nose and a little cough. it didn't last long because i started pumping regularly again. for the weaning, its whatever you feel comfortable with, don't let anyone pressure you one way or the other. breast milk doesn't prevent babies from getting sick, it does help them recover very quickly

Sarah - posted on 11/21/2010

I nursed my son until 14 months. I never found it weird. Breastfeeding is perfectly natural and I felt natural doing it. Really when solids are introduced around 6 months old, breastmilk is still the primary form of nutrition they receive. Up until about 9 months, breastmilk will remain their primary nutrition source with solid foods only being supplemental. Nurse away happily and don't feel strange about the baby's age. They're still small at this age and still your baby.

Sarh - posted on 11/21/2010

Thank you Noreen! I was also young w/my daughter (my 1st) and still am a pretty young mommy, but I stopped nursing at 3 months due to medical issues. Never had the problem w/birth control thank god. I'm just glad you were able to nurse your children for at least a little while.
I'm glad you all recovered from the nasty stomach bug!

Noreen - posted on 11/21/2010

Great job on nursing to 6 months! Congrats on getting to your first goal! I am still breastfeeding my 14month old and really, it is the best thing ever!

With my first, I was only able to nurse until 3months because I was very young and niave. I can't take birth control while breastfeeding because it dries my milk up. Even the "safe" birth controls dry me up. With my 2nd, I barely made it to 12months, He was having weight gain issues, or so I was told and caved at 10months and started giving him high caloried formula in a bottle after nursing him until he was 12months. At a year, I gave up on nursing and continued with the formula until he was 16months. It was not hard at all to wean him.

My 14month old is SO EASY to parent because I nurse! Any toddler melt down can be curred by some mommy milk. If she falls and gets hurt, I can get her to settle with in seconds. Right now, my whole family of 5 is recovering from the stomach bug. We all got it at the same time. Abby (my 14month old) recovered MORE quickly and wasn't as sick as the rest of us because she nurses.

Elysia - posted on 11/21/2010

i nursed my son past 6 months i didnt begin weaning until he was 9 months and i only did this as i was 3 months pregnant with my daughter, she is now 4months old and i have no intention of weaning her ne time soon

Sarh - posted on 11/21/2010

Thanks ladies! :)
I've began to realize that nursing past a yr is not as often as he is nursing currently. I think I might be fine w/nursing him in the morning right after waking up and then right before bed after he turns a yr. I think it may be easier for me to picture/imagine if he was a smaller baby. My daughter was huge at a yr old, so I couldn't have imagined that one either! Plus, I can't even imagine nursing her now at almost five yrs old as she is much bigger then most. She was 65lbs and 4ft tall at her 4yr well check, LAST JANUARY!
Thanks again to all of you ladies! You are all very helpful and sweet! :)