Nursing past 6 months....

Shea-Sheree - posted on 11/21/2010

hey there my daughter is almost 15months old now she is still breast fed and i wouldn't have it any other way . She bit me a few times when the teeth came through but i just swapped the boobs till it heeled and expressed from the injured one you can get nipple shields that stop them when they have teeth from chewing. Miley didn't bite me for long she learnt bite the "boobboob" and it goes back away. she crawls around tries to walk and is very active but when she wants the breast she comes to me and once she has it is just as still as she ever was.

I get sneery comments and told i won't be able to ween her but she takes bottles fine she just hates them lol.

As for weening your bub with my eldest Chewie she took alot of effort to ween at 7months but i expressed into a bottle got her to take the expressed milk then slowly replaced with formula....
slowly decrease breast milk and increase Formula slowly so bub doesn't notice the change.
100% Breast Milk
90% Breast Milk 10% formula
80% Breast Milk 20% formula
If your bub has issues with the bottle look at what you think those issues are is it too different from mums breast you can get bottles that mimic the breast are soft etc tommee tippee closer to nature range the nuby range (i think nuby are the ones that have a soft bottle baby can squeeze). With Chewie we went with tomme tippee closer to nature range nuby didnt have theirs on the market back then. With Miley she prefers a bottle she can hold likes the cheap bottles you pick up everywhere for only a few dollars. Miley hates dummies and bottles and more uses them as chew toys.

As Miley is taking solid meals, a water bottle and eating what we eat now she has reduced the amount of breast time (i never use to have her take a water bottle).I believe she will ween herself she only has a max of two breasts a day unless we are out and i forget her bottle lol. She is learning to take a cup and sippy cup which i fill with watered down juice or water.

I was told ween her or she will be on the breast in school. I thought about it and by the time i ween her off the breast and onto the bottle i will have to start weening her off the bottle. When Chewie went to the bottle i had trouble getting the bottle and dummy off her. she is two and a half now and it is still a never ending battle if Miley doesn't get weened onto the bottle and dummy then i will not have these issues with her.

ps sorry my post is all over the place My girls have me chasing them around. Kids will be kids lol

Maxine - posted on 11/21/2010

Don't stress about when to wean, just keep going for as long as you and your baby are happy, i am still BF my 11 month old and in the beginning i was like you thinking i would stop at 6 months... Just relax and enjoy it! They grow up too quickly!

Bronwyn - posted on 11/21/2010

I'm just confirming what Karla said about the biting...My son cut his first 2 teeth at 4 months and bit me a few times. Each time he bit me I stopped the feeding immediately. After a few times of this, he got the picture. He's almost 9 months now, has 7 teeth, I'm still breastfeeding, and he hasn't bitten me in months.

Bridgette - posted on 11/21/2010

If you're not 100% ready then don't wean, it will be emotionally and physically hard for the both of you. I allowed my daughter to wean when she was ready and for me it was when I got pregnant, she was 16.5 months and it was as natural nursing an older baby as it was nursing a newborn, a lot of mums feel the same way. I personally cannot understand why it would feel any different, giving a bottle actually feels more unnatural (and my daughter has been drinking bottles of cows milk for 5 months now), breasts are there to make milk for your child. Bottles are a substitute. I personally would wait until 12 months, that way solids are taking the place of milk, you can introduce soy milk then and you won't need to spend money on infant formula (which you have to continue until 12 months)

Sarh - posted on 11/20/2010

Laura, you may have seen me somewhere in or around Milwaukee. It is funny to me how small the world actually is!

Patrice - posted on 11/20/2010

Hi, I understand your concern....I nursed my now 4 year old til he was 14 mths...with him weaning himself off of nursing. I tried to wean him at 12 mths and it was emotionally hard for the both of us. I weaned my now 10 mth old off of nursing when he was 6 mths old. It took him a week to get used to formula...however it took me two weeks to recover from engorgement. It took me trying two formulas to find one right for him because he spit up alot. If I were you I would nurse until your baby and yourself were ready to wean...mainly the baby. You should consult a doctor about which formula to use if u do decide to wean at 6 mths. I hope this helps! ~Patrice~

Stefanie - posted on 11/20/2010

Weaning will naturally happen but much older than you would like, I assume (usually between 3 and 6 years).

Nursing until 12 months would be easier to wean, in my opinion, as you will be able to start giving him real food and milk (Almond, hemp, rice, soy, possibly goat are all great choices) in place of nursing him. At this age, with such limited things you can feed him, he may become very upset and stressed from weaning.

You can try replacing one nursing session with a bottle of soy formula and if he likes it slowly start replacing more nursing sessions with a bottle until he's totally weaned. Do it slowly and he should be fine. My oldest needed supplementing due to my low supply while pregnant with my 2nd daughter and she ended up weaning at 10 months by this method.



I do want to add that there is nothing wrong with nursing an older baby/ young child. It's just as natural as a nursing infant.

Laura Zoey - posted on 11/20/2010

Lol, we might not always see eye to eye, but I can tell you are an awesome mom!
And yes I too yelled at Eric once, I felt awful :( he looked so hurt and cried....... I think the early bite at the start of a feed is him trying to get let down faster, since I got pregnant Eric has been fighting to keep my milk coming so he started picmching my boob, and a few times tried biting it again to get milk faster. It's instinctual but still teachable! Maybe massage the breast before putting him on and see if he doesn't try the bite, it might be just impatience!
I always wonder if I have actually seen you sometime in mke, weird how Internet moms can actually be so close by :)

Sarh - posted on 11/20/2010

I do tell him no when he bites, about a week ago he bit me so hard I was a bit louder then normal and made him cry, then daddy yelled at me. lol. He doesn't do it as often since I started telling him no and stopping the feeding, I just felt like that wasn't right to "yell" at a 5 month old, but it works and I rather tell him no or no bite now, rather then laughing now and him thinking its ok later.
Sometimes and most often he bites before taking his first swallow. Is that his way of bringing my nipple out further and quicker? But, he does it to both sides. I was born w/sugar teeth and my mom still nursed me so I guess I shouldn't complain hey! haha.

Thanks for the kind words Laura! I bet you never seen this question coming from me hey!

Laura Zoey - posted on 11/20/2010

I definately thought it was weird to breastfeed older babies too! I thought one year tops. But all the health issues were convincing, and then when I got to a year I realized nothing changed! He was still my baby, he was just growing and learning.
Now he is 1yr 7months, he walks, runs, talks in little sentences, and can say boob!
Wow I would have been freaked to think about that a year ago! But you know what, it's all slow in coming and it's so natural. You won't think it's weird when he cuddles up in your lap and snuggles you.
It just fits!
Yes I have moments where I'm thinking you are so old! Or too smart to bf! Or I worry about his knowledge getting too much for bf.
But I remind myself that the world average weaning age is 4 years so most kids at the age of 4 are still breast-feeding. So that helps me get my American mind out of it :)

As for teeth, start now! When he gums you say no and take him off, babies learn SO easily at this age and if you remember to correct him every time, he won't be doing it anymore! Eric bit me 4 times and that was it. I was firm in saying no and removing his mouth. He learned. So teach your son now before it really hurts and you can skip the pain!
If he is gumming you he isn't eating so you can just watch him to see when he starts getting done and thinks about biting down.
Humans are designed to breastfeed until the milk teeth fall out, so it's only natural to breastfeed him with teeth! We are lucky they aren't born with teeth like other mammals!
You won't regret keeping going, you *may* regret stopping. So I'd suggest waiting until you are 110% sure he will be beter off not breastfeeding.
As moms we are important, but our babies come first, and I know your son would appreciate longer time breastfeeding.

Oh and for the weaning thing, weaning at any age that is mom initiated will be hard, but the older the baby gets the closer it gets to their natural weaning age, so the easier it is to guide them to wean.
There's no 'too old' to wean, it only gets easier as it gets closier to a natural age.
Personally, I would rather just breastfeed Eric until he weans himself, but that will take years, so you always have options, just make sure it's best for him.

Vicki - posted on 11/20/2010

At this age he may reject a nipple shield as he's not used to it. Maybe just use the pump briefly before feeding? It may bring your nipple out so he can attach more easily.



My boy bit more before he got teeth than after. He didn't get teeth until 11 months. He still has phases when he bites a fair bit, I tell him no and take him off. He usually gets over it. He's never broken the skin though so I've been lucky there!

Sarh - posted on 11/20/2010

Thanks ladies! :)

Karla - posted on 11/20/2010

As far as the biting goes, my son has 7 teeth and he has bit me during feeding a few times. It hurts like hell I'm not going to lie but I nipped it in the bud right away. As soon as he bites I immediately stop feeding. He is old enough now to know when mommy is upset with him. Everytime he did it I would completely stop the feeding and of course he would cry but the biting didn't last very long. Good luck to you! I hope everything works out.

Sharon - posted on 11/20/2010

My baby got his first 4 teeth all within 3 weeks of turning 6 months I still breast feed no problem. his tongue covers the bottom teeth and his top teeth i don't even feel.

Sarh - posted on 11/20/2010

Thanks Amy. I'm slightly worried about the biting as right now he has no teeth and bites hard just w/his gums. I pumped last night and had a tad bit of streaky blood in the milk.
I've also came across a problem which is just recently! My right nipple (he favors the left) is I guess inverted. So, he gets so mad and frustrated that I have to work w/him for at least 30mins to get him to even latch onto the Left side. Do I have to use a nipple shield? I have no clue how those work. Or do I just pump from the left side and have daddy feed him from a bottle? I rather not have to do that though.

Karla - posted on 11/20/2010

A very close friend of mine had a baby that was actually lactose intolerant. He was able to breastfeed but she had to completely cut out all dairy products.
About the weaning, I don't think there is any cut off date or month. Whatever you are comfortable with is what you should do. Some people feed for 3 weeks some people feed for 3 years. I have an 11 month old that is still nursing but because he gets some much of his nutrition from table food now he doesn't really want it that often. Some days he might nurse three time and some days only once. I really think its more for comfort now than it is for nourishment. On days when he isn't feeling good he might increase nursing to 5 times. If I wanted to I could probably wean him very easily right now.
If I were you I wouldn't worry about weaning your baby later on. When its time I'm sure you will both know. If your not ready then don't wean yet! Do what you think is best for you and your little one.

Amy - posted on 11/20/2010

I know how you feel, and honestly if your not ready to stop then try pumping and see how that goes. Also, just because a baby has teeth does not mean they'll bite. And just because a baby does not have teeth doesn't mean they'll bite.

Both my babies bit, HARD. To the point I felt like I was dieing every time my little ones sucked. And when I pumped I got red milk. SO, I know how you feel and understand your concern (Although my SIL is nursing a girl that bites people like crazy but does not bite during nursing).

If it gets un comfortable just start pumping and feeding that if you want him to have your milk. It's not easy but it's so worth it!

Kelly - posted on 11/20/2010

Hi, I am still nursing my 2.5 yr old son and it doesn't seem weird to me at all. He only nurses about 3 times a day now. I think it'll be easier if I let him wean himself. He seems like he getting closer to doing so, but when I have my daughter next month I expect him to regress a little. Also, I remember reading somewhere that breastfeeding helps prevent digestive issues. Hope to help. :)

Sarh - posted on 11/20/2010

Thanks a lot Lydia! You are very right, even past 6 months, baby is still a baby. I seen a video of a lady still breast feeding her 8yr old daughter and I guess that just really weirded me out! I know he doesn't need cows milk till over a yr, but he will be a yr before I know it! lol. I still remember when my daughter was first born and I can't believe she is going to be 5 yrs old!!!
Thanks again ladies.

Lydia - posted on 11/20/2010

Hi Sahr, the longer you breastfeed the better for your baby and you. There are lots of benefits to it. It is not weird at all to feed beyond 6 months. I can't help you with the weaning because I haven't done it yet, but I still do breastfeed my 7 1/2 months old daughter and enjoy every moment of it. Also once you start solids the breastfeeding will be less often and much easier. And as long as the baby gets 3 x breastfeeding every day there is no need for extra cows milk, so you don't have to worry yet about the problem with the milk. There is a good post in this commnity about benefits of breastfeeding beyond a year, maybe read it and it can help you. (I am not saying you have to go beyond a year, just motivating to read the benefits) Also the WHO and La Leche League (plus most country's) recommendations are to exclusively breastfeed for 6 months but to continue breastfeeding for 2 years at least or beyond.

It is not at all weird to nurse a mobile baby. It's still a baby, you are not nursing a teenager.



Also one of the things I really like about still nursing my daughter is that she does love solids, but somedays she'll hardly eat anything, but because I still nurse her I know she gets all that she needs.

Sarh - posted on 11/20/2010

Thank you! I really hope it will just be a day by day thing.

Vicki - posted on 11/20/2010

Hi Sarh, it won't fell weird for you. You won't suddenly be breastfeeding an older baby, you'll just be feeding your baby day by day. If he has intolerances the longer you can breastfeed him the better it will be for him.

I can't answer the weaning question as haven't weaned my boy yet! Best wishes with whatever you decide.