How long are you planning on breastfeeding?

Bonnie-Rose - posted on 02/21/2009

I breastfead my eldest until about 15months by the time she was fully weaned because she just wouldn't take any other milk, eventually she took cold cows milk. I've just had to stop feeding my 9 month old because I've been put on anti-virals for chickenpox. The doctor actually said to me that it is more difficult to wean an older baby, 9 months plus and that they don't get enough iron after 9 to 12 months from breast milk however he also didn't seem to think it was a big deal just stopping breastfeeding immediately! I would have liked to keep feeding until old enough to have cows milk at a year but at least I can go get drunk now, I haven't been able to in over 3 years as have either been pregnant or breastfeeding!

Heather - posted on 02/20/2009

With my first I nursed for a year and then stopped and now with my second I plan to do the same, especially since at one year they can have regular milk and don't really need breast milk as much. Right now I only nurse when that is what my baby wants just because I am starting the weaning process.

Kathleen - posted on 02/20/2009

i plan on nursing my baby until she is one, but if she wants to nurse still then i will continue. she is already weaning her self a little bit. she only nurses 3 times a day : before her morning nap, afternoon nap, and bed. :) 

Brittany - posted on 02/19/2009

By the way... nursing in public shouldn't be a big deal! I never pump to when we all go out, I just nurse her wherever I am.

Brittany - posted on 02/19/2009

Probably up to 2 years old... but we'll see :)

Zlatina - posted on 02/19/2009

I plan on breast-feeding my daughter until she is one and half to two years of age ... we'll see how it goes :)

Theresa - posted on 02/18/2009

I started out breastfeeding but had to also give her formula because I wasn't making enough, it was hard for me because she was in the hospital for ten days and I had to pump and she got used to the bottle right away, also I had stopped my allergy meds while I was pregnant and then not long after I had her my allergys started up again so I had to give up breastfeeding because it could harm her, but at the same time she decided she wanted a bottle and would refuse to breastfeed so it worked out, at first I felt really guilty because I knew that breast feeding was better for her but I also knew that I couldn't get sick either because if I didn't take my allergy meds I get sick after a while of not taking them, I will say that when you stop breast feeding be prepared for a very painful night I had to sleep with a ice packs in my bra all night but after the first night it is better I was so tempted to pump but I didn't and I was glad because it got better and she was fine on formula.

Amy - posted on 02/12/2009

I was hoping to pump for a full year then slowly ween him onto milk.  I am gone from 6am to 5pm and was doing ok until I got sick a few times, by the time I was done I was pumping 10 times a day and only getting about 7 oz.  For me it just didn't seem like it was worth the time anymore. 

It was a dificult choice for me and I spent about 2 weeks really thinking about it, The benifits of making it at least a year made it hard for me to stop (you can decrease your chance of breast cancer if you breastfeed/pump for at least a year as well as the benifits to your child). 

I know the feeling about how much it can tie you down, you can alwyas try pumping extra to get a freezer stash so you don't need to worry about finding a place in public to feed your baby.  Then just carry around a hand pump when you go out incase you find you really need to pump.

I hope you can find a happy medium!

Chrystal - posted on 02/11/2009

I just stopped this month, so 8 months. That is after my little one bit me a few times. It was not that big of a transition though at the end I was only breastfeeding her first thing in the morning and her last milk of the evening. I just could not get past the pain.

Alicia - posted on 02/11/2009

The good thing about this topic is that there is no right or wrong answer!  From everyone I have talked to it seems that either the mom gets to a point when she is ready to stop (be it at 6 days, 6 weeks, 6 months, 1 year or into the toddler years) OR it is clear when the baby is ready to stop.  Do what works for both of you and do not be pressured by society's expectations or what other friends or family are/did do. 

My son is exclusively breastfed and it is going well for both of us so right now I think I wil continue as long as we both want.  The one thing I consider though is that he might wean earlier than I think, so how would I get milk into him?  He does not take bottles and isn't great w/ a sippy cup yet.  So what I do is practice w/ water in the cup so that if he does drop nursing we have a way to make sure he is still getting milk (be it pumped, formula or cow's).

Sarah - posted on 02/10/2009

I have just put my 8 Month old boy onto formula bottles due to the fact that once he got his two bottom teeth he latched differently and wasnt feeding as efficiently. I use formula though and not homo milk as their digestive tracks arent mature enough for that til they are over one year old. And we still have just our time too, i hold him close when bottle feeding him and during the day when dads at work we get that time to ourselves and his dad enjoys being able to give him that last feed at night sometimes too. It all depends onwhere you and your baby are... you two ultimatley have to live with whatever you choose to do. :) good luck.. it is a hard decision.

Rebecca - posted on 02/10/2009

Initially I had trouble breasfeeding as I couldnt get my bub to latch on, but once it became established I kept going with the thought that at any time I could stop. I was in hospital having my appendix out when he was 4wks old and given I had trouble expressing I continued to breastfeed except for the night time feed where he happily took formula in a bottle. When I went home however i continued to exclusively breastfeed....5 months down the track and he made it quite clear that he wasnt interested in sucking on a bottle and hence have been trying a cup which has been a very slow process. He's 8 months now and at most I can get him to drink 225ml in a whole day! Im feeding him 3 times a day which isnt so bad but would like to have my body and sense of independence back. I'm also concerned as to how I know if he's getting enough? How do they tend to wean themselves? Straight out refusal or just drink less and less? I'm a first time mum so any comments/suggestions would be immensely appreciated...  

Rebecca - posted on 02/10/2009

Initially I had trouble breasfeeding as I couldnt get my bub to latch on, but once it became established I kept going with the thought that at any time I could stop. I was in hospital having my appendix out when he was 4wks old and given I had trouble expressing I continued to breastfeed except for the night time feed where he happily took formula in a bottle. When I went home however i continued to exclusively breastfeed....5 months down the track and he made it quite clear that he wasnt interested in sucking on a bottle and hence have been trying a cup which has been a very slow process. He's 8 months now and at most I can get him to drink 225ml in a whole day! Im feeding him 3 times a day which isnt so bad but would like to have my body and sense of independence back. I'm also concerned as to how I know if he's getting enough? How do they tend to wean themselves? Straight out refusal or just drink less and less? I'm a first time mum so any comments/suggestions would be immensely appreciated...  

Ariana - posted on 02/08/2009

I want to go for at least a year. I don't have any solid plans, I figure I'll let her self wean for the most part. She already cut out the before first nap feeding, so we're down to 3-4 times a day now.

Faerie - posted on 02/08/2009

My goal was at least a year, so there would be no faffing around with bottles of formula. At the time it seemed so far off and nigh on impossible (I only bfed my eldest daughter for 3 weeks), but now she is approaching a year stopping seems something that is nowhere near on the cards. She still feeds on average every 3 hours day and night. She's such a booby baby ^_^

I'm in no rush to wean her and can still imagine feeding her as a toddler.

(For whoever seemed anxious about teeth - Lola has six teeth already and it's really not much different. She had to learn to adjust her latch slightly for each new tooth but it's not as scary as some would say)

Stacey - posted on 02/07/2009

I have been breastfeeding and supplementing with Enfimile for 9 months, and just stopped pumping and now only Breastfeed at night and before she goes to daycare. She was strictly Breastfed for the first 5 months till she went to daycare, then I started to supplement because I could not pump enough. Now All day she gets formula and cereals with veggies or fruits. I would like to keep up this routine until she is a year old. I love our time together and like the idea that she still gets some of Mothers milks nutrients, even if it is just a little.

Rachel - posted on 02/07/2009

I plan on BFing for a least a year. I love having that connection with my son and will be sad when that stage ends. Good luck.

Shannon - posted on 02/07/2009

Being a first time mom, I'd planned to nurse my now 8 month-old daughter until she was ready for solids. What I didn't realize was how much of a bond it was and how much I truly enjoyed breastfeeding once we both got the hang of it! However, those first time mom jiiters arose early on and I thought I wasn't producing enough milk to satisfy my baby and made the mistake of supplementing with formula when my daughter was still a newborn. As a result, I nursed (and still supplemented w/formula) until she was about 6 months old and she just wasn't interested in nursing any longer. I was really sad that she was no longer interested in nursing and would just prefer a bottle of formula instead. I now realize my mistakes....introducing formula too early and not pumping nearly enough. I really wish I could've breastfed longer, but knowing my mistakes, I will do things differently whenever baby #2 comes along. However, switching from breast to formula isn't a reason to feel guilty either....I've also come to realize that too!

Lisamarie - posted on 02/02/2009

I'm planning on around 2 years, but I'll see when he self weans :-) (whether earlier or later)

Cindy - posted on 01/29/2009

hi melissa,  i nursed my two older boys for two years each.  You will know when it is time to stop.  Don't feel guilty about anything.  You have done great so far, 8 months is a long time compared to the average!  I have started to ween my baby during the afternoon in order to get him ready when I have to return to work.  I still plan to nurse in the morning and evenings though.  he has done good with the cutting down.  I never pumped and i nurse where i want to.  i just cover up.

Sandra-Lee - posted on 01/29/2009

i nursed my oldest till he was 2 1/2 yrs , my second till she 1yrs and my baby 8 wks... just feed till your ready to wean when your baby doesnt want the breast anymore... dont feel pressured to stop if not ready its a totally natural thing and you do have a strong bond with the child... my eldest is a very caring and strong natured boy... good luck

User - posted on 01/28/2009

I am so happy to still be nursing, so for me personally I am going to continue until he weans himself. But you have to do what is best for you and your son.

Dawn - posted on 01/28/2009

I didn't plan to BF this long as I went back to work at 6 months, but my daughter wouldn't take formula (of ANY kind) and wouldn't take a bottle (we had to put her onto a Nuby sippy cup instead at 5 months), so I was forced to keep BF her and pumpng at work. I will keep BF her at night and early morning for another 4-6 weeks and then will start to wean her as she needs to get ready to go to daycare and my job makes it hard to pump regularly. Actually, many doctors think waiting on the homo milk is hogwash. In Canada the pre-eminent expert in BF (Dr. Jack Newman - http://www.drjacknewman.com/) told me that you can BF as little as 3-4 times per day and they're fine and you can feed them homo milk from 6 months with no problem.

I think women need to do whatever is best both for their child AND themselves...BF is great, but has to come to an end sometime...

Vanessa - posted on 01/28/2009

Chewing and swallowing ( using the tounge to push food to the back of the mouth) is related to there speech development (uses silimar muscles and stuff) so you wouldnt want to wait to long, im not really sure on how late you can start tho. ha ha so i didnt really answer your question sorry.

Lindsay - posted on 01/28/2009

what a great thread! I have a question....  My 8 mth old has no teeth yet and refuses to eat most baby food.  how long is it ok for a BF baby to go with out eating food... just having mommy's milk? i am interested to know.

Kathryn - posted on 01/28/2009

You shouldn't put him on homo milk till he is one.  There is a risk of allergies before one.  And don't be afraid to feed him while you are out.  I don't see why ppl get so upset with breastfeeding out in publc. There are ways to BF without showing the world.  I breastfeed my first two children for 2 years. I let them wean themselves off.  I am a breastfeeding peer counselor in my home town and love talking to mothers about BF.  But do what is best for you and don't worry about how long you breastfeed. Enjoy the time you have with your children, because they are little only once.  They grow up so fast and you will miss that time you have to breastfeed.

Meriah - posted on 01/28/2009

I'm still nursing my Micah at night, and I pump at work. I love the connection - and think that I'll keep nursing for a while yet, but it's MUCH harder because he's getting his razor-sharp teeth. OUCH. I stop nursing when he chomps down on me and it's getting so some nights he just gets a bottle... but he is also eating food and loves it.

Heather- - posted on 01/28/2009

I'm going to nurse as long as my daughter will let me! The older she gets, the longer she'll go in between feedings. In public, she can drink water or eat a cookie to hold her off till we get home. I rarely have to nurse her in public anymore.

Amanda - posted on 01/28/2009

i will carry on breastfeeding my 8 month old son for as long as he wants it... although he hasn't any teeth yet : )

Theresa - posted on 01/28/2009

I plan on BF'ing until Brooklyn weans herself.......... for the most part. I have a feeling she isnt going to be wanting to "self wean" for a  long while. I am not only her milk but her comfort (she a comfort-nurser, no pacifires no thumbs, but mommy!) In a perfect Brooklyn world she would nurse all day and all night. So I will go till about 16 months if she hasnt started self weaning or slowing down I may help her along =)

Vanessa - posted on 01/28/2009

i only wanted to BF untill Ruby was 4 months but now i wouldnt have it any other way, its just so much easier!! i guess ill just let her wean herself....she is still having 6-8 feeds a day so hopefully she will start cutting down soon!

Vanessa - posted on 01/28/2009

I am also trying for a year. Even if the last month or so is just at night, once I am back at work.

Holly - posted on 01/28/2009

i pump exclusivly and am trying for a year.

Allison - posted on 01/28/2009

I'm going to shoot for a year just becuase they say that's what's best for them.  But its all individual to you and your baby!

Melissa - posted on 01/28/2009

That is what I was thinking of doing, just let Sara decide. She doesn't nurse as long as she used to but also doesn't suggest that she is still hungry...

Lindsay - posted on 01/28/2009

I nursed my 3 year old until he was 14 months... but for about 2 months he only nursed at night.  I am going to let my baby decide. I would love to wean as soon as possible because I nursing although convenient, is very exhausting and I would love to have my body back to myself.... but it is still the best thing for the baby, so I am going to let him naturally wean himself.