Extended breastfeeding

Oh that's what your FB status was about Flutterby! *click*

I forgot to add - at the ILs christmas do on the weekend, my SIL was asking me about morning sickness and I was saying it hasn't been as bad this time, and maybe that was something to do with the fact that there were breastfeeding hormones already in my system when the preggy hormones kicked in, and she said "but you're not breastfeeding now eh" and I said "no no, I'm still breastfeeding JJ" and she looked shocked and said "is that allowed?" Normally I'm pretty good at maintaining a straight face but on this occasion I did laugh out loud

i was thinking about this whole extended bfing this morning.

i fed gabriel till he was 14 mths old and i stopped when i was 2 mths pregnant with toby. he then went on to feed till 26 months old i was once again 2 months pregnant with eden when i stopped...

so i'm wondering how long is eden going to go for now i dont have an "excuse" to stop! she doesnt seem to want it any less, we go through phases where she does but they dont that last and sometimes she feeds as much now as when she was a newborn!

I have seen this thread a few times and have only just now had a look and will have to join you all. Alex is nearly 16 months (I had to think about that one so hope I got it right) and we are still bfing. I sometimes wonder if he is having to my boobie juice and not enough food but seeing some of your comments above I know that we aren't doing anything different to you all (yay!)

Thanks!

ETA: Congrats to you too!

Edited by monster

I'm so jealous :(  I would have loved to have BF for much longer but since I had to go back to work and was expressing loads, Toby was drinking a lot of his evening feeds out of a bottle from DH and eventually at 9 months was not interested in the boob at all :(  I was killing myself trying to express all the time and keep it up, so eventually it died off completely (then found out I was preg again anyway - hoping to keep it up longer this time)

Pressure wise, I felt like I was being very actively encouraged by female relatives (over the phone as they're all in the UK) that I HAD to BF (I wanted to anyway and loved it, but they sounded like they were forcing me!); but as soon as he hit 6 months old they seemed to change their tune completely and any time I mentioned expressing while I was in work etc, I was met by a reaction of   "Oh, are you still breastfeeding then?" !!!!  How duplicitous!

 

 

It's so good to see all you ladies BF for so long! i'm not saying that it's wrong to stop earlier i'm just saying that i fed Mikey until just after his second birthday and i eventually stopped because of all the comments i was getting, which i wish i hadn't.
It's not like i even breastfed in public, it was just a once a day thing before bed but my friends were telling me that i had to stop because he was too dependent on me and it was weird and i needed a life etc.
with maia, i'm going to keep going until she wants to stop (within reason of course) and i think it's awesome that there are other women out there who do the same thing.

Kali1 wrote: Have you guys gotten the 'so when are you going to stop breastfeeding?' question much since getting pregnant? I seem to get it from everyone who finds out! I just tell them I'm not. Why break these nipples in again if I can just keep feeding? lol most mothers at least seem to get that! lol

Yeah I always get that question! And its annoying because the main people that ask know me quite well & KNOW that I tandem feed.

I got pregnant with #2 when #1 was 10 months old and he just kept going, and I tell you what it was SUCH a relief having a toddler who could help with that engorgement problem when I had a newborn!
I tandem fed them for a year before weaning my oldest just before he turned 3. Did the same when I was pregnant with #3 & now preggy with #4 and STILL getting that question!
I have been breastfeeding non-stop for over 5 years now, currently feeding baby #3. Have tandem fed twice (both times for about a year) and will be tandem feeding for a third time when this baby is born

Edited by toniellis

(hey Amby, I only just found this thread now & its a few months later than you...)

I'm interested to read this - I've been thinking a bit about weaning lately, the whens and whys and wherefores. I never thought too much while I was preggy etc about it, maybe vaguely that I would stop when DD was ready, which she is showing no signs of yet. Apart from wake-up & before-bed-at-night feeds, we have no routine, I just give her a drink when she asks (sign language - a determined thump on my chest - not the most subtle of signs I must admit...). This can be up to a dozen times a day (or more - I don't count).

But a few weeks ago my sis weaned her son, who is 6wks younger than my girl, so of course M&D asked when I was planning on weaning her. I did try to cut down her daytime feeds, which worked for... oh, a day... but have decided that it is hard work (she will only be distracted for so long), and for why? I love the snuggles, its not difficult, its cheap (this is a huge plus in DHs opinion - for the same reason he likes cloth nappies!). She has been sleeping through the night for about 3mths, so no probs there, and I love that I get an extra half hour or so in bed in the mornings because I can feed & doze instead of having to get up & distract her! I also like the easy comfort if something goes wrong in her life (recently we flew to SI & back, and it was quite rough - but when she started to get worried about it I gave her a drink & she either came off settled again or fell asleep drinking - either way no tears!).

Haha what a ramble. I haven't had any adverse comments (only the 'oh, you're still feeding?'), and I feed in public cause little miss can be quite demanding & she has no sense of discretion - I figure its easier to sit quietly with her than have her squealing & trying to pull my top off! The other day I was talking to someone & they said it was great to see I was still doing so, & keep it up for a good few months yet, was quite encouraging.

On the other hand, not sure what affect it has on ttc. That would be the one thing at the mo which might make me think about actively weaning her. Anyone else had issues in this dept? Or advice?

Just having a read of this thread I'd always assumed I'd finish BFing at 12months, but now that's only 5.5weeks away () I don't see that happening! Apart from the fact that DD is not at all interested in bottles, I would be a bit sad to wean her just because of outside pressure. Family and friends all think she will be weaned by 12months as that's what I've always said, and most of them think even 12months is too long!
Now I'm thinking of just weaning when she is ready to. The only reason for us weaning now would be people's comments, and that's not really a good enough reason for me. Not sure what my "cut-off" would be, hopefully she'll just self wean so I don't have to think about it

When I had my first my plan was to feed for a year but sadly we only made it to three months, some of my coffee group friends kept going for a while, one until nearly age 2 and after seeing what a big deal it isn't to keep it up (hardly as intensive as feeding a newborn) I figure I will just keep going until he wants to stop. My only worry is my own weight loss, but that may have happened without feeding and it does seem to have stopped, which is good cos there isn't much of me left

I've only had one comment so far along the lines of "Your STILL breastfeeding!" and he was only 9 months. I was actually gonna go sit in my car and feed him cos they made me feel weird but then I thought screw it and fed right in amongst everyone. SIL fed her girl till 16 months and my mum breastfed all of us so no comments from family......yet.

Edited by two_boys