Extended nursing thread part 3

[SylvieA]

knock0ut, I thought DD was weaning a little over a month ago, I know how you feel, hugs. There was no warning, she just stopped asking the regular feeds. Then I just started offering, she'd take a few gulps then go on and be her busy self, but next thing you know, she's back on asking her usual morning feed and has asked a few times in the evening. If you're not ready to let go and you're ready to take her lead later on, keep offering and see what happens. She may just be going through some independent stages.


Khalam's Mama, have you tried offering a cup/sippy of milk or something during meals. This is pretty much how we started DD. So this way, your DS won't go thirsty while you're not with him. It'll be easier as well when you're not there, he won't be thinking of mama's milk. As for weight, don't worry as hey do slow down at this age. DD didn't put any weight for a long time, then she had a huge GS and gained 4lbs in 3 months, so she's back to where she should be. I would say just as long as he doesn't lose weight. It could be that he's a bit more mobile and to busy to stop exploring. Hope the ear infection clears soon.

[knock0ut]

Thanks for the support SylvieA.  I decided last night that I would just go with her lead without being too suggestive about how she should carry on BF, so this morning I had a cup of milk at the ready.  She shoved it away, tried to lift my top up and demanded 'milok' - I was so relieved!  So we're back on it for now.  We're never happy though are we - I'm now starting to panic that she'll still be wanting the boob when she's 5!  Oh well  

[Khalam's Mama]

Good news knockout.

I asked at the HV today about weaning some feeds to just 2 a day and she said "he is really at the age when he should be moving to fresh milk anyway!" I was like "what about the 2yr national guidelines" and she just shrugged and said it was up to me. No wonder more women don't breast feed longer. I will have to start offering milk in a cup. He has water in a cup but doesn't drink lots. I guess he will when I'm not there maybe.

[knock0ut]

Darn HVs - I remember when my LO was about yours age and she lost a TINY bit of weight.  The HV told me off for not giving her puddings after every meal and within the same conversation told me I should be weaning her off the boob milk.  When I reflected it back to her and asked 'so you're saying I should be giving her jelly + ice cream instead of breastmilk?' she just went red and did the shrugging thing. Useless!

[shivi]

hi there....

It is unusual to feed beyond a year, lets face it...not many of us do it. I have two pg friends (with first babies) and they think I am such a weirdo still feeding Emma.....they haven't even tried BFing yet and already have such preconceptions....
mind you, so did I...I really wanted to get to a year with both.

I DO think that after a year it is quite a different thing and the more successful breastfeeders after a year are usually those who co-sleep or at least give the breast as a comforter/on demand....my two never did either of these things and were well down to 2 feeds by a year and getting most of their nutrition from solids for sure.

this is why I am not expecting my feeding relationship to go on much longer with Emma....she is an independent little madam (did poop on potty for the first time yesterday) and is now having a DF (by my choice) a lot of the time around an hour after she falls asleep as she is refusing the breast in the evenings if there is too much going on or she is too busy getting her teletubbies to sleep LOL!

I am delighted to have given my children the benefits of bfing for as long as I did and will be sad when I feed for the last time....

hugs to all }}}}}{{{{{{{

[Khalam's Mama]

We never did co sleeping more than once or twice for a few hours those first few exhausting nights. We are still on 4 feeds here but I just cut to 3 today for the first time in preparation for my return to work. Ds will not take the boob when he is upset so it isn't really a comfort thing. Not sure what he sees in it - he just loves it so much I do not know how I will get him off it!

I am going away in october and when I said i would have to make some plans around the breastfeeding my friend was like "but surely you won't still  be feeding him then he'll be 16MO!" and I was like "err yeah I was planning to actually"
At the weekend we had a picnic and my sister (who was BFing my nephew at the time) was asking one of my friends if she was still Bfing and she looked horrified and said "NO! she is 18MO!" It is so funny how it is seen. My husbond comes from Kenya and his sister (who still lives there) was still BFing at 2.5yo and no one batted an eye lid at it.

Do any of you still feed in public? At what age? We do but it is starting to feel more conspicuous.

[SylvieA]

It is unusual for most but shouldn't since it's such a natural thing. I think only in the modern world that people think of it as taboo if you go past 6months. They have this sexualised image about breasts and can't get past what they're really for. I'm the only one in my family that breastfed my kids (aside from my sister which is breastfeeding her 3rd child, but I don't think she'll go past 6months, and I don't think she would go that far if she didn't have me as influence) and my family do look at me as being weird as well. It's sad really, as humans are meant to take their mothers milk as long as they need. Here's an article I've read, really interesting. I think it's someone on this site that had posted it. http://www.kathydettwyler.org/detwean.html

Anyways, if someone would of told be so stop breastfeeding, I think I would of given them some facts and benefits. Yay, for both of you for sticking up to what you believe.

Khalam's Mama, you just posted. DD never asked for a feed in public past a year, but if she asked and really insisted on it, I think I would instead of having an impatient thirsty toddler. I have a friend that does all the time and her DS turned 2 in May, but they are the co-sleeping kind of family, so a bit more granola than me. I still let DD co-sleep if she wakes in the middle of the night and can't be settled, but she never starts the night with usand never has past 3mo.

[SylvieA]

Here's another interesting article http://www.naturalchild.org/guest/norma_jane_bumgarner2.html#1276810342

[MommytoJashn]

Important to update !

J , has been much better the last  couple of days , and she is less clingy , oh what a relief!

I guess ,it was a mix of GS , and being ill and havign strangers at home. things are far more settled, and we are back on feeding 2times a day.

18 months is what i know i can make it to , beginning to want my body back to myself, tired of the big boobies ! hehe

[Khalam's Mama]

It is rare that I feed in public but I sometimes do at playgroup. The other dy I was with my sisters who have babies (13MO and 6MO) and are both still BFing and we happened to all be feeding athe same time and a new Mum arrived and asked "is this the BFing group?" in confusion. She did praise us when we explained that it was the under 5s playgroup and it was just coincidence. Neither of my sisters cosleep either.

DS has been managing to go well with 3 instead of 4 BF's. He still keeps asking for a NF though (which he hasn't since 9MO) and I am not sure if it is because he has been ill or because he is missing it in the day. He is eating more in the day though so should be making up for it. Not having loads of water though so maybe I should push that more?

[Manueli]

I am planning on breastfeeding over 12 months as well, or basically until the LO just is not interested anymore or I want to stop. But I was wondering what you think of breastfeeding until a new baby is arriving? We are not pregnant now but are thinking of having another one and I was wondering if I should give my breasts a break. Bf feels pretty comfortable now, but the first 6 months were horrible a lot of the times and I am not sure if this will happen with the second one. Hayden had a bad latch even though nobody could fix it and his mouth just started to fit better the bigger he became. So I am really tempted to wean before the second one arrives. Plus I feel a bit weird of having both babies bf at the same time.

[Yazzie]

Do you ladies find it harder and harder to feed in public?

I have a bf-ing cover and when I use, ds just thinks it's time to play peek-a-boo and when I don't he doesn't want to lay down to feed and wants to sit up and look around!...also, I've recently been letting him sometimes have feeds while sitting, so if he doesn't want to lay down, I'd let him sit on the couch and have my breast out,so that he's come over and help himself..lol..isn't something very comfortable though 

[MommytoJashn]

J dosn't want to lie down and feed  any more, so these days i have to do exactly  what u do , adam's mum.

but i did get the feeding pillow out again, and these days its become  sort of a play to lie  on  it and feed,

but yes the interest level in feeding has  come down drastically, she is now feeding more and more , for assurance than out of hunger.

but the positive is that she is beginning to gain weight fast! what a relief, we were stuck at 8 Kgs for 6 months !!

richa

[shivi]

gosh, its so so long since I fed in public...like a year ago I feel LOL!

We've been down to 2 feeds and now one feed only at bedtime....
I never fed on demand and simply give Emma cow's milk in the am which she now guzzles as good as anyone....

Emma was always a terrible terrible feeder in public even at 3 and 4 mths old. I always had to have a dark sheet covering us both. I remember probably a year ago in a public picnic area (was there again this weekend) sitting on a deckchair and trying to feed her. It was hopeless...

Since we went to 7,3,7,and df around 7.5 mths every feed has been in the dark in a quiet room and if I couldn't manage this then with the dark sheet I carried everywhere.

OMG Emma is so so independent and really ready to give up with bfing....she even tells me "nooooo" or "nie" when I offer and I have to slip into her room an hour or so later and feed her in her sleep around 2 or 3 times a week.

Its really time to finish for me....will drag her to 9th July to get to 18 mths but she's so so much more independent than Oscar that it kind of feels "weird" that she's still a "baby" - she feeds herself totally independently, tries to dress herself and is now telling us when she is doing pee pee and has been for a few months for poos. We've already had great success with potty for poo poo!!!

But, she's my last baby and we fought so so hard for bfing to work in the beginning with low or no weight gain, tongue tie etc....and I just don't want it to end. In saying that, she is very cuddly and loves snuggles anyway...Oscar only snuggled or cuddled at this age for bfing....so at least I will still have that.

sorry for the whinge xxx

[Khalam's Mama]

DS is a nightmare to feed in public. He constantly gets on and off to look around. I try to feed in his room after naps and I never offer the breast in public but if he is adament than i do let him. We are still at 4BF's a day but sometimes less if we are out and about. Sometimes more if he just wants a quick drink. I'm back to work 15th July so it will cut down then to 2 or 3 I guess. We are also stuck at 10.5kg for months now but I figure he is so active. Maybe it is because he still has lots of milk and less food? DS also likes to feed sitting up and sometimes even asks while he is sat on the potty but I draw the line at that. We are also TTC so I am hoping thia will not affact my ability to continue feeding him. It was really rough the first month or so but I am hoping with some expoerience I will be able to get it right more quickly next time.