How do you breastfeed past a year?

[babytime]

I breastfed both my dd's for their first year and stopped first time because I just thought thats what you do.

Second time my dd decided that she didnt want it anymore and she must of been taking less and less without me noticing because my milk just dried up and there was no pain so it obviously happened gradually. She was more into food and would not drink formula milk or any milk - just does not like it.

Anyway I am now suffering the "broody feeling" for the third time and I say SUFFERING!

I have a hole inside that needs to be filled, everytime I see a baby my nipples tingle and I feel emotional. I think about babies all the time and dream about feeding and holding a little newborn. I really really want a baby.

My dh has agreed that we should try end of this year but said that 3 children is definitly the max!!! He said that if i get broody again I can forget it.

I am worried that this broody feeling will keep coming around, seems to happen when my last two hit two years... when things basically get easy

Anyway back to my original question, how do you keep breastfeeding your child past one year old?

By one they are eating lots of food and I know milk is not as important as it was, it takes a back seat to food. I know breast milk works on demand/supply so how you stop your milk drying up?

The first time I bf I had SO much milk and I reckon i could have carried on for years. second time I never leaked, didnt need breast pads and it just dried up because she took less and less.

BIG QUESTION - WARNING!!! MAY CAUSE OFFENCE TO SOME PEOPLE...

I wonder by feeding my next baby past one into their toddler years am I satisfying a need for them or is it more for me??? To keep my broody feelings at bay for another child?

By feeding them am i satisfying a need inside for myself??? Is that what you do?

I would be devastated if I was told I will never breastfeed a child again.

[hercules1]

Breastfeeding a child past one is dead easy. You just do it. I was back at work full time when dd was 5 months and get feeding her for a long time after. During the week it would be just in teh mornign and in the evening. It takes a good while for an establishe milk supply to stop. I didnt leak after the first few weeks and stopped having to use pads after a few short months. That was no indication of my milk supply.

Believe me and a billion other people who have bf past this age it really isnt just the mother satisfying a need.

[pagwatch]

I breastfed my DD.
It was because she wanted to and i was happy to oblige.
it had sod all to do with anything else.
I was not broody whilst breastfeeding and not broody now I have stopped.
i think your premis is nonsense.

I think you just need to decide if you want another baby or not. i suspectthat if you are yearning for another baby anything baby centric with stimulate those urges/wishes.
When I was broody ( after DS1 and before DS2) I would get broody walking past mothercare.

[hercules1]

Oh and I never want anymore children.

[CorrieDale]

Well, I wouldn't say I was ever abundant in teh milk department - never leaked, etc., and DD isn't a huge feeder either. But I think you just keep offering - if they want to feed, they will. If not, they won't. Make sure it's regularly offered and don't judge the supply by leakage - there really is no relationship there!

I don't think that your second question is an either/or. Just because you feel that bfing fulfills a need for you, it doesn't mean that you're not satisfying their needs too. It's win-win from what I can see! If they don't want to feed, then they'll just refuse so I really don't think you need to beat yourself up about it!

[bohemianbint]

My DS stopped of his own accord around his first birthday. I was gutted, and it co-incided with taking a course to become a breastfeeding counsellor, which made me horrendously broody. Am now 8 months pregnant!

Not a particularly constructive post from me, I just wanted to tell you how similar it sounded to my situation!

[babytime]

Dont get me wrong I am aware they do benefit too and there can be no downsides to it but with my second I didnt want to stop, she just refused the breast and I was not sure if it was because there was not enough milk or because she simply just didnt want milk, she turned her nose up at any milk since so I am assuming its the latter.

Hercules1 are you saying you just bf morning and night with a 5mth old or are you referring to later?

So i guess its down to the baby, all you can do if keep offering and they take it or not.

But every new born baby will want a breast right so its just when they decide they dont want it anymore?

[babytime]

bohemianbint - how annoying and congrats!!!

where are you taking the course, is it expensive?

i would do that, i helped alot of my friends especially in the early weeks.

[pipsy76]

I can totally relate to this I was devastated when my DS stopped BF at 16 months not helped by MIL telling me this meant he was rejecting me Now trying for DC2 and will try to make the most of every moment!

[chipmonkey]

pipsy your MIL sounds charming!

bt I reckon all babies are different, I had to wean ds3 at 2.8 to ttc no4 and he was not at all happy about it!

[babytime]

bump

[bohemianbint]

Hello again,

course was organised by local midwives and was free - see if your local hospital does anything similar!

DS has also refused milk since he stopped. He won't drink it, but he will have it on cereal.

[babytime]

Yep same here, milk on cereal, cheese, yougurts but would not drink it. I was so stressed out when it all happened but its ok now and i just try to make sure she has a varied healthy diet. which is tricky.

i remember hearing that breast fed babies should be good eaters when weaned because the milk introduces them to different flavours. well, i have the pickiest children out of all my friends. they like hardly anything!!!

will contact the local midwives

[Ineedsomesleep]

I fed DS to 2 and a half and it was def not fulfilling a need in me, I would, and really tried every trick in the book to give it up long before then.

To answer your original question I fed him before breakfast and just before sleep.

[wonderstuff]

On This Morning feature last week they said that globally the adverage child was bf til 4.5yo..

[trixymalixy]

After a year I tried to cut feeds down to just at bedtime and in the morning and up snacks in the afternoon. It wasn't difficult to do.

[chipmonkey]

babytime, I heard that too but all mine were bf and all have different levels of fussiness!

[anneme]

DS1 was bf till 15 months then just sort of petered out, DS2 is still feeding morning and evening (I am out at work most days) but sometimes after lunch too - he is 13 months. He will be our last child (probably - slightly subject to discussion....) and I think I am conscious that I will never bf again (well....) so will def not hurry to give up. It doesn't actually make me broody though

[sophiesmiles]

Babytime I have been there and done that, can you email me? [email protected]