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Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Infant feeding

Are you STILL breastfeeding?

49 replies

HalfBakedCleverCookie · 30/04/2013 22:41

I have gone back to work after materninty leave, one woman asked me what diet I have been doing. I said oh none, its just breastfeeding.

Que shock horror, your not STILL breastfeeding are you?! Your not gonna be one of those women who are breastfeeding their ten year old are you?

Ds is 9 months old.

I thought I would come here for some reassurance that I am not strange or abnormal.

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milkwasabadchoice · 30/04/2013 22:49

Tell her to nob off.
I mix fed dd evening and morning till she was nearly a year and never thought I was unusual, different, special or weird. Just my choice.

MangoLangoTango · 30/04/2013 22:50

Not strange, but I don't talk about it now. People just assume we have stopped. Only close friends and family are aware, as they see DS asking for it. He is two.

Unfortunately you colleagues attitude to breast feeding is quite common in Britain.

DefiniteMaybe · 30/04/2013 22:51

Oh just ignore her I'm feeding dd now shes 21months so I must be more strange than you

YonicTheHedgehog · 30/04/2013 22:51

Nah not strange, 14 months and no sign of stopping here. Sure there'll be more people who've done it even longer along in a min too.
I know it shouldn't, but I end up feeling like I'm doing something wrong when people say that to me, It's a shame really.

YonicTheHedgehog · 30/04/2013 22:52

I'm such a slow typer! Massive cross posts!

WinkyWinkola · 30/04/2013 22:53

I had this. Ds1 was 10 months old. I should have smirked and said, "Yep. Queen Bitty."

You've got to develop a thicker skin to shrug off the morons who make comments like this.

Daisydoomoo · 30/04/2013 23:01

Oh I remember those comments.

Although not as bad as my gran (god bless her soul) told me off for breast feeding my first son at 6 weeks old! Her words being "he don't need his mummy still".....

All 3 of mine self weaned by age 2.

WouldBeHarrietVane · 01/05/2013 00:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Kickarsequeen · 01/05/2013 00:52

You are normal she is rude! End!

louisianablue2000 · 01/05/2013 00:55

FFS. My standard response to these comments is 'WHO advice is to BF for at least 2 years' followed by a hard stare. Usually shuts them up.

peacemoon · 01/05/2013 01:07

RUDE! That's what! First 2 I fed for 6 months and dc 3 I fed for a year and probably would have done it for longer if I wasn't 3 months pregnant with dc4 ( who bythe way didn't take to it at all and I gave up after 3 months!).

PogoBob · 01/05/2013 01:29

I'm feeding 4mo DS and is older sister who is 2 3/4 yo so 9 months is definately not strnage here.

Admittedly I would like to stop feeding DD but she's having none of it!

K8Middleton · 01/05/2013 01:37

A cool "why would you think that I would breastfeed a 10 year old. What a weird thing to say. Are you feeling quite well?" usually does the trick.

I got this from my own mother. She went: "breastfeed, breastfeed, breastfeed, breastfeed, breastfeed, breastfeed, breastfeed, breastfeed" while I struggled and mix fed, until one day when he was 8mo and I'd dropped the formula for 3 months "Don't you think you should stop that now?" FFS.

goodasgold · 01/05/2013 01:39

No I was working for a pretty big bank in trading and treasury, my little boy was two when I stopped feeding him myself. I didn't advertise that I was still breastfeeding, but I would never have lied about it either.
It wasn't relevant or important to my job, I just kept it to myself. I wasn't ashamed, it just never came up. My colleagues would never have dreamt that I was an extended breastfeeder. Loads of us do it.

bicyclebuiltforfour · 01/05/2013 01:44

Nope - you're a great mum :) You should be proud of yourself.

HalfBakedCleverCookie · 01/05/2013 08:17

Thanks everyone, where are all the real life breastfeeders!

Honestly all I ever get asked is when will I be giving up, even the doctor said that after 12 months I will have done my bit!

I feel better knowing you are all out there. I am hoping ds will self wean between 1 and 2 but I'm not too.g to force it.

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HorryIsUpduffed · 01/05/2013 08:27

I think it is a bit of a leap from "bf made me lose weight" to "I am still bf" so I wonder why she made that assumption?

"Still" here at just over two, and 13w pg. Someone asked me the other day if I was planning to tandem. I said I bloody hope not.

My current grand total is 51 months over two DC. Fully functional boobage here.

EauRouge · 01/05/2013 08:27

Get thee to an LLL meeting You'll find plenty of women BF older babies there.

Don't worry, the 'are you STILL breastfeeding?' lot do give up asking after a while. WHO guidelines are to BF for 2 years and beyond if desired. Tell them to stick that in their pipe and smoke it.

HalfBakedCleverCookie · 01/05/2013 08:32

I wish I was that assertive, I usually end up feeling like I am doing something wrong and mutter something about stopping when he is one.

Horry, I,m not sure how she made the leap, maybe because I've not put the weight back on yet.

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poocatcherchampion · 01/05/2013 08:38

my mother keeps telling dd 14 more that the milk is for the new baby . no its not itrs yours dd, solely for another 4 months!

Homebird8 · 01/05/2013 08:39

My FIL was the one who kept asking about me feeding his 18month DGS. One day I snapped and probably unwisely said 'Oh, I should think by the time he gets married it'll be someone else's breasts he's wanting to suck!' But it stopped the questions!

ShowOfHands · 01/05/2013 08:43

"You seem very interested in my breasts Madame Colleague. Would you like to talk about why that is?"

You're not weird in the slightest. In fact from my perspective (fed one to natural term, still feeding a 20 month old), you're only just starting out.

I suppose I can understand somebody being surprised if they've never breastfed or been around breastfeeding because they see only the child you have now and not the continual feeding of a baby from newborn onwards. They don't see the progress of a bfing relationship but to make comments about feeding a 10yo is deeply inappropriate and not even approaching amusing, if indeed that was what she was aiming for.

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EauRouge · 01/05/2013 08:47

I'm sorry she made you feel like that. You're definitely not doing anything wrong! You're doing a wonderful thing. Have you seen this? There are loads of different ideas for coping with criticism if you don't feel you're assertive enough for telling them to bog off.

TheBookofRuth · 01/05/2013 09:02

I'm still feeding my 15 month DD and have no plans to stop till she's ready. One of the other mums from my NCT group actually instructed me to "stop before she's one or I'll think you're weird". Yeah, that's a good reason!

HalfBakedCleverCookie · 01/05/2013 09:40

Really bookofruth, well of course that is a great reason to stop feeding!

thanks Eau, that looks very helpful.

I thought we had cracked it when Mil realised that ds really won't take a bottle, she did think I was lying and just forcing the boob on him.

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