some b/feeding statistics

[tortoiseSHELL]

here - do that 1% all post on MN???

just out of interest - did you exclusively b/feed for 6 months?

Yes.

[filthymindedvixen]

fed them both til about 12-14 months. Exclusively til 4 months. then both weaned (back in olden days...)

[pinkspottywellies]

Made it to 24 wks but started solids then (under pressure from hv and tbh, thought dd was ready). I'm the only one of my NCT ante-natal class (5 mums) who's dc hasn't had any formula though! And she's the only one who hasn't been ill [proud emoticon]

[NoNickname]

Yes. Exclusively until about 5 months (guidelines were that it was OK to start weaning at 4m back then) and we're still going at 3.6 years!

[TheBlonde]

yes

[rabbleraiser]

I did it for six weeks, and that was enough for me! My ds is rudely healthy, was bottle-fed from six weeks and weaned at about 5 months. This issue always seems to cause a lot of rancorous debate, but I always think 'each to her own.'

And yes, I do agree that the 1% are all on MN

[compo]

I think the nature of Mumsnet means there will be a higher percentage answering yes - it's inevitable.
So to mak ethings not too top heavy

No for both of mine.

[nogoes]

No.

Most of my friends bf well past 6 months but not exclusively, the majority introduced one formula feed per day around 6 weeks.

[Jacanne]

I did the 2nd time round but not the first.

[Jacanne]

Just to add - I didn't give formula the first time but did start solids at 4 months - hence not exclusively BF til 6 months,ifyswim

[rabbleraiser]

Good pun, Compo! Top heavy, indeed ...

[Kathyis6incheshigh]

If I'm reading this correctly, these are the 2005 figures but in 2005 the advice was still to wean at 4-6 months, rather than 4 months as it is today.
Therefore to say as the article does, 'Fewer than one in a hundred women follow government advice' is not in fact correct

I'm a no for both of mine:
dd: exclusively bf till 4 months with not a drop of formula passing her lips, but then introduced solids and mixed fed till stopped bf at 6 months

ds: 5 months now, no solids but the occasional bottle of formula when desperate.

[MissGolightly]

Blimey - terrifying stats!

Yes, I bfed exclusively for 6 months.

[TheBlonde]

Kathy - I had my first child in 2005 and the advice was 6 mths then as far as I am aware

[Manictigger]

Yes I exclusively bf for 6 months, and I agree with Compo, MNetters are more likely to do so, prob because they receive more help with bf problems on here than they would in RL (IYSWIM)

[mears]

Although guidelines changed failry recently, breast feeding books advised exclusive feeding until 6 months and that was more than 20 years ago! Unfortunately HVs still advised weaning at 14lb weight of baby/ 4 months whichever came sooner.

I did really well I felt by getting beyond 16 weeks with first baby - got to 23 weeks. 222 weeks with no.2 and 20 weeks with no.3

I only managed to feed last baby till 6 months exclusively because I was determined.

And yes I do think that a high proportion of bfeeders post on mumsnet

[MrsTittleMouse]

So do I not count, as DD sometimes gets a bottle at the weekend from DH (so I can have a lie-in)? I always wondered if strictly speaking I should call her mixed-fed, but I thought that would be for babies who had significant FF (e.g. FF in nursery, BF in the evening).

[tortoiseSHELL]

lol at 222 weeks mears! I think it's really interesting how the guidelines change - even since ds1 was born nearly 6 years ago they've changed.

[MaeWest]

Well, I'm pig-ignorant and not in my thirties, but have still managed to excl bf up until 6 months. But I am middle class though

[Rantum]

No - not exclusively (did that for 4.5 mths then did old fashioned weaning on the back of some poor hv advice)but did bf til ds was 9 mths.

[shonaspurtle]

4 days to go until 6 months and solids fun begins

Ds has thrived on just breast milk and I've not felt that I was depriving him of anything by waiting. I've had endless comments about it though from people expressing surprise that he wasn't on solids yet and haven't met anyone in rl who waited so it's definitely seen as abnormal round here .