To ask if you think breast milk after 12 months is very beneficial?

[Skatingonthinice16]

Dd is nearly 14 months and I'm starting to feel like I'm going to have to stop giving her breast milk soon for my own sake. I spoke to my dr about it and she said that really all the benefits would have happened by now.

I just feel selfish stopping something which may benefit dd for my own sake. But does it make much difference now? Does it ever make much difference in reality?

Blimey, I would just stop...14 months is long enough and I don't think there's much benefit, as she will be eating a varied diet. I did 4 months and 7 months for my two. Enough is enough.

I find between expressing and having to do the school run I don't have time to go anywhere much in between. I'm constantly clock watching because of the expressing.
Between that and the tiredness...I don't know. That's why I question whether it's still beneficial overall. But I feel weird about stopping and it being the last time and that being my decision.

Emerald two years!!!

I don't believe there are any nutritional benefits once a child is fully weaned and eating solid foods. Emotionally, sure.

You don't need an excuse. You don't want to us enough.

There are plenty of benefits, but that doesn't matter! You don't need to make excuses, you've done a fabulous job so stop if you want to and think no more about it.

Also it's important to talk about 'benefits' to you as well. If it's making you tired and miserable then even if your toddler is getting masses of nutrients from it (and I don't believe they do) then it's mitigated by your experience.

Once they're on solids, babies should get all the nutrition they need from the food you give.

Don't feel guilty about stopping, but do congratulate yourself for doing a whole year! Kudos to you.

Breastfeeding supports the immune system, reduces the risk of certain cancers (and this is cumulative so the longer you feed the greater the effect) and is excellent nutrition no matter what age the nursling. It also enables mum to make antibodies to threats being faced which are delivered to the child in the milk and thereby reduce length of illnesses at a time when the child's immune system is still developing (it isn't fully developed till age 7).

None of these things turn off at 12 months. So a nursing child will always be at an advantage over a non nursing child in those areas.

But...breastfeeding should be mutually beneficial and if you want to stop then do! There's no need to justify it.

I don't agree it's beneficial. Formula is good enough, and after 1year the milk quantity is subsidised by food until the food becomes main and milk is minor. You may want to get some liquid vitamins to pop in the milk. Otherwise make sure food has lots of protein, veg and fruit in it.

Is Brocolli beneficial after one year

Broccoli is always beneficial (and a bugger to clean the little bits off a high chair...).

I think it's beneficial as far as the immune-system goes BUT any benefits need to weighed against the hassle factor. Think you feeling drained and wanting to stop is way more important than the health benefits - having a calm mum with a bit of energy is jmportant.

I felt just like you and my friend who is passionate about long term bf convinced me to carry on. I did until dd was two but omg I was knackered and should have stopped earlier. If I had my time again I would have stopped at 12 months for sure.

So why is brocollI beneficial but breast milk not?

Goodness, expressing for 24 hours per week? That's almost 70% of a fulltime working week for many people. There is no way the benefits of breastfeeding (which are marginal anyway) for an older child are outweighed by you being liberated from your pump. That is an entire day and night per week that you are pumping. Your time is valuable - family time, work time, personal time, sleep time for your own health.

There is zero robust evidence of beneficial effects of longer term breastfeeding.

Breastmilk is beneficial, not in a major sense, as in being the major part of a toddler's diet, but in a minor sense nutritionally. Plus the other non-nutritional benefits like immunity etc. At least that's my thoughts on it!

Same as brocollI then :)

I still breastfeed my DS and he's 15 months. I'm going to continue for the time being. I enjoy the bonding we get from breastfeeding and I know he loves it. However, if I wanted to stop, I would not hesitate. It's not about nutritional or health benefits at this stage. It's about personal preference and what is best for your family (which it always is to be fair).

I bottle fed my DS in the beginning and then combine fed before moving to exclusive breastfeeding. I couldn't get on with expressing at all - I found it painful and exhausting. Everyone's experiences are different and there is no right or wrong.

Forgot to say DS eats a varied diet and mainly breastfeeds for comfort before bed/when he wakes up. He loves cows milk and drinks water throughout the day.

But I feel weird about stopping and it being the last time and that being my decision.

Oh, I hear you. It was far harder deciding to wean DC3 deliberately (21m) than it was taking advantage of his brothers' natural inclination to stop (26m each time, when I was pg with the next). Somehow a big psychological difference between "he weaned" and "I weaned him".

But given that nearly no British babies are getting any bm as they reach their first birthday, you really have done extraordinarily well.

Could you gradually express less often? That's how you'd wean if you were feeding her "directly". Totally get that you're unsure. I'm feeding my almost 2yo and am ready to stop but she isn't :/

Breastfeeding is generally just very nice and comforting for toddlers, and a great thing to be able to do if they're sick or upset or just want to feel really close to you.

But if you don't want to do it you have to reconcile your feelings of not wanting to do it any more with your wish to do what makes your child happy and what your child enjoys. No easy answers. Only you can decide.

I'm very keen on supporting Breastfeeding and long term too ... but genuinely...you've done your bit, you've fought for a long time and you need to look at what it's taking out of you and your time/relationship with your child/children.

Oh I wouldn't give it a second thought Op!

I bfed number 1 till 2.5 (she was a boob monster) and number 2 I weaned at 11 months - I just got sick of it Didn't feel even a tiny bit guilty !

Well if you're going to ask about broccoli - surely it's more like saying vegetarians can't possibly be healthy because of the benefits of meat?

Breast milk is slowly replaced with actual food, if the child is getting a varied diet that includes the vitamins and other stuff they need to go then there is limited nutritional benefit. If you are not able to feed them a good diet then extended breastfeeding makes a lot more sense.

I stopped breastfeeding my son at 14 months (I was back at work by then and he breastfed almost constantly as we co-slept) totally my choice and I never felt guilty about it. DS is five now and while he'd probably still breastfeed now if he could, he doesn't because I don't want him to. He's not sad about it or anything

PS drinking cups of cows milk or toddler formula is also not necessary post weaning.

Stealth - broccoli only takes ten minutes to steam or boil against potentially hours of breastfeeding and doesn't cause exhaustion!

Far enough if people find it a breeze and are totally happy to continue but a lot of people aren't, including OP.