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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

How Long Do Ladies BF in the UK?

60 replies

CoachMom · 23/07/2010 17:28

Hi, I'm visiting from the US for the summer and have a question.

I was at football lessons with my son, while my 8 month old daughter was nursing under my hooter hider...haha! Anyway I was talking to a nanny of a little boy that was playing with my son. She ask me when I was going to stop breast feeding? She went onto say that women in the UK only BF for 4 months. After reading several threads on this board I think this nanny was full of it. She is right?

OP posts:

Chocaholica · 25/07/2010 14:11

The health visitor who I had for DD1 came for a 6 month check, asked if I was 'still' breastfeeding, and said 'right, it's okay to keep breastfeeding till she's one'. I said I had been planning to carry on for longer than that and she said disapprovingly 'you can if you want but it's more for the mother than the baby after they're a year old'. Great quality advice there, not.

I moved when DD1 was 8 months. New HV v supportive of bf. I fed DD1 till she self weaned at 18 months. Silly me, should have realized it was all for my own benefit, not hers...

CakeandRoses · 26/07/2010 10:47

Chocaholica - Grrrr at your ridiculous and ignorant ex-HV . Hope someone reports her so she'll get the training/info needed to do her job properly in future.

cece · 26/07/2010 10:54

I think if you do BF in public here then you do not need your hooterhider. I think it will draw more attention to the fact you are bf than just doing it without it.

I have only seen one woman with one and TBH I couldn't stop staring at her! It seemed a really odd thing to do.

I have BF all 3 of my DCs till; 9months, 15 months and still feeding DC3 at 14 months. Up to year old is fine but TBH I tend to only BF in private now as it seems quite frowned upon once the baby is over 12 months!

I have never had a negative comment whilst BF in public and many people smile nicely at you!

Have a lovely holiday!

CakeandRoses · 26/07/2010 11:04

cece - have you seen the argument raging on the hooter hider thread? Not saying your view isn't relevant but just wanted to say it is by no means the only view so that the OP doesn't think that everyone will think she's odd using one in the UK.

Many women use hooter hiders (or variants of them) for good reasons and the last thing other women should be doing is making them feel self-concious about using them.

cece · 26/07/2010 11:15

Oh I didn't know they were controversial!

I'm just saying I had never heard of them and saw a woman using one. I then mentioned it to a friend a few days later and she told me what it was. I also found my eyes uncharacteristically drawm to her. My personal opinion. If people want to use them then it is up to them but it seemed to me to be another marketing thing for new mums to buy.

SpeedyGonzalez · 26/07/2010 11:16

hi coachmom!

I bf'd ds till 14 mos (self-weaned) and intend to do same, if not longer with dd. use muslins to cover my hooters but if someone is offended by a flash of breast it's their fault for staring.

cake&roses (great name) - hear, hear re hooter hiders.

DrivenToDistraction · 26/07/2010 11:53

Interesting thread coachmom.

I'm British but not in the UK (am in Holland), but was asked when I was planning to stop feeding my DC regularly after they were about 4 or 5 months. Felt actual pressure to stop from six months. People seemed quite shocked by public BF after about 4 months TBH.

I BF until both DC until about 14 months, with DD my milk dried up as I entered my second trimester of my pregnancy with DS. With DS I had, frankly, had it. 3 1/2 years of continuous pregnancy and BF was more than enough for me. At 13 months I stopped offering the breast and just gave it when he asked, it turned out he wasn't actually that interested . I'd wanted to feed each DC for at least 2 years but, as is so often the case, circumstance had other plans.

I was horrified to see the stats for the UK, I'd no idea they were so low. Considering the way I was treated like a freak for 'extended' (lol) BF here, I looked up what they are where I am. It's 75% at a week, 65% at 6 weeks and 30% at six months, couldn't find stats for older babies. Still low (considering WHO advice) but excellent in comparison to the UK. I'd no idea the stats differed so much, I'd always felt my experience with family and 'the public' was pretty well represented by what I'd read here.

ProfessorLaytonIsMyLoveSlave · 26/07/2010 12:05

My figures are a bit out of date so it may be that UK rates have improved from there over the last few years.

Haliborange · 26/07/2010 12:10

I know a few people who've kept going for a year, but stopping around the 6 month mark seems quite usual. I guess that is because many women return to work around then.
I bf my first to 7 months, and my 9 month old is still going although she only has one feed a day now (otherwise has formula because I hate pumping and am at work).
I've never covered up. [Shameless]

NewbeeMummy · 26/07/2010 12:25

my DD is almost 9 months old and I BF first and last feed of the day (I work FT and sometimes have to stay overnight with work) I did express for as long as I could, but found as work got more hectic it became more impractical.

My DH who is the sahp is encourgaing me to stop bf'ing and the HV's have also commented that I should be looking to wean her off.

I know it's selfish of me, but I really enjoy our morning and evening feeds, and really do not want to give them up.

ArthurPewty · 26/07/2010 12:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Longtalljosie · 26/07/2010 14:13

NewbeeMummy - there's nothing selfish about that at all and it's a shame you're being made to feel that it is

porcamiseria · 26/07/2010 14:16

we breastfeed intil they are at least 7 years old

if you stop any sooner than that you are a SHIT MOTHER !!!!

JoanHolloway · 26/07/2010 14:23

It's one of those things you'll get so many answers to.

My dad's gf asked me if I wa still bf'ing my daughter when she was 10 weeks old. For others it's 12 months minimum.

I think most people breastfeed when and where they want in whatever way is comfortable to them, but hiders are not mainstream (and I'm glad about that). I fed both of mine until they were 12 months, tailing off to evening feeds, and never ever had any negativity. Only kindness. I live in London.

SpeedyGonzalez · 26/07/2010 14:36

porca - you forgot to add that it's essential to keep your booswams well and truly on display - the more stage lighting, the better.

porcamiseria · 26/07/2010 14:46

yes, true

HOOTER HIDERS are for shitty mothers that are ashamed of whats oh so natural

lowrib · 26/07/2010 14:47

NewbeeMummy it's not selfish of you at all! please don't feel you need to give up until you feel it's the right thing for you and your DD.You are doing a wonderful thing for your DD. Your DH and HV are in the wrong.
Coachmum, the nanny you met is talking rubbish! How dare she!

The World Health Organisation recommends that you BF until your DC is at least 2 years old, to give them the best possible start, healthwise.

There are many reasons that continuing to BF is a good idea. One that I find really compelling is what about when DCs are ill? When my DS got flu, he didn't want to eat or drink. He was really miserable. But he did want to BF. BFing gave him comfort, food, drink and helped him sleep which is exactly what he needed, and it most probably helped him fight the flu. If he wasn't BFing the whole experience would have been much, much worse. I have no idea how we would have got him to eat or drink.

I noticed a lot of pressure from people to give up BFing from when DS was about 10 month. Now he's 19 months (and very big for his age too) people have stopped commenting. I think they must either think I'm a lost cause now, or are just so taken aback they don't know what to say

I'm determined to keep BFing in public, because I feel angry that I should be made to feel ashamed for doing something that benefits my child.
Also when DS was about 10months old, I saw a woman BFing her 2yo DS on a bus. This chance encounter made me feel better about doing it myself, despite the pressure I was feeling from others to give it up.

So now, when I feel socially awkward, or like people think I'm weird for BFing a toddler, I tell myself that there may be other mums who can see me, who will gain confidence from simply seeing me BF my son.

I also think to myself that if we're ever going to normalise BFing older babies in public, some of us are actually going to have to do it! Otherwise how will people ever get used to it? Not so long ago people in the UK thought it was really weird for men to be out and about pushing a pushchair. That's becoming much more accepted now, but it's only happened by people actually doing it.

So, don't let people put you off. You may have to put up with a few strange comments from the ignorant, but it may help to remember that you're not just feeding your child, you're actually helping to change society for the better!

HTH

StrawberryTot · 26/07/2010 15:00

i was an accidental boobie feeder, when i was pregnant i never wanted to nor did i even think about BFing my baby, however when my little girl was born a student midwife who was present put her straight to me. from the second my boob touched her mouth she was like a leech, constantly feeding. i fed her till she was 14 month old but to be honest i didn't feed her much in public after about 10 months. i BF my little boy till he was about 5/6 months then moved him onto formula.

SpeedyGonzalez · 26/07/2010 15:02

"I was an accidental boobie feeder". Sounds like a film starring Mike Myers.

Haliborange · 26/07/2010 15:10

I was once an accidental boobie feeder once, when my DD unlatched, my boob squirted across Starbucks and into a man's coffee. He didn't notice, but I like to think that his baldness cured itself like magic the next week.

DastardlyandSmugly · 26/07/2010 15:17

I didn't BF DS as my milk never came. I BF DD for 7 months - wanted to give up at 6 but she was allergic to cow's milk protein which took a while to sort out.

littleducks · 26/07/2010 15:18

I think it varies wildly and the statistics dont help, if a baby is never breastfed then i dont think it is helpful to include it in figures when trying to work out how long babies are bfed for but they are

I think the common stopping points are pretty soon after birth, within a month/six weeks mainly due to problems bf, or not enjoying it etc.

at 6/7 months when weaning has started/maternity leave ended

12mo as there is the whole 1yr thing

then there a fewer women who either stop between 1yr and 2yr

then the smallest group who bfing until 'natural weaning' whenever child stops which varies

I was in the fourth group with both my babies but never bfed outside after a year tbh, but at that age they can wait are happy to have something else instead so it wasnt a problem

SpeedyGonzalez · 26/07/2010 15:24

halib - is that true?!

Haliborange · 26/07/2010 15:28

Yes indeed. Well, except for the hair part.
Which means that, thanks to my extremely powerful let down, I have BF a man in his 50s.
I am hardcore

SpeedyGonzalez · 26/07/2010 15:31

rofl rofl! You truly are an Earth Mother, Haliborange.

Awesome.

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