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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

If you breastfed past 6 months, when and why did you finally stop?

90 replies

putthekettleon · 20/01/2011 16:22

Just wondering really as this is all new to me... I stopped BF DD1 at 5 months for various reasons, mainly she preferred the bottle and I had enough of expressing!

DD2 has been a dream to breastfeed, completely refuses a bottle and we're still going strong at 7 months. I definitely want to carry on til 12 months at least but after that I've no idea how or if I would stop. She loves BF, it's the only way to get her to sleep or calm her if she's hurt/tired/teething etc. I love it too but at the same time I look at DD1 (2.9) and think I just can't imagine still BF a child who can walk and talk (and can bite!)

When did you stop? Did your child decide for themselves or did you just have enough?

OP posts:
Andre1960 · 20/01/2011 18:32

Okay - completely new perspective. Shoot me down if you want to!

My wife BF our twins for 12 months. I was really happy that my wife was able to BF our children and she was too, but after a year I wanted to make love to her without getting spattered in milk because I'm past being breast-fed. I don't know if this was selfish of me but I thought a year was long enough. I think this suited her too.

MrsvWoolf · 20/01/2011 18:35

This reply has been deleted

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bratnav · 20/01/2011 18:35

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HettyAmaretti · 20/01/2011 18:40

Andre1960 Shock You made her stop and you don't know if it suited her to? Shock

You also don't know if you were being selfish? Really?

TBH I seriously hope that wasn't a genuine post. Do you have any idea what an achievement it was for her to BF twins to a year?

pozzled · 20/01/2011 18:43

About 13 months. When I returned to work I could only do the evening breastfeed. I would have been happy to carry on just doing that but my supply couldn't seem to cope with such infrequent feeds and it just wasn't filling her up any more.

aPixieInMyCaramelLatte · 20/01/2011 18:57

With ds1 I stopped at 6months because I didn't know about Breast Feeding the things I do now. Such as Breast Milk DOES have benefits past 6months (thanks for that HV Angry )

Ds2 is 18weeks and EBF, I intend to bf him until he self weans but will review it around 12 months because who knows how I'll feel about it then.

Oh and ds1 is 21 months now and been very interested in my boobs since ds2 came along. I started expressing milk for him to drink from a cup when he was ill and it helped enormously. Today I was feeding ds2 on the sofa and drifted off when ds1 clamped his mouth around my other nipple. Ouch. That certainly brought me round from my sleepy state.

Andre1960 · 20/01/2011 18:57

HettyAmaretti: I know precisely what an achievement it was because we worked at it together. She was fantastic and I helped her. That was what she wanted for herself and our children and that is what I wanted for her and our children. Unless you have breastfed twins I know better than you what an achievement it is because I was part of it. I think a year was long enough for them, for her and for us. I didn't imposed anything on any of us. I'm just saying that there are grown-ups in families as well as children. She and I were the grown-ups and the children were a product of our relationship.

tallulah · 20/01/2011 18:58

DC1, 2 and 3 self weaned at 15 months.
DC4 self weaned at 10 months :(
DC5 still BF at 3y10m

HettyAmaretti · 20/01/2011 19:00

Andre1960 - grand, you had me worried for a moment there!

Northernlurker · 20/01/2011 19:01

Gosh Andre - you are pleased with yourself aren't you? Telling your wife to stop breastfeeding your babies because it's interfering with you sexual gratification wouldn't rock my boat but presumably you have some redeeming qualities?

bb99 · 20/01/2011 19:34

DC1 18 months, under pressure from family members (this was over 10 years ago, so there wasn't much information or support for extended BFing)

DC2 22 months - was only feeding 3 times a day anyway, once before FT Nursery in the week, or in the morning at weekends and once at about 5pm - 6pm, when I picked up from Nursery time IYSWIM and before bed. I stopped because I went away overnight and DC didn't seem that bothered about not BFing, so it seemed the best time to stop as we all seemed happy with it...

DC2 does now have a bottle addiction and will drink PINTS of cows milk with little encouragement, but I haven't had the heart to tackle that yet Blush

Andre1960 · 20/01/2011 19:34

Northernlurker: I hope I have redeeming qualities. I could be awake when my wife and children were asleep. I could deliver my children to her breast and take them off her breast. I could know and help maintain their routine. I could make sure that she was well fed and happy because breastfeeding twins is incredibly demanding physically. I could stop my son from nodding off and make him feed properly so that some kind of routine was possible for my wife despite the fact that my son was a lazy bugger. I could keep him in sync with his sister because it is impossible to breast feed twins who are not in sync. I could look after our babies before, after and between feeds so my wife could rest and sleep. But I couldn't actually feed them. My wife did that and she was absolutely bloody fantastic. We lived, slept and ate babies (not literally!) and it was all-absorbing. However, after a year I wanted to make love to her without being reminded of babies!

Sarahlou8 · 20/01/2011 21:06

Andre - I haven't had twins but my friend has and she gave up bf because she didn't get enough support. You sound wonderful!

I fed DD (now 12) till 8 months.
We hit sleep problems and HV advised me to stop her bedtime feed and put her down awake. That was enough to stop my milk supply.

I fed DS (now 10) till 8 months - when I caught a nasty sickness bug, my milk was the first thing to suffer...

Now feeding DD2 (12 weeks) and intend to carry on as long as poss, it's not set in my mind how long that will be, although I didn't feel ready to stop with either of the older two, so hoping to get to at least the 12 month mark so we can go straight to cow's milk and miss out formula completely.

TrinityMotherOfRhinos · 20/01/2011 21:09

I see what you are saying andre but she could have worn a bra during love making an doyu wouldn't have been reminded
I would be a bit gutted if my dh suddenly said, ok I've done all this baby stuff for a year can we quit it now?

I know its not like that really but for me it would have been... wanting to make love to nme without being reminded I make milk is selfish compared to the things that bf'ing is doing for my baby imo

TrinityMotherOfRhinos · 20/01/2011 21:10

my dh and I had seperate rooms when my yoingest two were younger than two ish because I coslept and bf on demand and dh was worried about hurting the kids as he slept like a log because of his sleep apneoa (sp?) and insomnia

we still had a loving and sexual relationship

mawbroon · 20/01/2011 21:13

DS1 age 5yrs still feeding
DS2 10 months.

Will feed both til they self wean.

spiderlight · 20/01/2011 21:16

Still going at 3y 10m and planning to carry on until he self-weans (or goes to university, whichever happens first! ;) )

LionsAreScary · 20/01/2011 21:18

Stopped at 10 months with DS1
Stopped at 14 months with DS2
DS3 is 6 months and still going strong - would like to get to 12 months.

One way to carry on for longer is to give formula in the daytime and just BF early morning and at their bedtime. I did this with DS1 at the end because he went to nursery and I went back to work. DS2 refused formula - and later cows milk - altogether. He has it on his weetabix now though!

Icoulddoitbetter · 20/01/2011 21:22

15 months and still going. DS has a bottle at bedtime and will drink milk when at nursery, but the rest of the time he's BF on demand. I'm lucky as that means I can leave him with other people and there is no problenm with him not settling.

He's reduced the amount he's had recently but it doens't feel as though he's weaning yet. He's ill at the moment and I'm so glad I'm still BF as it's the only food or drink he'll have.

We're ttc now and I can't imagine what it'd be like to feed two so I'm not sure what i'll do if DS hasn't self-weaned as I feel sad that the newborn would be getting fed but DS no longer would be. We'll have to see!

Sarahlou8 · 20/01/2011 21:22

Just out of interest Mawbroon I know you make milk continually but when feeding an older child and a baby who is dependent on milk, how do you ensure there's enough for the baby?

Just interested as I'm expressing a bit (feeding a 12 week old) but feel like I have to be careful to time it right so I don't rob her of a decent amount when she needs it.

mawbroon · 20/01/2011 21:28

sarahlou, I had enough milk to feed the whole street.

I actually had to get ds1 to help out to prevent engorgement as ds2 was stuffed full and couldn't take any more!!

Concordia · 20/01/2011 21:29

DS 14 months - i stopped because at the time i didn't know there were any benefits to feeding past a year and because i wanted to get pregnant again and it wasn't happening
kept on until 14 months beacuase we went on holiday to a hot country at 13 months and i didn't want him to be short of fluid

DD 26 months. again i stopped because i felt tired and tied to it really. wondered if i was getting vit D deficient. wanted to remember lots of positives about breastfeeding, not feeling like i couldn't stop. various family members were starting to make comments. DH wanted my boobs back and i thought that was fair enough! night time routines are a lot better now.

wish i had carried on with DS a bit longer but happy with how it turned out for DD.

neither of mine will drink cows milk - think my milk is too sweet - so that's anotehr reason why i kept going

Babieseverywhere · 20/01/2011 21:30

Andre1960,

I find it very sad that you interfered in your wife's nursing relationship with your children, because of your issues with being reminded that your wife IS now a mother. Your wife must be a very understanding woman.

Concordia · 20/01/2011 21:32

oops! that read wrong. i meant night time routines with DD are better as milk is not such a central feature.

Babieseverywhere · 20/01/2011 21:33

Sarahlou8, Apparently traditional wet nurses could feed up to eight babies full time, isn't that amazing.