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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 people in general bf for?

54 replies

slowangels1 · 09/05/2011 16:21

Just wondering really. I know obv there is a large difference in ages bf up to but I wondered what the av was. I also heard somewhere that something like only 5% of babies are still bf at 6 months and wondered why that was. I was assuming I would bf DD (now 10 weeks) until about 1 yr but obv would be less and less as solids introduced. Never occured to me that so many people stopped so early and just wondered why as there must be a reason for it

OP posts:

CakeandRoses · 09/05/2011 21:24

Was just chuckling at the posters who said that they thought you just bf til six months and then they ate solids . I'd forgotten that I'd thought that too (what little thought i did give it pre-children).

What actually happened was that I bf ds til 14m, by which point I was several months pg with dd and felt like i wanted a break from bf before dd arrived (plus my nipples felt like they were on fire each feed). I'm now bf dd 9m and will continue til she's 1y and then just play it by ear after that.

CakeandRoses · 09/05/2011 21:24

oh and both were ebf til 6m

Lilithmoon · 09/05/2011 21:36

6 months exclusive, 28 months till she self weaned. It never occured to me we would keep going so long! I was lucky to have excellent help when I was in hosptal when she was 1-2 days old, without that I may not have lasted.... I have v v big boobs and she was quite small!

Piggyleroux · 09/05/2011 21:41

Still going at 14m.

MadameBoo · 09/05/2011 21:45

DS self weaned at just under 3 1/2 (about a month ago). I put a ban on bf in the day when he was about 2ish. And no bf in public from 18months (I felt uncomfortable doing it because of the perception in this country about Mom's who bf toddlers :( )

cece · 09/05/2011 21:48

I have no idea why people finish so early; as at 6 months it starts to get much easier.

For me;

9 months
15 months
20 months

KD0706 · 09/05/2011 21:50

I'm 'still' BFing DD at 12mo
I've recently returned to work and am even expressing for her as the little madam happily drinks EBM from her sippy cup but just takes, well, sips, of cows milk or water.

In my antenatal group of six I'm the longest feeder. Two stopped at about 3/4 months (latch problems mainly), two at six months (because they felt at six months baby had had all the benefits, plus wanted a bit of freedom) and the other at nine months (because she had a work trip planned and just thought it was good timing to get her DD onto the bottle).

If I had more support with DD I might have considered mixed feeding but I have to feed and settle her regardless of the method so I stuck with the easy option (to me) of using a boob to solve all upsets.

Paschaelina · 09/05/2011 21:57

Still going strong at 8 months and I have lately realised that I really hate the thought of giving up one day. I want to get to a year at least and then just play it by ear for as long as he wants it.

I just love it.

fartingfran · 09/05/2011 21:58

With my first I aimed for 2 years (well if it's good enough for the WHO!) and DS self-weaned at 2.4ish. He fed mainly at night and I'd started wearing t-shirts to bed because I was so tired with working long hours too so maybe self-weaned isn't entirely true, but if he really rummaged I'd still feed him!

Now on my second and the same goes, as long as she wants to. To be honest neither of mine have ever taken bottles and the idea of withholding the breast from them for any reason at all is horrific.

I'm not really a hippy, just a guidelines freak and I happily tell people I'm just "aiming for the guidelines" as it soon shuts up any extended BFer looks!

NinkyNonker · 09/05/2011 22:04

Don't know, we're still going at 9 months, most at post-natal group stopped by around 3, 4 months if they started.

HappyTangerine · 09/05/2011 22:07

19 months and still going strong. I've half heartedly tried to give up as I need surgery and an overnight stay in hospital at some point this year. DS has other ideas-smiles, puts his hands on them and says "booby happy." I then melt and let him feed as much as he wants-no sign of him wanting to give up at all at the moment. Total milk monster. I was aiming until 2-can't see him wanting to give up then either . We don't bf in public anymore.

DialsMavis · 09/05/2011 22:17

DD is 6 months and i am still mainly BF; I plan to start slowly winding it down to stop by Aug,she will be 9 months old then. I think my milk may well dry up before then though. She hasn't fed at night for few months (12-13hrs), she has formula 1 day a week while I work and often has a bottle if we are out as she just won't let me feed her anywhere but a darkened room anymore. It isn't ideal, but she isn't my only child and I feel I have done the best I can for her after a horrible start. I have enjoyed BF but I want my body back fairly soon.

Woodlands · 10/05/2011 13:45

I am 'still' feeding at nearly 10 months and have no plans to stop any time soon. My aim has always been to get to 12 months and then see how it goes after that. I always thought I'd have to go down to bedtime and morning feeds at that point because of work, but in fact it looks like I'll only be working one full day per week anyway.

I always wondered how come so many people seem to stop at around this age - I'm sure it's partly to do with going back to work, but also babies do seem to demand milk less often at this age.

meditrina · 10/05/2011 13:49

EBF for between 4 to 7 months (when my elder two were babies, the weaning guideline was at 4 months), BF alongside mixed diet from 1 year to close on 2 years (according to what each babe wanted to do).

jaggythistle · 10/05/2011 14:32

19 months so far here too, ebf to 6 months despite much comment form Mum and PIL (Mum was more subtle).

Didn't have a plan as such - went back to work when he was 6mo (he's at home with DH) and wasn't sure how expressing would go. it went fine as it turned out, so I aimed for 12 months. Then I thought maybe 13 to help comfort him through his immunisations.

He's very undemanding so can't really see a reason to stop now!

cinnamongreyhound · 10/05/2011 14:59

From the few mums I know in rl who have breastfed have stopped at 6months because they feel once they start eating other things it doesn't matter so much what milk they have. I bf ds1 until 15months, his choice and ds2 is almost 8 months ad I have no plan as to when I will stop. Once bf is established I can't understand why you'd want the hassle of making bottles of formula but that's just me'!!

walkbesideme · 10/05/2011 15:01

20 months breastfeeding- 6 months exclusively at the beginning. I was lucky as I didn't have to go back to work so there was no looming deadline on the horizon.

JenniferCanesten · 10/05/2011 19:48

HappyTangerine at "Booby happy". My ds is also a boob monster which is why I am trawling these threads trying to work out how to wean him without hurting his feelings!

I've ebf til now (10 months) not counting a few desperate bottles of formula in the early weeks, it was really hard in the beginning, but obviously got easier. Last week I was thinking, maybe I'll go on longer than a year...but this week I've changed my mind and would actually quite like my body back, thanks. I would like to drink more than one cup of tea a day as I am knackered, I would like to drink enough to embarrass myself, and occasionally have a nice spliff and a whole cafetiere of coffee and not have anyone sucking on any part of my body.

What puts me off stopping is that at present I have a foolproof way of putting ds to sleep, so although the little bugger is in my bed, at least when he wakes up all I have to do is flop out a tit. He has been a rubbish sleeper ever since 4-mo sleep regression and I can't see a beaker of cow milk having same effect. But hey, I'll be jacked up on strong coffee so I'll be able to handle it.

Argh, argh.

JenniferCanesten · 10/05/2011 19:52

Also, I know that I am not the first person ever to have a baby but it feels like will be impossible to wean him off the breast, meaning I feel like I am being physically held hostage, albeit by very very cute small person.

bumble34 · 10/05/2011 20:23

dc1 9months
dc2 16months
dc3 due soon we'll wait and see but basically as long as he and i are both happy to carry on.
Dc2 ebf til 6 months I went back to work at 10 months & used expressed for approx a month but i'm a really rubbish expresser so went to cows milk when not with him and breast when i was. He slowly self weaned until it was only morning and bedtime feeds at about 14 mths. Then at 16mths just gave him a cup of milk one night and within a week he stopped asking for feeds at all.

I think it's very individual but whatever you and your baby are comfortable with. Love hearing how many mums are ebf til 6 months and feeding longer term. The statistics are still very low but hopefully on the increase maybe the right support is getting through

kickingking · 10/05/2011 23:36

I won't say where I live, just that it is described as having 'high levels of socio-economic deprevation'.

However, most of the people I socalise and work with are not deprived, socially or economically, so I would describe it as a diverse area!

WinkyWinkola · 10/05/2011 23:39

Two years.

Tommy · 10/05/2011 23:41

DS1 - 3 months
DS2 - 13 months
DS3 - 20 months

I'd got the hang of it by then!

TheMitfordsMaid · 10/05/2011 23:43

I've been breastfeeding continuously since October 2006. My oldest stopped when he was 2 years 9 months and my youngest is showing no signs of stopping at 2 years.

I'd intended breastfeeding for 6 months and even had it noted in my diary. Frankly, if it hadn't been for mn I probably wouldn't have got that far, never mind the best part of 5 years!

KickArseQueen · 10/05/2011 23:45

dd1 13 months
dd2 18 months
ds1 2 years 9 months
ds2 21 months ...so far...

Up to now thats 85 months, if you count it individually, but ds1 and 2 were tandem fed for the 1st 13 months of ds2s life so total feeding time is actually 72 months I think :)

HTH if it makes any sense!

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