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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Is there an 'extended' breastfeeding support thread?

652 replies

Unrulysun · 22/05/2011 11:48

Or would I be better off on LLL?

Just read the 'school-age children' thread with interest but didn't want to derail :)

dd is 1 today so it's not 'extended' bf by any normal definition but judging by the number of 'Are you going to carry on breastfeeding her?' (yes because otherwise she'll be composed primarily of grapes) conversations I've had inflicted on me in the last week I think I'm going to need all the support I can get Grin

so proud we made it this far - ha ha!

OP posts:
mawbroon · 03/06/2011 14:46

Ah well, the "milk is boring" phase didn't last long. DS1 has gone back to pleading for milk.

DS2 isn't helping matters by signing milk while he's feeding and pointing to ds1 which I think means "hey, put him on too" Hmm

GeneCity · 03/06/2011 15:34

I enjoyed your post anyway TruthSweet Grin.

AchtungBaby · 06/06/2011 09:48

I don't want to lower the tone, but a poster mentioned a link between BFing and reduced sex drive on another thread, and it was a bit of a lightbulb moment for me. Is there a link?

I've namechanged Blush. Well, I had anyway, and now I'm a little bit pleased.

Cosmosis · 06/06/2011 10:56

my sex drive is certainly pretty low, but how much of that is bfing and how much working ft with a 9mo who doesn't sleep that well is another matter. If I get a spare (ha!) half hour I would rather sleep Grin

AchtungBaby · 06/06/2011 11:14

Hmm, mine too.

Mind you, it wasn't exactly high pre-DS Grin.

EauRouge · 06/06/2011 11:15

My sex drive is fairly low too but I'm not sure whether that is down to lack of sleep because I have managed to find the energy on at least a couple of occasions, otherwise DD2 wouldn't be around Grin I think it's too difficult to say whether it is down to BF or just general parenting.

KvetaBarry · 06/06/2011 11:24

can't say it's affected my sex drive - we're both still much the same, albeit sometimes to tired to act on it.

Debs75 · 06/06/2011 11:34

DD2 is 33 months and I still bf her to sleep on a night. I originally thought I would feed her for 3 months, then 6, then till she got teeth, then till she bit me, then till a year...I could go on but the thing is she loved it, I loved it so here we are almost 3 years later and with a 10 month old dd who is bfing right now.

It does get me down some days when I feel like I have been mauled and I always know when they need their nails cut as they like to pinch my boobs. I do like knowing that dd2 has only had 1 bottle of ff which was out of my control and that dd3 hasn't had any.

Debs75 · 06/06/2011 11:35

My sex drive is low but with 4 kids, 2 of which share my bed I don't have the energy to have sex. Sleep is much more enjoyable atm

AchtungBaby · 06/06/2011 12:52

I suppose I just thought that my sex drive would have recovered a bit by now.

At ~6 months, DS's sleep was awful (we were essentially co-sleeping at the time). Then we got some help from a sleep specialist, and it improved considerably. So, DH and I now have our bed back (I know that's not for everyone, but we were sooooo pleased), and even some free time to spend in it. During which we usually only sleep. Bah.

AchtungBaby · 06/06/2011 13:03

Oh, and well done, Debs75 Smile! That's impressive. Has everyone around you been supportive?

Debs75 · 06/06/2011 15:02

Thanks AchtungBaby DP has been supportive as he knew we couldn't afford a tin of milk a week when I was producing it for free. He also took over looking after the elder 2 whilst I was feeding. My dsis is very suppportive but mum often makes remarks such as 'you're still feeding her then' or 'that baby is always feeding' She bottlefed us as she couldn't bear to feed herself, and she was the generation where babies were fed to a schedule and dr's told you what to do. I do what the baby needs which she can't understand, yes it does bite me back when the 2 younger ones are trying to get to sleep on a night and only me will do but aside from that they are both contented and ghetting what is best.
I am a bit thick skinned as well and have learnt to shrug off any unsupportive comments

AchtungBaby · 06/06/2011 20:43

Well, at least your DP and DSis are supportive, although it's a shame that your DM isn't.

As you say, it does seem to be a generation issue - when DS was younger, FIL kept saying 'Oh, are you feeding him again?', and would try to soothe him when all he really wanted was to breastfeed.

AchtungBaby · 06/06/2011 20:43

My last message was to Debs75. Obviously Blush.

TruthSweet · 07/06/2011 10:59

I don't think DD2 (3.6y/o) is going to be able to feed much longer as she is getting the gaps at the back of her jaw and one (bottom left) is already bulging with a tooth not flat like the other gaps Sad She had real difficulty latching on this am though she does have a cold (usually no problem for her to feed with a snotty nose) and didn't feed for very long.

I was so hoping she would go for longer so I could still nurse her when she was in pain. I dread her having a flare up and not being able to nurse her through it.

Argh!

AchtungBaby · 07/06/2011 14:47

Oh, I'm sorry, Truthsweet Sad.

TruthSweet · 07/06/2011 15:03

Thanks AchtungBaby - I have another baby (well toddler really at 19m!) so it's not a 'must keep DD2 a baby' thing for her to keep bfing but at the mo she's at pretty much the top dose of ibuprofen just as a prophylactic (2 x 5ml of syrup and a squirt of ibuprofen gel on her knees at night) so I don't know where we go from here if she stops nursing. She has gastritis from the ibuprofen so adding in more drugs isn't the best idea.

Nursing helped settle her tummy, distract her from the pain and calm her down all at the same time plus if it helped prevent another infection triggering a relapse.... Nothing like seeing your 3y/o crying in agony as she crawls up the stairs because she's a big girl and doesn't need carryingSad.

I hate seeing my DDs in pain my worst moment as a parent was DD1 falling down the stairs about a month after she self weaned and she knocked a tooth out, cut up her lips and there was loads of blood. She had always nursed for pain relief (reflux baby so lots of comfort nursing) and she couldn't. I just didn't know what to do to make it better when lift your top isn't an option any more and a cuddle was so not cutting it.

Sorry, getting maudlin.

KD0706 · 07/06/2011 16:13

Oh, Truthsweet, I'm really sorry about your DD. Sad
Breastfeeding can be so underrated. It really is so much more than food.

WoTmania · 10/06/2011 07:53

Hullo

Well, DS2 has almost definitely weaned. He's been upset and just cuddled, he's told me he can 'still have milk when he's four' but not asked for it and it's been maybe three weeks Grin.
BUT, DD isn't well and is nursing loads. Lots at night too and my boobs are sore and I'm tired and last night DS2 didn't go to sleep til gone eleven :(. I then came downstairs to find he'd been up to goodness knows what this morning (including eating all my 85% G&B chocolate)
Just wanted a whinge, thanks.

organiccarrotcake · 10/06/2011 09:10

Just dropping in to say I've been away, off to BF group this am, then a meeting, then down to London for ABM conference tomorrow.

I plan to wear black jeans, black nursing top, red dangly nursing necklace and will have DH bring smallest carrot in at lunchtime to feed. Shoulder length brown hair, glasses. Feel free to say hello and out yourself Grin.

AchtungBaby · 10/06/2011 09:51

Hi WoTmania. Aw, your DS2 must still like the idea of having milk when he's 4, even if he doesn't quite feel the need to ask for any. Maybe he's replaced some of his milk intake with your lovely chocolate.

I hope your DD feels better soon.

I fed DS at 4am, even though he doesn't usually have milk at night any more. DH went to him when he woke up, but oddly it seemed to escalate into a yell-fest.

AchtungBaby · 10/06/2011 09:56

And Hi organiccarrotcake Smile. I think nano-carrot has the right idea; DH had a conference in Pisa a couple of years ago, so I went along too and popped in every day for the conference lunch (+ coffee, mmm).

justGetEmOut · 10/06/2011 14:32

Better late than never...can I play?

Still feeding dd1...just turned 4. I fed ds1 for 3 years, ds2 for 3 1/2 years.
That's 11 1/2 years of 'booby'!BiscuitBiscuit

She still feeds at night, but we co-sleep, so I am barely aware of it. I'm working on the 'don't offer, don't refuse' principle, and I feel much more confident this time around, having seen self-weaning in action!

I'm going to really miss it when she stops.

AchtungBaby · 10/06/2011 14:49

Grin at Biscuit Biscuit.

Or should that be BiscuitBiscuit?

Grin either way.

AchtungBaby · 10/06/2011 14:55

I'm still laughing, that's the most imaginative use of the No comment emoticon that I've seen.

Hi justGetEmOut. 11 and a half years Smile! I'm not sure if that's the longest total BF time on the thread, but I think that it might be (I'm not even a contender yet, 9 months so far ).

DS and I co-slept for a while, and I was very much aware of the hourly feeds. I'm always a little Envy when other people say that they hardly notice.