Is there an 'extended' breastfeeding support thread?

[Unrulysun]

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

so proud we made it this far - ha ha!

jadziadax - my total sympathies on the broken leg. How long are you to be in plaster? I had surgery on a broken ankle last year when heavily pg with ds2. DS1 and I had never spent a night apart, and then DH sent ds1 to stay with Granny. I wasn't in a position to argue, but ds1 was fine. DH's thinking was that he was probably better away from home rather than being at home without mummy, IYSWIM.

I wasn't really able to look after ds1 for long periods of time while I was sofa bound before I could weight bear, but one thing I was able to do was to nurse him. I think it was really helpful and definitely made things easier. Or rather, made things less difficult.

DS1 quickly learned how to get attention by running off with my crutches though!!

mawbroon, Yes, I have read that book and found that segment about men very interesting.

My DH is supportive to a point. He (like me) has had several (now crossed) limits in regarding to age of nursing child and he thinks DD1 should be weaned already (at 4.11 yo).

I am ready for DD1 for her to wean but not ready to force the issue I want her to self wean. She only asks twice a week and maybe nurses once if I can't distract her. I don't want a good nursing relationship to end on a bad note.

Ooh hello - lots of familiar faces on here.

I fed dd until she turned 4, 16 months of that in tandem with ds1.

I am currently feeding 2.8 yr old ds1 and 11 month old ds2.

Haven't read all of the thread yet, but nice to see so many of us doing what comes naturally. :)

mawbroon, yes, I was fascinated by that part of the book. I read it when I was pregnant and had a massive hormonal tearful meltdown when I realised how lucky I was to have such a supportive DH. It was a proper "I looove yoooou" outburst DH was BF until he was around 2 years old (MiL can't remember exactly).

DD1 has been asking to be fed a LOT recently and her latch feels a bit funny. Any ideas? I don't think she can be self-weaning and I'm pretty sure she has all her teeth. She is 2.8yo. Sorry, typing one handed!

EauRouge - is DD1 coming down with a cold/hayfever/other illness? Sometimes that can affect their latch if they are snuffly?

Don't think so. She's been a bit insecure the last few days but no signs of illness. Maybe she's just getting a bit lazy, she goes through phases like that but it doesn't normally last this long.

Hi everyone I haven't posted for a while but have been taking sneaky peeks at the thread when I get the chance.

My dh has been really supportive about bf'ing. We have gone from being a couple who decided to give bf'ing a go, just see how it goes, to being pretty passionate about it. I admit that we haven't been really strict...for example, we have used bottles occasionally when I was out or at work, but up until my dd was 1 it was always expressed milk in them. I'm really proud that my dd has never had formula! I was asking my dh how long he thinks we should bf for and his reply was just until my dd wants to stop :). I know I'm lucky to be supported in this way (or maybe it has suited my dh..or am I being cynical haha!)

I'm reading the politics of breastfeeding at the moment. It's a real eye opener. Breastmilk is great stuff isn't it. truthsweet I was thinking about you and ur dd when I read that breastmilk has anti-inflammatory properties, I hadnt known this. It's truly amazing and so sad that so few people carry on breastfeeding beyond the early weeks.

Haverina- My DDs are proof that bf doesn't prevent asthma/ezcema/arthritis/allergies as seems to be the thought process of a lot of DM reading types (there is always a comment 'My Dcs are ff and they are fine but a friend's children were bf and they all have asthma/ezcema....). It's on a population level not people you know level I would love to be able to say, though, how healthy they are and they've not been ill a day in their life but I'd be lying even though I only started EBFing DD1 after most mothers have stopped bfing (ebf from 8 w/o and ext.bf to 3.6y/o)

As far as I'm concerned I have done my best to minimise the risks of them getting illnesses/diseases but genetics will out in the end . I do think though that I have helped DD2 get to 3 before having an arthritis attack (her specialist was puzzled that she had had chicken pox at 15m but no arthritis attack and no other major illness aside from 1 chest infection at 11m either).

I'm grateful I'm still able to provide DD2 with bm and comfort from nursing her. She feels so nauseous at times because of the ibuprofen and nursing helps with that too.

Sorry not sure what I am trying to say. Nothing eloquent any way!

DD2 is bf and she has been hospitalized once with asthma. However me and dp have it so it is maybe a genetic thing with us. I like to think that by bfing her asthma is more manageable then if she was ff.

I totally get what ur saying truthsweet and deb...my dd has milk and allergies but has been ebf since birth. Bf doesn't necessarily prevent these things but it helps so much...I can't imagine the hassle/worry/reactions we may have had if my dd was formula
fed. truthsweet your dd has health issues regardless of how she is fed but the way age feeds is probably hugely influential in the severity of her arthritis and in the management of any pain? Even the comfort aspect is so wonderful.

My dd is feeding less and less but I don't think she is necessarily wranibf

I'm glad you made some sense out of my post I did wobble on some what

I take comfort in the fact I could do much more my DD2, she was ebf except for 40ml of formula at 2w which she vomited up, she started solids at 23 weeks on her own (ate her sister's yogurt by sticking her face in it!) and she is nursing at 3.8y.

I could have put off having DD3 so DD2 didn't have 3m of no milk and 2m of low supply (mine starts getting low almost immediately on getting pg and stops by week 14) but would that have done anything? I honestly can't answer that as DD1 nursed through 2 pgs and doesn't have the health problem DD2 has so it's probably just genetics.

I think I would be kicking myself though if I wasn't bfing her. I felt very strongly that DD1 was disadvantaged by her 8 weeks of bottle feeding but given DD3 getting bronchiolitis at about 3m and having 10 admissions for bronch/viral induced wheeze and she was EBF for 6m even when tube fed so it could have been much worse!

Haven't been on for a while either but the recent posts have struck a chord, DS has been ebf since birth (never a drop of formula) and in his short 18 months has been hospitalised trice (once for respiratory infection at 6 mo, once for a UTI at 12 mo, and recently for febrile convulsions), he has had countless upper respiratory tract infections, otitis media and conjunctivitis. He has not, however, ever had gastro-enteritis

Who knows how often or severely he would have been ill though, had he not been bf?

One of the things I feel about natural term breastfeeding is that for me, there are no "what ifs". For example ds1 was very allergic to egg, and I think if I had weaned him off the breast before he had developed the allergy, I would always wonder if there was a connection and perhaps felt that maybe it was my fault.

mawbroon - I wish it was the case for me (DD1 self weaned and I am going to let DD2 & DD3 self wean too) but I have OCD and constantly go over what I could have done better/different.

I still feel guilty about making DD1's bottles up with cooled boiled water and throwing away 2oz of colostrum after an hour when DD1 was 4 days old. DD1 is 5 and in reception now it's not like she is retro-actively going to get an e.Sakazakii related illness!

maw I totally agree. DS1 has eczema and bowel problems, and while mostly BF he did get some formula and I will never, ever forgive myself for it. Can't remember when but prob somewhere around the 5 or 6 month mark when he was at nursery, and I Just Didn't Know Enough. I could have expressed for him but, frankly, I couldn't be bothered (something I hate myself for when he cries with pain). However it was the milk that said it was "closest to breastmilk" (when they still said that) so it was fine, right? . DS2 has not had a drop or grain of anything cow-lactation-related in his one year of life and as he was very intolerant of CMP via my milk for about 6 months, he's under a dietician who has told us to BF until he's at least 3 . My hubby is amazing, and tells anyone who raises the question about how long he's going to BF that the dietician says AT LEAST 3.

And for the record, I'm totally pro-formula in the right context (ie for babies who need it for the multitude of reasons that they might). But I am VERY, VERY pissed at them for their marketing practises.

Of course, I don't know whether the formula triggered a CMP reaction in DS1 (he's currently undergoing a dairy-free trial), and I'll never know.

As truth says, it's a population level thing, but the more I learn, the more I want to keep DS2 BFing as long as he wants to, despite it still being quite tough for me sometimes (mostly good of course).

"I still feel guilty about making DD1's bottles up with cooled boiled water and throwing away 2oz of colostrum after an hour when DD1 was 4 days old. DD1 is 5 and in reception now it's not like she is retro-actively going to get an e.Sakazakii related illness!"

truth No, darn it, it's not going to happen! You do an amazing job helping other mums to know what the real score is, and to make decisions based on that knowledge. Give yourself a break. :)

(Like it's that easy)

Oops I posted without finishing!

Plus so many typos sorry! My dd has milk and egg allergies, sorry! truthsweet you shouldn't beat yourself up! You sound like such a dedicated mummy and your giving your kids the best possible start in life. No parent is perfect and we all do things that we later think we would like to change but in most cases our children are no worse for it. In my line if work I see severe neglect, sometimes this makes me put too much pressure on myself to be perfect, other times it makes me think I'm not doing too bad a job! Overall I prob worry a lot about my parentingchoices...even tiny things like being a little late home from work or saying no! to my dd! I'm rambling sorry!

I was just saying that some days my dd refuses the boon, other days she loves "booboo"! Tonight she fed for about half an hour before bed so I don't think she is weaning??!

Organic...would your ds1 not have had some dairy in his diet around the 6 month mark anyway? My dd had no dairy until wk 26 then I bought her marks and sparks creamy thick probotic yogurt which I was so excited to let her try...it resulted in a 999 call. I later read a book which said no dairy should be given in the first year and really beat myself up with what ifs. I have nobirea what my.point is!

Thanks for recommending that book, mawbroon, I've put it on my wish list. And thank you for the sympathy. I'm in plaster for another 4 weeks, a short time in the grand scheme of things, and DH has two weeks holidays starting next week, which will make things infinately easier.
Time spent nursing DD has increased markedly, she's very opportunistic, and I'm spending ALL day sitting down. But as you say, it makes things less difficult.

Truthsweet v. good point about statistics representing the whole population vs anecdotal evidence.

I read a great quote on MN: "The plural of anecdote is anecdotes, not data."

FIL visited this w/e, and I mentioned DS BFing once or twice. I think he started to ask how long he would BF for, but then the conversation took a different turn. I'm ready if he does ask though ! He thinks that DS is great, I'm sure he'll just be happy that it's good for him though.

I was just feeling guilty about not attributing that quote, and searched MN for it, but it seems to be part of the English lexicon. Phew .

Will one of you please talk to me about colostrum poos in toddlers? Since yesterday DS's nappies have been revolting, he seems fine otherwise so I was wondering whether it is the effect of colostrum.

Both times my colostrum has come in I have thought that my DDs have had a stomach bug. Both times DH has asked 'Was is mustard coloured? I think your milk's back in' DD1 was still using a potty when my milk came back in with DD3's pg and she filled it with mustard-y poo and DD2's nappies were overflowing with poo (size 5s too!) I didn't know what had hit me until DH came home and started asking sensible questions.

Toddler colostrum nappies are something else but my own pet theory is that by nursing a toddler during pg they get an immune system boost just when they need to not be ill. Still the nappies are ewwwh

truth oooh that's new info I didn't know. Very interesting.

havarina TBH probably not as there's a lot of dairy intolerance in the family so I avoided it until he was older - other than in the formula but for some reason I didn't make the connection. I mean, obviously I KNEW it's made from cow's milk but I didn't think, "oh, this is made from cow's milk and is something I should have avoided". Bizarre. And, of course, it said it was "closest to breastmilk". I'm repeating that only because it was one they fought against changing because they insisted that people wouldn't read it as "really very close to being almost the same as breastmilk, and honestly there's no real difference, Guv", whereas obviously I did. And if they fought so much against it, it must have been working REALLY well for them. .

It's like, a plastic moulded garden bench with a wood effect finish is closer to nature than, say, a plastic moulded garden bench with a smooth finish. In a sense.