Breastfeeding beyond 12 months - advice please

[Wigeon]

DD2 is 10 months, breastfed (as well as healthy appetite for solids), and I'm going back to work in 3 weeks. Have just started very gradually dropping her one daytime feed, so by the time I'm back at work the plan is to BF her first thing in the morning and at bedtime and at night if she wakes up.

With DD1, I stopped BF-ing at 12 months and she went straight onto cow's milk.

But I'm wondering with DD2 whether I'd like to continue BF beyond 12 months. My rather random thoughts are:

FOR: I know that breastmilk still has lots of nutritional benefits, at any age. (DD2 does have a very healthy appetite for a wide range of solids though, so I'm pretty sure she has a good diet for her age). DD2 is also very happily guzzling her breastmilk and showing no signs of wanting to give up (although she doesn't particularly "ask" for it). I do like the comfort aspect of it too, but to be honest I feel pretty close to her with cuddles etc and don't particularly feel I need to BF for this too.

AGAINST: I'm still feeling really quite tired, considering DD2 is generally sleeping through, and if she wakes, it's only once a night and she usually settles back after a feed. Can BF-ing make you feel more tired? Did you feel more energetic after stopping BF-ing?

I'm also wondering how your supply works if you are feeding an older baby but not on a regular pattern - ie some days you might feed quite a bit, other days hardly anything or not at all. At the moment I get pretty full if I don't feed from both sides, say. DH is very supportive in general and I think would be completely fine with whatever I decide.

Any advice most welcome!

Your supply adjusts to match and it gets fattier past 12m (around 11% fat) so it is a real energy boost for your toddler (plus it still has the sleep inducing hormone CCK in it).

You hear of children of 3 or 4 or more feeding once a week or so and mum still has milk when their child needs it with out being chronically engorged the rest of time. My DD2 is 4.4y and is feeding every week or so (though it has been 2 weeks so she may well have weaned!) though I am bfing DD3 who is 2.5y and I am pg so it's not quite the same!

Obviously you don't have to bf to 4y or even 2y but BM is still an important part of a child's diet however long you decide (they decide!) to bf for and one more feed is better than one less feed IYSWIM so it doesn't have to be bf to school age or wean at 12m you could carry on as long as you wanted and take it each day as it comes - no game plan needed!

no advice to offer, but watching with interest as thinking about this with DD too.

Your supply adjusts, I don't know how but it does, magically!

I don't think bf makes you tired, I didn't suddenly have more energy when we stopped just before 2nd birthday. Broken sleep at night does, though, so I stopped feeding ds back to sleep at night a long time before and offered other drinks instead if he seemed thirsty (from 12 months on). He didn't wake often by then to be fair, but I didn't want to reinforce it IYSWIM.

I knew when it was time to stop because I didn't want to anymore and ds didn't seem too bothered by then. Whatever works for you both is the right thing to do.

It's not just about diet, there are hundreds of live componets in BM. A childs immune systme doesn't mature untill around 6 years of age (the reasion why under 5's are consdiered an at risk group) so by giving BM even just once a day you are still supporting your childs immune system with all those lovely antiboidies.

On the tired fornt I think having small children is very tireing no matter how you are feeding them. Haven't hurd of anything suggesting that BM makes it worse.

Also watching with interest... good thread

Hi!

I did this. DD1 was down to mornings and evenings when I went back to work. Very quickly she didn't ask in the day, even on the four days a week I was around. You might find your daughter wants to feed when you're around, or that she follows a consistent pattern most days.

At first, I did find I got a little engorged if I missed bedtime for some reason, but not during the day at all. Very quickly even that settled down. I went away over night when DD1 was about 15 months or so and didn't need to express (although I had taken my pump in case). I was quite full by the time I saw her around 10am the following morning, but that was a full 24 hours after I had last fed her.

On the energy, I don't think it's breastfeeding personally. I think it's being constantly 'on call' in a way you've never been before. I found I only got more energy when DD1 was sleeping through basically every night. I don't think I slept really deeply until that happened, because I always had half an ear out for wakings. Also, weirdly I found work gave me more energy - things I would never have considered restful before - like the tube commute- were times when the brain could really shut off and that helped too.

I breast fed to 18 months first time round and only stopped because it was really sore as I was pregnant again (and I ended up unwell, though not because of BFing). I'm not BFing my almost 11 month old. I was interested in hearing that it becomes 11% fat content. I do wonder if I'll manage (and if she'll want) fed longer than her brother.

DD2 is 13 months now and I have been back at work since she was 9 months. I BF morning and night most days, sometimes an additional day one if I am here and she asks for it. We tried giving her a bottle when I went back to work in the daytime but she completely refused it and was fine without it, but as soon as I get home she is often desperate for it, but when i'm not there doesn't mind at all.

I'm going away with work for a couple of days next month so not sure what we will do then?! But I am hoping she will be fine.

I haven't had any problems with supply so far. I've no idea about the tiredness though and whether this is linked to BF or just part of the package with having a 3YO and a 1YO!

The added benefits of continuing that I have also found are that when she is ill it's a good comforter. She's just suffering her first tummy bug and I'm glad I've been BF as I know she is getting something in her.

By the time ds was a year old I was feeding morning and night only and back in a 34b underwired bra. No engorgement or supply problems at all.

I carried on feeding after going back to work when DS was 12/13m, we often skipped 2/3 days or sometimes fed several times a day - your supply is really robust by this age so it copes amazingly well

I found it lovely to have a feed when I got home. He self weaned when he was 2. I mainly felt it was easier to just carry on and see what happened rather than try to stop him, IYKWIM.

Plus as they get a bit older you can delay the odd feed if you need to - like 'in a few minutes, I need to finish making the tea first' which you can't do with a young baby. Definitely the easiest stage of the breastfeeding IME.

This is the study on fat content for anyone interested in extra credit reading

Thanks very much for all the replies so far.

That's interesting you mention actually finding (paid) working less tired, SecondTimeLucky, a few people on another thread I started recently have said the same (it's here in case anyone wants to comment on that thread too (!) - about reasons I should be happy I'm going back to work soon).

Also good to have a reminder about the immunity thing for breastmilk, and reassuring about your supply being so flexible.

Lots to think about!