Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Infant feeding

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

Original poster

How to celebrate EBF for six months?

157 replies

FreelanceMama · 13/07/2012 21:22

Yesterday I had an email from someone congratulating me for having breastfed my baby for six months (come 25th July). I hadn't thought about it much until then but actually it's pretty mind-blowing that my little boy has eaten/drunk nothing but breastmilk for half a year. It's not always been easy but I do think I've been lucky compared to some of my friends' experiences.

It didn't occur to me to celebrate it until the email came and now I'm wondering what would be an appropriate way to do so? We'll be starting baby-led weaning soon so I'll be carrying on for the foreseeable future but I'm always up for some form of self-indulgence Smile. Especially as I'm practically teetotal and limiting caffeine while breastfeeding!

Any ideas? Either genuine or comic. So far, I've thought that my partner and baby should feed me for a day - breakfast in bed, lunch out, takeaway...

OP posts:
fatterthaniusedtobe · 14/07/2012 15:18

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Ecgwynn · 14/07/2012 15:58

It's only worth celebrating if you have found it hard. I BF and top up with formula and I would celebrate having got to 6 months maintaining that.

LAF77 · 14/07/2012 16:52

Congratulations freelance I am just under three months EBF and I hope to get to six months and beyond.

black swan are you employed by Nestlé so you can belittle others experiences happiness at bf wherever possible? What has OP ever done to you? Why is she not allowed to say something positive on a bf forum without your bitterness?

HiggsBoson · 14/07/2012 17:19

Um, DD was ebf-ed for 6 months and is still nursing at 2 1/2.

Frost six months were a hell of 14 feeds a day and 1oz per week wight gain.

No-one around me has ever given two shits about it and I can't say as I've ever felt it appropriate to 'celebrate' it or reward myself for it.

MILLIONS of people do it.

whatinthewhatnow · 14/07/2012 17:43

aw, don't be mean. the OP was just being nice and positive. to be honest, anyone who wants to celebrate any milestone should be able to and we should be supportive of it. If someone had wanted to know cool ways to celebrate anything else people would have come up with great ideas.

OP I love this charity: www.maternityworldwide.org/.

Personally I felt loads of achievement for getting throught the first 6 weeks with DS which were appalling. The 6 months just passed me by. But I would have been upset if anyone tried to suggest I shouldn't be particularly proud of myself becuase loads of other people do it. Loads of other people get degrees but I still had a lovely graduation ceremony when I got mine and expected my friends and family to cheer for me, and not be sour-faced wankers.

BombasticAghast · 14/07/2012 17:48

WELL DONE OP!

It is definitely worth celebrating - there's a statistic somewhere about how few babies are still ebf at 6 months.

When I got to 6 months ebf my DTs we celebrated too!

Grin
tiktok · 14/07/2012 18:25

Jeez.

Millions of people give birth, but we still recognise it as something worth celebrating when it happens. Should we stop congratulating new parents, and sneer instead, 'cos 'MILLIONS do it'?

Not everyone feels the need to mark their time breastfeeding, but for those that do, why not?

Why suck the joy out of someone else's good feelings?

Original poster
FreelanceMama · 14/07/2012 19:45

Thanks for the further suggestions, and WELL DONE [pat on back], to any of you who would like one for your own motherhood milestones.

It seems like some mums benefit from marking their progress and giving themselves a boost (especially, if like me, you're still having evenings when the hormones run riot and everything feels a bit too much). And other mums don't feel the need to do that. And that's good too.

I don't think I'm better than millions of other mums. I think millions of mums are amazing. Yes, becoming a parent is ultimately a selfish act (we wanted a baby, so we had one) but I'm only realising now how much unselfishness it requires once the baby arrives.

Even if you don't think what you're doing or have done for your little ones is out of the ordinary, I think you ARE extraordinary. And should be celebrated. And I salute you.

Off to buy fancy underwear, donate to a good cause, drink coffee, buy jewellery, book a lovely lunch out and sew a breastfeeding badge onto my old Guides uniform.

OP posts:
coldcomfortHeart · 14/07/2012 20:18

Hear hear OP. You have dealt with some serious unpleasantness on this thread very graciously.

Enjoy your celebrations.

Lucylockett106 · 14/07/2012 21:20

Well done you I say! I'm with you my son 6 months 3 days ago and EBF. It's a real achievement that deserves recognition and celebration. Only mums who have achieved it understand that special feeling and sense of proudness . Don't let anyone pee on your chips go on and celebrate, tell everyone you did it and be a proud bf mummy!!! Xxx

Chubfuddler · 14/07/2012 21:24

You're assuming that everyone who is a bit Confused at the idea of celebrating this "milestone" failed to achieve it. You're wrong.

PotteringAlong · 14/07/2012 21:24

When I hit the 6 month Mark my DH revealed that he'd been saving some of the money we would've spent on formula each week and told me to go shopping...! I didn't actually do it but that was because I want to save the money and put it towards an iPad the gesture was enough and while I was on maternity leave it seemed a bit frivolous.

melliebobs · 14/07/2012 21:35

Can I just ask what's classed as EBF?!?! Dd is 4 month and I consider her to be EBF as she hasn't had formula. But on occasion (like when she was suffering from a bad flare up of reflux and them with thrush) has had it from a bottle. Does the odd bottle mean she isn't EBF?! That kinda pisses on my bonfire if so! Lol

showtunesgirl · 14/07/2012 21:46

EBF means only BM whether direct from source or bottle.

whatinthewhatnow · 14/07/2012 23:02

I'm not assuming that chub. The point is not about what has been achieved, it's that the OP wanted to celebrate something special to her, and you, for some bizarre reason can't be happy to let her do that without making unpleasant comments. I think if she had posted asking how to celebrate getting a new job, or how to celebrate being married for 5 years or whatever, you might not have grumbled. She did something good, she's happy about it. we're happy about it. You're not. You don't seem very friendly. I find that odd.

SlimJimBra · 14/07/2012 23:25

This whole thread has gone a bit weird. I kind of find myself agreeing with both sides Confused. I think bfing is something to be celebrated but the milestones thing is a bit odd to me. I am bfing my ds because it's the nutrition he needs, but by the same measure so is every other parent, and that's why he had formula for his first few days in this world too. As he's weaned now I'm feeding him what he needs in the form of solid food, cows milk and bm. Still don't know quite how I feel on this issue!

Suckeddry · 15/07/2012 00:00

Well done OP! I think the six month mark is worth celebrating & will do so myself in three months time, if we get that far.

BF has been far harder than I ever imagined. To persist & trust that your body can feed your child in the face of lots of adversity is definitely worth celebrating IMO. O dint think people celebrate BF enough tbh. It's an amazing thing Smile

Chubfuddler · 15/07/2012 02:39

I didn't make any unpleasant comments. You must be v v v over sensitive if you construe my comment as unpleasant.

Gina1981 · 15/07/2012 09:28

I'm appalled by some people's attitude. Why be so nasty?? Bf feeding is bloody hard and looking after a baby too. But when you bf it's all on you and don't I know it!! I've had 8 months of no sleep and problem after problem. You celebrate OP and I will join you. I deserve a bloody trophy for what I've been through. No one tells you how hard it is to breastfeed and thats most probably why so many give up. Anyway rant over. Well done OP.

Lucylockett106 · 15/07/2012 11:14

Here here gina1981 I think people's attitudes are shocking. Bf is so hard even harder when added problems are thrown in! My son had a posterior tongue tie which was in notice until 15 weeks. I was cracked and bleeding and he was struggling to maintain the latch but he was healthy and gaining weight ... There was no way he was having artificial. Ff mums moans bf mums are too quick to judge where in actual fact, from my experiences, its actually the other way round! I don't judge anyone who ff I actually don't worry about how people feed their babies but I do congratulate any mum for bf as its a sole job and hard work!

noddyholder · 15/07/2012 11:23

I have made it to 18 without throttling my ds what do I get? Grin

Lucylockett106 · 15/07/2012 11:29

A massive well done from me! My daughter self weaned at 11 months and my son was 8 months. I'm hoping my ds this time will go longer!!

DefiniteMaybe · 15/07/2012 16:37

You get a medal for sure noddy.
OP it is an achievement to get to 6 months of ebf. There's alot of pressure around to give formula or food or both and sometimes it can be really hard going to be the only one to feed your baby. Dd and I are almost at 1year of bf (but obviously not exclusively anymore) and that, to me, feels like a massive achievement after switching ds to formula at 4 months.

HiggsBoson · 15/07/2012 16:39

What I said wasn't unpleasant at all. Just the truth as I see it.

Mind you, I've been getting some serious negativity for continuing to breastfeed my 2 1/2 year old girl, so I've probably got a bit of a downer on it.

I suppose it would be lovely if those close to me would celebrate my 'achievement' instead of constantly asking me when I'm going to stop :(

Swipe left for the next trending thread