Extended breastfeeding - are you 'normal'?

[nomoreminibreaks]

Before having DS (17mo), I had always planned to breastfeed and hadn't really thought about how long I would do it for. I figured 'not too long' as I'd seen documentaries about extended breastfeeding and they always seemed to feature women who I didn't identify with - more lentil weaving types.

I never had the common reaction of disgust at the idea of BFing a 3/4+ year old but just didn't put myself into that category - I'm pretty mainstream when it comes to most things.

But now DS is getting older I feel more and more wary about people knowing I still BF him as I know people don't see me as the 'type' for EBF.

It makes me wonder - are there secretly loads of us out there who sit back and let the more principled, lentil weaving types speak for us in public, thus distorting the view of women who choose EBF?

I fed my DD to 2yrs and DS to 3 years. Would say I am fairly normal!!!!
no lentils or weaving here!!

I think it's ridiculous that people feel they are part of a 'radical' parenting group because they bf there young children. It's society's warped view of what are children need/should have.

I am bf my 8 month old but I get asked when will I stop all the time! When my son feels like it is what I tell them

I thought I was normal and would bf to 12 mos if it went well.
I now find myself bf a DC who starts reception in a couple of weeks
I do like lentils although can't really weave.
Clearly I'm a freak

I bf my ds who is 2.2. I certainly didn't imagine I'd still be doing it but he really doesn't want to stop. it was much easier to wean my dd's off the boob for some reason (possibly being that they actually ATE food).

No lentil weaving here too

Well I like to think I'm normal and I'm still feeding my 2.5 yo dd2. I don't really talk about it in my day to day life as it just isn't relevant to the people I spend most of my time with, it's not a secret but it's not something I bring up a lot either iyswim. I did have professional photos taken this time last year when she was 18 months by a photographer doing a project on breastfeeding. Dd2 was the oldest nurseling he managed to get in his portfolio as most of the others he took photos of were under 6 months.

I don't think I'm particularly lentil-weavery but seeing as we co-slept, ebf, carried her in the sling, BLW and cloth nappied other people sometimes see me as lentil-weavery I just see it as doing what worked for us.

wowzer I said I'd stop when my son decided to and he now states that he'll stop when he's 10

I feel exactly like u do op my ds Is almost 21 months

I guess I always saw women who chose EBF did so to make some kind of statement about themselves and their parenting style, whereas the reality for me is that it's just something I feel is right for me and DS.

I wish someone like us could feature on a programme like that so women wouldn't write it off as something a certain radical group does.

My son is nearly 3.5 years and I am hoping he will stop soon. I've been breastfeeding since October 2006 and I am over it now! My older son is incredulous when I tell him he used to do it too, and has no recollection of it. My younger one loves it and still takes every opportunity he can.

Hello! I am currently BFing my 22 month old. And I don t think I m hugely alternative?! This is my third DC. Both my first and second self weaned. Ds at 11 months ( I felt very disappointed) and my dd1 at 17 months. Dd2 shows no sign of letting up! Response has generally been positive. Although just this week I had a negative experience whilst feeding at a service station on the M1 (ooh the glamour!). A couple with a tiny baby and their two older daughters sat a couple of tables away. She was bottle feeding the newborn and became very interested in me bfing my dd2 . Staring over, no smiles, then whispering to all the family so they all stared too. I felt very uncomfortable but carried on all the same. For me this is a very unusual response. Maybe it is due to DD2 being older? Probably just they are very narrow minded. I love bfing. I ll continue to do it as long as my dd2 needs it. Follow your own instincts.

I think the problem is that all these books and programmes tend to have the lentil-weavery type in them demonstrating extended bf. There is nothing wrong with that but I do wish they would feature some other groups of mothers. My friend is 21 years old and bf her 2 year old etc..

I am not lentil weavery in the slightest. I work full-time and feed the kids all manner of crap. But it's ok, they were/are breastfed.

I'm still bf my dd2 who is 22 months. She seems to have no intention of stopping any time soon. I certainly never expected to nd this long and didn't with my other 2 - Though mainly down to the circumstances at the time. Before dd2 I had certain 'rules' should I be able to continue bf: I would not breastfeed a child with teeth, a child that could ask for it, or a child over 12 months..... Dd2 is all 3! Seriously though, I am really ready for her to stop feeding during the day, but she is a boob monster and will come any time I'm sitting down. Given that we co-sleep and it doesn't disturb my sleep too much, I'm ok to feed in the night as and when.

Totally 'normal' here and bf my first till she was almost four, bf dd2 now (literally!) and she's 19m, showing no signs of stopping. In my experience it more people bf toddlers/pre schoolers than you would first realise

DS is 15mo and still bf - I had always planned to bf until he was 12mo but feel no need to stop now and nor does he, so I guess we'll just carry on until one of us does!
We had a rotten and painful four months getting bf established, so i guess to a degree i'm just enjoying the fact that it's easy and nice.
I'll stop when we ttc DC2 if DS hasn't self weaned by then.

And yes, I'm 'normal' and not lentil weavey!

I BF DS who is 3.7.

I'm not (obviously) lentil weavery!

As DS only feeds at night and in the mornings now, how would anyone know we were still BFing unless they asked? Which on the whole people don't, i expect most people assume we stopped ages ago.

I do kind of feel we were driven "undercover" in the end by the constant comments from people asking when we were going to give it up which intensified when DS was about 10months I felt. By 15 months I was totally fed up with them!

Still bf ds4 who is 2yrs 4 months - don't consider myself lentil weavery but do like both lentils and weaving. My attitude is that he will stop when he wants to - although i ended up "persuading" ds3 to stop when he was 5, which was much longer than I had intended at the start - but it worked for us. The older two stopped bf at 16months(ds1) and 19 months (ds2) - I stopped bf ds2 as I was six months pregnant with ds3 and didn't realise you could tandem feed.

ds2 is 2.6yo and I consider him to be early into his breastfeeding career compared to 6yo ds1 who I think has weaned, but might still ask for milk at some point.

I share some lentil weaver traits when it comes to co sleeping, breastfeeding, using a sling etc, but that's where the similarity ends I think.

Mostly I am "normal" I think.

I'm normal I hope. Yes I co sleep (bad sleepers), use a sling (bad sleepers and reflux babies) but no lentils.

Both my babies have dairy and soya intolerances so formula and dairy wasn't an option. It made sense to bf although given the horror I had the first few months, I was tempted to give up.

I fed ds regularly until 2 and his last feed was about 2.3 when dd was a newborn. Feeding dd who's nearly 9 months and no chance of stopping just yet!

Mine are 4 and 2 - re 4 year old occasionally nurses the 2 year old more often.

It's not a statement about parenting style - it just happens.

I don't think anyone sets out with a date in mind.

Yes society disapproves - but I don't see the issue with feeding then milk meant for them and feeding them cows milk meant for cows.

No-one ever has a comeback for that.