Who out there is an avid 100% breast feeder?

[browniegirl]

I am breast feeding my 2nd baby and fed my first untill she was 2 it got off to a very rocky start however I persevered and I am so glad that I did it was wonderful. My son is 10 months and is an absolute darling to feed no problems at all. I don't mind some of the restrictions of breast feeding like,not be able to leave him over night (unless I am at work then i have no choice) in fact that makes it more special because only I can do it nobody else is there anyone else who feels the same because all I seem to hear are the negative aspects of feeding and not the positves!

I love it and can't wait to do it again.

Me too! Ds has just turned 1 and is showing no signs of giving up just yet. I am happy to let him continue as long as he wants. Agree it can be hard when you don't know anyone else in RL who bf past 6mths though...

And to those of you ttc: periods do come back eventually! I thought I wouldn't get mine until ds stopped bf, but it came back the day after his 1st birthday, despite me still feeding him loads. Thought I was going to get away without it for a bit longer!

Oh yes - on the TTC front I got my first period during the week, 2 months after we started with solids (ds is 8 months). We're still feeding plenty and night feeding more than ever.

Tatties, thanks that is very nice to hear as I soooo want to be pregnant but don't want to give up bf totally! If I can't conceive until I stop will I resent dd for it, but on the other hand if I stop and get pg I may resent a new baby for "stealing" dd's milk as that is how I feel I will always see it! Aaaargh!!! Never realised breastfeeding would bring about so many emotions.

dd turns one on Wednesday 19th and is still bf. she still seems to think that (besides weetabix and yoghurt) food is a passing fad. If someone told me at 2 weeks that we would be bf at 52 weeks, I would have laughed nervously and think, 'I only wish'. we have been lucky despite hv making me terribly upset by telling us she 'needed' formula at 3 wks. No mastitis, cracked nipples, thrush etc. just feed, feed, feed. don't know when this will stop but know I will miss it.

I express for her at work and I'm thinking of cutting back on that now that she is a yr.

Me!

Such hard work for the first few weeks (first time) but soooooo worth it.

bobblehead I totally identify with you - going through the same machinations myself atm! Really wanted to be pg again by now but will not consider dropping the bfing until ds is at least a year - and then I can imagine it will be a wrench

Just wanted to add to my earlier post. With ds1 I sometimes felt a little guilty that dp wasn't getting the same closeness with him as I was. I felt sad for him that he wasn't getting the same 'bonding' experience that I was getting. Anyone else feel like this at all?

Bobblehead why don't you give it a couple more months, then if still no af then perhaps try dropping a feed? You probably wouldn't have to give up BF completely. Although ds still feeds fairly frequently, day and night, I had noticed that he seemed to be feeding for less time - which I think may have triggered it for me. Your dd may just start taking less milk herself as she gets to 12mths. It does sound as though you would be sad to stop, and as you say, you may regret stopping bf if you don't get pg as soon as you hoped. Good luck

yes, I'm an 100% avid feeder. I fed Dd until her 2nd b'day. People /were/are quite shocked - not sure why, as of course it's only natural

I would say from about 18mths we where on 2 feeds a day, we were quite happy & it helped with my weight loss. She has also been a very healthy little girl too & of course there are benefits to me too - you just can't got wrong !

Thanks Tatties. I have recently cut back to 3 feeds a day and they are now very short, so am hoping something will happen soon! I am offering formula at night, which she sometimes takes so I know she was hungry then, but feel bad I'm not bf at those times. On the otherhand she has stopped waking every 2 hours at night needing fed back to sleep, so regardless of why or how I feel I have done the right thing for both of us. Mostly she doesn't even want to feed during the day, its just a falling asleep thing so I think I'll just play around with the times I feed and save it for her naps, then we will both be happy

can i join too
love b/f my dd4 is almost 1 and does not like anything on a spoon so is pretty much totally b/f
she does bread toast pasta (sucks the sauce off) and other stuff but not enough to constitute a meal.I am proud b/f mum with beautiful healthy baby girl who despite few tries has not even had ebm or water.
dd3 b/f til 18m at which time I was pg with dd4 16 weeks so you can get caught while b/f without ever having a period.
dd2 exclusively til 10mths (back to work)
I love it had them out everywhere from sainsburies to church where a mid wife and a breast feeding counsellor came up and congratulated me. lol hunker the nappies are almost sweet
thankyou for this thread lovely positive chat

Bobblehead & Miaou I feel same as you two - DS is nearly 9 months and on solids and 3 BFs a day. He goes about 11 hours overnight without a feed, but still so sign of periods. Feel exactly same emotions as you Bobble re torn between wanting new bub and not wanting to deprive DS of his milk. Last week was seriously thinking about switching to formula. Yesterday he woke up fussy, hot and not himself - wanted to feed and sleep lots yesterday and bathtime revealed a spotty chest so think he may be starting chicken pox... feeding made me feel like I was helping him and boosting his strength with my antibodies, think if I was giving formula wouldn't feel that way, so am inclined to stick with it. But soooooo broody at the mo!

hi purplemonkeydishwasher,I find myself talking about breastfeeding all of the time I can't help it. When my son is weighed I feel so proud and say "I did that, that's all my work" it's so satisfying.I just love it and I don't care who gets fedup by me talking about all the time, they are only jealous that they didn't do it!Both my kids are bright and did you know that reseach suggests that they gain more IQ points, well thtas what my bf advisor told me and I think it's right. Both of them look really healthy and have a peachy glow about them.

no one mentioned jealousy fromffeeders why shouldn't i be proud is that what your getting at?

Must say I agree with lockets here, browniegirl. Feeding babies is such an emotional issue and it's very easy for the littlest comment to be jumped upon on MN and blown out of proportion. It has been nice for this thread to be a celebration of bfeeding experiences and not a huge debate. To use the word jealous in that context could be offensive to women who were unable to bfeed or who's own personal choice was not to bfeed.I hope that the thread is allowed to continue as it was.

erm i read browniegirls post as not smug at all. i always joke that people are jealous cos they dont have my dd3. i made her, with peters help of course, and i am feeding her myself. she is adorable, she captures peoples hearts and is wonderful. I have people each day asking to take her home. I feel incredably proud of my all dd's and how they all are, dd1+2 are lovely well behaved little girls and a credit to me. yes dd2 is hard work, but she is still a little girl who charms everyone with her little quirks. They are all extremely well adjusted kids despite what they are going through. and knowing that even tho dd1+2 werent fed for as long as i liked, they had that very precious colostrum and breastmilk in the first few months.

I think we all have reasons to be proud of our children, whether breastfed or not.

I really don't get the jealousy bit - I love my children and don't want anyone elses'.

Should have added that I'm BF my 13 month old and really enjoy it.

I breastfed ds till her was 4 and dd still going strong at 2 and a half. Personally, if you could give it in a bottle I would. I do it because I have an awful lot of allergies in my family which go right through adult hood and I wanted to give them a fighting chance.

re: lact8's comment - "Its so intimate and I especially enjoy it in the middle of the night, when the rest of the house are asleep, so quiet and peaceful, makes me feel like me and dd are the only one's in the world." When DS wanted fed for the umpteenth time the other night I thought about that comment and felt a lot better (still tired though!!)
GarfieldsGirl - I know what you mean about the bonding thing. DS really only wants me when he wants comfort. But there are other ways that babies can bond with their daddies. Ds loves to bath or shower with his dad. He gets soooo excited! it's their special time together...and mommy gets to go sit and relax!!!

What a lovely thread
I am breast feeding baby 3 at the mo, he's 6wks and I have been struggling with thrush for the last 3wks, I am going to keep going and get through it but wanted to say thankyou for reminding me how wonderfull it can be when it doesn't hurt and why it is that I do want to stick with it.
Feel all warm and fuzzy now

I do apologise for using the word jealouus I didn't mean it in the context that people thought and it was directed at those mums who are too should i say,lazy if thats the right word, to breast feed. I know there are circumsatnces where some mums aren't able to physically feed for whatever reason but it's very rare for someone not to have milk. however, I do admire those mums who want the best for their child and express. This takes alot of dedication and organisation, I had to do it with my first in the early days. So there are ways around if you want the best and whether i sound smug or not their is nothing that will ever match breast milk it contains everything that is needed by the baby to grow and develop, and don't forget the mothers antibodies. And of course there is the other side of breasting the closeness, bonding and nurturing. We nurture our babies whilst in the womb and our bodies naturally are able to nurture them on the outside and yes I agree it is something to celebrate. So again I apologise if I sounded smug it wasn't intended. I had one of the countless negative comments about breast feeding last night in work" so how long are you going to feed this one for then?" and I said," oh probably untill he is 4 I susupect, as long as he wants it!" and the look on their face is priceless 2 yrs old my daughter was. I love winding those sort of people up it makes me even more determined and reinforces to me that I am doing what I feel is right for me. Thankyou for all the messages on this thread I feel that it's like an internet support group in a kind of way, there aren't enough support groups out their for breast feeding mums, somewhere for us to go where we don't feel different for breast feeding.