Are you STILL breastfeeding?

[HalfBakedCleverCookie]

I have gone back to work after materninty leave, one woman asked me what diet I have been doing. I said oh none, its just breastfeeding.

Que shock horror, your not STILL breastfeeding are you?! Your not gonna be one of those women who are breastfeeding their ten year old are you?

Ds is 9 months old.

I thought I would come here for some reassurance that I am not strange or abnormal.

[bicyclebuiltforfour]

Come over to New York: I'm seen as having stopped feeding DD early (at 12m). Every mum here I meet seems to have gone way beyond that without considering themselves to be 'extended' breastfeeders. I seriously think that getting out a bottle here raises more eyebrows than getting out your boob.

People are so committed to BF here: despite going back to work 12wks after giving birth they lug a breast pump to the office and pump three/four/five times a day. In the UK most people just wouldn't bother.

Do what's right for you and your baby: forget everyone else.

[HalleLouja]

I am just stopping now and DD is 2 this month. We are taking it super slowly too. I think I will be sad when it ends.

9 months is early doors.

[TheSydenhamSet]

I'm on mumsnet on my phone as I breast feed my just turned 1 yr old ds to sleep

[onehitwonder]

Well not anymore, but fed DD until she was 2.5 and DS to 3.5 (so a whopping 6 years). I expressed at work both times for about 4 months too, so plenty of people must have known. I got the odd comment, but just ignored it.

[HelloBear]

I remember getting this with Dd when I went back at 11 months. My team mate was horrified! But when I joked that it burns callories she said she wanted twins as she is perminately on a diet.

[1Catherine1]

Still Breastfeeding here too, DD is 2 years old. I too don't talk about it though, I let people assume we've stopped after a (childless) colleague made a similar comment when she was 6mo, to which I informed her of the World Health Organisations reccommendations on the matter

[BeyonceCastle]

Would have said to colleague in my best Miranda Hart voice Rude!!!
Fed both of mine to 27 months and expect shall do the same for my third.
Don't give a toss what other people think tbh - tis their problem if they have a problem with it not mine. If they make it my problem however by acting like asshats I have and will put them straight DH says I am a bit scary when provoked but is my most supportive bf advocate as it means he only does nappies not bottles for you xx

[KB02]

Another one here, ds just turned one and not showing any signs of stopping yet. I still feed him in public and luckily not had any negativity yet

[harverina]

When I was pregnant a relative tried to give me little tubs to store formula and I said I won't need those I want to breastfeed. Her reaction was to say yes but you will need then after 6 weeks. Good intentions but sadly a sign of what a lot of people think in the uk.

My dd fed until she was 2.5 when she chose to stop herself. I'm not sure if she is classed as a natural term feeder as circumstances probably distracted her (moved in with grandparents for a whole) and there was so much more fun things to do than bf in the mornings.

Over the 2.5 years I had many shocked responses to my decision to continue to bf - friends, relatives, gp's etc. I tried the who guidelines a few times but many people seem to believe that this only applies to developing countries so I have up with this with certain people!

It's your choice, your giving your dc an amazing start in life

[HalfBakedCleverCookie]

I would love to go to a lll meeting but there aren't any round here. I know I have the mumsnet crew behind me so that helps.

[TerrariaMum]

You are perfectly fine. Your colleague is being silly.
I am currently still BFing my nearly 2.5 yo DD1 as well as feeding 2 week old DD2.

I also agree with the suggestion to go to a LLL meeting. You will meet a load of women doing similar things and having the backup of so many means comments like that roll off you.

[alikat724]

You're perfectly normal! I'm still feeding my 17mo DD, been back at work since she was 9 months, pumping discretely as required. We'll go until she is around 2 I think, she is starting to self-wean but I'm fairly relaxed about an end date, hoping to do it naturally to save trauma on both sides. Do what feels right for you and your baby!

[Nyunya]

Still feeding 19mo DD here, and don't think she wants to stop any time soon. Usually respond with a "Yeah! Great, isn't it?!" In a very positive, sunny, smiley way!

Or "I expect she'll wean before she leaves home... ooo what if she doesn't? ... well I'll just have to move out with her"

Keep up the good work - bf as long as you are both happy with continuing!

[MyNameIsAnAnagram]

I did fine there was pressure to stop at about 9m from a few people, but it tended to be family, my friends and work colleagues didn't have an issue.

[mrsmartin1984]

some are still suprised I'm feeding my 3 month old. All this pressure to move on to formula is insane. keep going, you're doing what's best

[TheHuffAndPuffALot]

29 months and still going strong here!
I'd quite like to stop but dd is having none of it.
As pp said upthread it has its benefits so I'm not too bothered tbh.

Just keep going for as long as is right for you both, and do your best to ignore the sarcastic comments from idiots.

[christinarossetti]

I bf 2 children over 6 years - youngest until he was nearly 4.

I just never, never mentioned it to anyone except maybe a close friend.

I do get the 'educate people' line, but I just can't be bothered - just smile, nod and get on with your day.

[Startail]

Agin

[Startail]

As for forcing a boob on a child. DD1 choose to give up at 5 months.

She threw her head back and screamed if I tried to BF her. We'd muddled a long mixed feeding from 2 weeks and she hugely preferred bottles.

After I'd had a minor op and 24 hrs of feeding her she decided no more of this nonsense and just point blank refused ever to latch on avain.

[HalfBakedCleverCookie]

Thanks. Everyone I knew I could count on mn to make me feel better about this.
It's so sad that people don't feel able to breast feed their older babies & children in public. I thought I had awhile before I had to explain myself or hide away, poor baby is only 9 months!

[Startail]

You can smile and say of course I'm not going to feed him until he's 10.
9 will be fine. (DD2 did finally agree double figures would be silly).

Unfortunately you don't see people BFing older babies because most go to morning, evening and perhaps nap time once they are eating well.

The only place DD fed a lot from 6 months to about 12 months was in her sisters boring swimming lessons. By 18 months she was simply too tall. she needed to put her legs on the chair, person next to her. So it tended to be the sofa or the bed at home.

She is an outwardly very confident, socially aware child. She knew by two not to ask in public, I never said anything. Sadly she instinctively knew people would judge.

She choose to continue in private because, I don't think, she is quite as self assured as she likes to pretend. It was her quiet safe place, her having mummy and the world under her control for just 10 minutes. As far as I was concerned it was just as natural as hugging her and so much part of being her mum I didn't really think about it. Nor did DH or DD1 it was just what DD2 did.

Good luck OP, you and your DS will know when to stop and not your family, friends or GP. All the BF DCs I've known well have continued to somewhere between 2 and 5 years and, with the possible exception of a veggie doctor, not one of us has any lentil weaving tendencies.

[raisinggirls]

DD2 is 20 months old on Saturday and still BF. Jolly useful it is too!

She took a huge tumble the other day onto a concrete slab, massive graze and a black eye. BF was the best medicine and comfort I could give her, and instant. There are so many good reasons to carry on, your colleague is probably jealous although more likely just ignorant

You are doing a good thing.

[OrangeFootedScrubfowl]

By the time they're two, people have given up moaning on about 'still breastfeeding?' I found.

[TheBookofRuth]

Ha, DD will take a bottle, though she prefers breast. When the same woman from my NCT group realised this, she said something how in that case I was clearly just doing it for my own benefit not DD's!

[HalfBakedCleverCookie]

Really bookofruth, well of course that is a great reason to stop feeding!

thanks Eau, that looks very helpful.

I thought we had cracked it when Mil realised that ds really won't take a bottle, she did think I was lying and just forcing the boob on him.