Those of you who have breastfed past the year mark, come tell me.....

[JRsandCoffee]

All about it! How often do you feed? How do you cope with the little gnashers and biting? Did your milk supply regulate easily? Any other information?

The darling child is coming up seven months and the woman who never thought she'd be able to breastfeed at all still has the two cartons of ready made formula bought for just in case in the cupboard. Initially I was going to move to formula around six months but stuff that, then 11 months, won't bore you with the reasons for that random age and now I'm thinking that if by a year we're down to a couple of feeds morning and evening then frankly I'd like to keep going. Seems like not that much trouble for many benefits, weaning is going well but she still likes her milk!

So, any advice?

DS 18months. feed to sleep, early am feed, sometimes night too. Fed DS1 till he was 2.5. Teeth initially very bad with number 2, nothing with number 1 son. Don't feed in public at all now. Will stop soon, 4yrs constant feeding getting boring now! good luck!

Yes. Morning on waking (lovely extra 15 minutes in bed while I feed her), 5 minutes at lunchtime nap time, and before bed. It was really not an inconvenience at all, as I fed lying down. She didn't really ask for it during the day or ever in public.

I'm now 20 weeks pg with DC2 and my supply has dwindled so DC1 not at all interested now. She seems to be self weaning (at 22 months) because of the pregnancy.

At one year old, always morning and bedtime, sometimes one during the day to make her fall asleep for a nap. No problems with teeth, bit sore maybe when they first appeared and she wasn't sure what to do with them, but only for a day or so. Kept on when I was at work and no problems with supply, no leaking at work, no engorgement. It was lovely coming home and being able to feed.

2 years. At one Ds was still feeding morning and night and a day feed if I wasn't at work. Over the year the morning feed went first, so just feeding to sleep at nap and bedtimes.

Finally stopped those over the course of a month with no upset at all. It really was lovely and a lovely thing to have done for both of us. I kind of miss it several months later.

No problems with teeth, only with fidgeting!

He always drank cow's milk from a cup and we still have that at bedtime.

Bf is a complete godsend when they are poorly. It's a huge comfort and at least I knew some nutrition was going in when the dreaded D + V struck.

If you feel confident and comfortable, then just keep going and see how it goes. You can always stop when you want to.

DS1 gave up about a year, but DS2 lasted until 21 months and DS3 is still going strong at 2y3mo with no signs of stopping!

I went back to work when they were all 10-11 months, and by then on workdays I only fed them in the morning and then again in the evening, before bed. Plus if they woke in the night.

They didn't really bite me - once or twice when distracted or giggling but I just said a firm 'No biting' and they seemed to understand.

DS3 is still feeding most mornings and every night before bed, with occasional feeds in the night or if he is poorly and clingy during the day.

They sometimes asked in public and I am quite happy to feed anywhere but then I have an exhibitionist streak in me anyway so it has never been a problem,even on those rare occasions he started and then dropped off to look at something more interesting - yes I'm looking at you DS2!.

DS1 just stopped - I kept offering it at bedtime but he just turned his head away.

DS2 also stopped but over a longer time, so he maybe had a once or twice bedtime feed or comfort feed when poorly for the last month or so, then just stopped.

DS3 I'll get back to you.....

Ds1 I introduced formula in the day at about 11mths as I was going back to work and couldn't express very well. He bf am and pm until we stopped at 18mths. No worries about biting by then except when he was teething he'd try sometimes and then giggle but easily dealt with (the Kellymom website has good ideas on how to deal with biting). Supply wasn't a problem it adjusted fine even when some weeks he would feed loads in the day when I wasn't at work if he was ill/teething etc. He stopped easily at 18mths and lost the latching ability pretty quickly so I think he was ready to stop. I did the don't offer don't refuse technique for stopping. He was really ill at about 14mths and in hospital for a while, the bfing was a godsend then when he wouldn't eat much and needed the comfort.

Ds2 is 13mths now, this time I'm expressing as got an electric pump and so all his feeds are bf or ebm. When I'm at work he bfs am/pm and at night, on days I don't work he bfs 4-5times in the day. My supply regulates itself although I do find I get uncomfortable if he hasn't fed or I haven't expressed for 4-5hrs. Don't remember that with ds1 but then I was bfing less at the same age. He's not a problem with biting etc. when he's away from me in the day he really wants to bf when he sees me and that's a really nice way to reestablish closeness when I've been at work. Not sure when I'll stop, probably by the time he's 2 but we'll see how it goes.

With 1st baby, by one yr he was down to morning and evening bf as I went back to work p/t and he just seemed to lose interest in daytime feeds, even on the days I wasn't working. By 18months it was just the morning feed (extra lolling in bed for me) and he stopped altogether just before 2yrs. I was 4 months pg at the time and did encourage the weaning process.

With 2nd, she bf until 4 yrs - she had her last bf by mutual agreement on the day before her 4th birthday. She bf in the day for a lot longer, mainly because I wasn't working and was around a lot more.

DD is almost 17 months and is a milk fiend. If we're at home, she'll ask to feed almost every time I sit down - she's not very interested in food. She doesn't sleep well and feeds at least once in the night, usually 4am

But definitely in the morning before we get up, then after breakfast, then before lunch if we're home, then in the afternoon, then bedtime.

She had a severe lip tie which we've just had corrected and she's starting to eat more food, so hopefully the milk will reduce. I had a work trip a couple of months ago and was in serious discomfort the second day despite pumping.

Thank you, lots of food for thought! Definitely going to keep going I think!

We are kind of still at nearly two but its down to very very little I'm not sure if its due to been half way through my pregnancy now. Really has been the most amazing experience and I feel quite emotional that he seems to be self weaning! It's helped me with sleeping, teething, illness, convenience, less washing etc. I could go on, can't wait to start it all again with no.2 and and If no.1 wants to carry on all well and good! (from a very non tree hugger hippy!)

Feeding past a year is a brilliant experience but beware once you feed past a year it can be very difficult to get them to stop.

I'm in it for the long haul (have fed two children for last 5years plus combined) but tonight when my 2 year old was trying to tune my right nipple into radio 4 for about an hour at bedtime I really felt like I'd had enough.

I love feeding but the twiddling drives me mad.... plus they only really love me for my boobs, it seems, at times.

DD2 grew out of the twiddling, thank god and yes they may never ever want to stop.

IME the longer you do it the easier and more convenient it becomes. The first two only bit me once each, my yelp was enough to stop them doing it again. DC3 on the other hand was quite a biter. Never really got him to stop but did get to read the signals when he was about to and quickly took him off the breast before he could bite me.

I had no trouble stopping with any of mine. I just gradually cut down and then just stopped. None of them ever really caused a fuss about wanting to bf again.

DC3 is 5 months and still BFing.

Before him I fed DCs 1 and 2 until they self weaned at 18 months 6 months into my 2nd and 3rd pregnancies.

DD snacked a lot and didn't take to a sippy cup for any other drink until over a year old so fed little and often,
DS1 didn't feed at all during the day from about 8 months - he loved water from a sippy cup and instead fed all night. He was literally stuck to my boob from 7-7! It was fine though as we were co sleeping anyway.
Biting wasn't much of a problem.

Both of them only bit me twice each DS1 drew blood one time though
To be honest, I didn't have any problems and BFing helped with flying, when they were ill, you name it.
I love the closeness too and I'll no doubt miss it when DC3 decides to stop.

Nearly 2 and a half years here and still going strong.

I love it, she loves it, it's fab. I intend to keep going as long as she wants to.

From around 18m I'd say, there doesn't seem to be much of an issue wrt regulating feeds to keep up supply. I have split with STBXH recently and sometimes don't see her for 2 days and one night and no issues have come up so far. (I imagine this would be useful for romantic getaways sans kiddies if I had anyone to take me!)

Ds is 11 months so not quite at the year mark yet but he is showing no sign of stopping. We feed first thing, straight after work at 5.30, before bed at 7.30 when I go to bed about 11 and then 2 or 3 times during the night. If I am not in work he feeds 2 or 3 times in the day too. I have no idea how we will ever stop but its keeping my weight down so not all bad.

He went through a phase recently of biting but fingers crossed he's not done it for a couple of days now.

After a year mine (DS to 38 months, DD1 to about 20 months, DD2 still going at 27 months) have only really fed morning, night and sometimes nap time (unless they were ill, and then they tended to step it up a bit). Milk supply regulates well -- when DS was 18 months or so I had to go away for a week with work a couple of times and I got a little engorged after a few days, but that was easily fixed with a little hand expressing in the shower and he picked it up right away when I got back.

I am fairly ready for DD2 to self-wean, though -- apart from a very few months I've been pregnant or breastfeeding for nearly eight and a half years now and I feel I've done my bit.

At a year DS was still feeding probably 5 or 6 times a day/night (morning, nap, evening, 2-3 times a night), by 2 he was down to morning and evening (unless sick), and by 2.5 morning only (until I got pregnant, the milk dried up, and the poor thing was forced to give up - he still mournfully asks if it's run out!)

Never had any biting problems.

DS was trained from quite young that we fed lying down in bed (because I'm lazy), so I was lucky in that it never even occurred to him that he could ask for feeds when out and about (although he wasn't above dragging me off to the bedroom if he was tired and we were at home). I'll be doing the same with the next one!

I stopped with DS just after his 2nd birthday - we had been down to morning feeds only for many months and his latch had been getting progressively worse. Plus I kept wanting to get treatment for minor ailments that were all BF-unfriendly - it was getting annoying!

He hasn't fed for about two weeks, and still asks for it first thing, but is easily distracted.
Honestly, I doubt he would have ever self weaned