How long did you breastfeed til?

[GimmeDaBoobehz]

Including mixed feeding, if you did it.

Just curious really.

Can mention all those you have BF'd.

I am at 8 months so far and as long as she doesn't start biting, I'm hoping I can get another 3 or 4 months in.

Sorry, being nosy.

Wow, I wonder how long mine would have continued if I hadn't quite strongly encouraged them to stop Starball? As I mentioned it was 4.5yrs and 6 yrs respectively here. With dd I felt I'd been tandem feeding long enough (2 yrs) and with ds I (and DH particularly) felt til 6 was old enough for us.
Also I thought they'd both be OK without - I didn't really feel that until then - well I felt it was still strongly helpful to them until these ages.
BTW I agree with whoever mentioned it was a way for them to touch base and then go out even more boldly to explore their world independently.
I think the general view might be opposite to that - that "extended" or natural term BFing might tend to make children more tied to the apron strings/ dependent on mother/ a bit namby-pamby.
Not so in my experience.

"BTW I agree with whoever mentioned it was a way for them to touch base and then go out even more boldly to explore their world independently."

I don't know if that was me, I have certainly written similar.

To the world DD2 is the most confident, mature and socially astute child you could ever wish to meet.

She did a good line in preteen attitude long before she stopped BFing.

But in fact it's a bit of an act, she is the one who worries what people think of her, the one who knows the world isn't nice and safe. Even at 12 with a boyfriend and a whole gang of ~teen friends. It's her who needs a big hug.

Not my quirky, often bullied, socially inept, dyslexic DD1. She was born with an grown up head on her shoulders and a deep self confidence.

Only now as the bullies have began to realise, they will no longer get any response and the teachers see her getting good marks despite her difficulties do the out side world see it.

DD2 always has, she'd never normally admit that big sisters in charge if they or on their own in town, but she did the day they managed to loose DH and me totally.

DC1 - 3 15 months each. All self weaned.
DC4 - 9 months - also self weaned, which was disappointing
DC5 - 4 y 3 months, and only then because I was starting chemotherapy, so we had no choice.

Luckily she was old enough to understand what was going on. She'd had to stop 3 months earlier when I had surgery because I was in hospital for 5 days then on powerful medication, but she asked to start again. She said there was no milk there to start with, but persevered and brought it back.

DD 18 months, she weaned herself when I got pregnant- I think the milk tasted different.
DS 20 months so far. Getting pressure from my mum to stop but neither of us is ready yet.

I got my periods back at around 9 months with each child.
Dd1 stopped feeding the day she turned 3 and a half. Dd2 stopped feeding the day she turned 3 and a quarter. Ds is 2 yrs and 2 months and showing no signs of stopping.

16mo so far, planning to have given up by 18mo

2 years 2 months and still going with no end in sight. Not rushing to stop though and think it will naturally die down as she starts nursery soon.

DS 3 weeks, he never latched on properly , I was pumping then giving via bottle , when I stopped bf I was feeling guilty for years, then DD1 8 months , DD2 6 months , and I am very pleased with that.

Still going at 22 months, but only in the mornings or in case of illness or extreme upset

To those of you who bfed / are bf past the little baby stage, hope you don't mind if I sneak another question in. Was it ever a struggle later on to keep bf? Did anyone's baby go on nursing 'strike'?

My dd is 9 months and for the last week it is a tussle every feed. Eventually she gets going but there is a fair amount of screaming, back arching, scratching, biting going on. I am hoping this is just a phase as I really want to keep going .

And she will only allow me to feed lying down. Which isn't very helpful when we are out and about

Yes a really lovely thread! We are still going strong at 14 months, and it's great to hear of so many other 'extended' breast feeders!

cat. no, quite the reverse really. I didn't do their natural term with any of mine- more my natural term. They would cheerfully have kept going but I was fed up with sharing my body.

No cat, after 6 mths if it had ever been difficult to feed I would personally have taken that as a signal to stop (before that I might have perservered though mine took to it like ducklings to water from first few minutes) - but I think I had a similar experience to duchesse and they were very attached to it throughout! It was slightly difficult for me at times, for example more uncomfortable at times during pregnancy, but not from their point of view.

16 mo here with ds and going strong despite me being 39 weeks pregnant. It's been hard at times and I've been desperate to stop sometimes but no idea how else I'd get ds to sleep! Hope to keep going till he's at least 2 but we will see. I guess it depends how tandem feeding goes!

And yes Cat we went through a horrible stage at about 9/10 months when every feed was a struggle but it was definitely just a phase and passed fairly quickly thank goodness!

All my real life friends have stopped now I think so it's lovely to hear so many people do keep going past 12 months or so :-)

Oh no, well she has a cold and I wonder if she's getting cross because she struggles to feed with a blocked up nose ...she does nag me to be fed then gets upset just after starting to feed, It's only been like this a few days and tonight she seemed almost back to normal so will see how it goes. She has always been such a persistent feeder so it's very out of character !

Or maybe teeth or earache because not only do I have to feed her lying down but there's a strong preference for one side over the other !

goodking congratulations! Thank you. I'm hoping it will pass. Actually writing this I did just remember a few days a few months ago when she would only feed sitting upright on my lap I think she is either just rather eccentric or it is teeth or something like that.

Oh there were a couple if days in the summer when it was 30 degrees in our bedroom when I gas to have a cold showed before feeding her and periodically put cold flannel on her head!

I might keep a journal next time round

sorry for nonsense sentence:

Oh there were a couple of days .... when I had to have a cold shower ....

I love this thread too. I stopped both ours by force at 2.6 years and 2.3 and it was only my sensitivity to social pressure that stopped me then. So am inspired by those who followed a natural weaning rather than my bossy refusal to continue! Although I still feel so proud as it takes a lot out of you or at least did for me as I get very tired. And I feel so grateful for our continuing lovely bond.

Ah, hope it works out well for you both cat - I think on the whole it's quite comforting for them to be able to BF through an illness, though often hard work for you

I did 15 months for both DD and DS. I don't know many (any?) mums in real life who fed for as long as this so I think the people responding to this thread are in a minority :)

9 months with dd and 24 (am and pm) with ds. Loved it.

Dd1 3 weeks
Dd2 6 months
Ds. 3 yrs

Cat, my DD has always been milk obsessed (22 months now) and I've chosen to limit her feeds to once in the morning.

She would still feed more often by choice I'm sure, but I started to feel squeamish and overwhelmed with her demands. Our morning feed is still pleasant and relaxed.

I also have to travel away with work and the first trip (3 days and nights when she was still feeding 3+ times a day) was agony even though I expressed. I've had no troubles being away on one feed.

No feeding strikes at all.

DS1 - 12m
DD - 11m
DS2 - 8m