So those who breastfeed to 6 months, what then?

[Bouj]

Do you replace all breastfeeds with formula? Or were you mixed feeding before 6 months? Just curious - had planned to stop at 6 months, but now I am here, fairly sure I can't be arsed sterilising and making up feeds after doing without it til now. Wondered why people stop now, when if you go til 12 months, they can have cows milk..

You can just carry on...
In fact, I am surprised that people do give up at 6 months. (I understand that people can have good reasons for giving up in the early days). Having got that far, I would assume you must have got the art mastered by now. As baby begins eating solids, the number of bfs gradually decreases, so you are less tied to baby. I know that some people look aghast at so-called extended breastfeeding (which can be anything beyond 6 weeks, in some people's view), but I really can't see any reason for stopping at 6 montsh (unless you want to).
Sorry for being a bit rambling, but I was asked a couple of days ago whether I was still feeding dd2 (1 yr old next week!). It was a nice conversation, not disapproving or anything. BUt my take on it was (why on aerth would I want to give up now and start faffing around with bottles and wasting money on formula when I can give dd2 a supeior product for free?)

up to you
carry on bf if you want

Just carried on. Why bother switching to the faff and expense of formula/bottles?? IIRC WHO recommends bf-ing til they're 2 anyway.

I just carried on for pretty much the same reasons! After expressing, or trying to, a few times in the earlyish days, I decided that bfing just had to be easier than faffing with the steriliser and bottles. A friend of mine stopped at 6 months, but she was back at work and having to express every day, so bfing wasn't exactly the laziest option for her. Not sure if I'd have carried on under those circumstances (although the cost of formula would, I suspect, still have been quite a spur to hang onto the free stuff).

DD2 is nearly 9 months and amazingly I am still bf. Initially, I just wanted to make it to 6 months exc bf - when I got there I've just carried on - as it is so convenient and easy.

I'm still on maternity leave, it may have been different if I had already gone back to work, as it is I go back in Jan when dd2 will be 11 months. I intend to bf am and pm and initially may send some expressed bm to the Nursery - as it is dd2 doesn't really feed much during the day anyway.

I discussed returning to work with my HV and she has said as I intend to bf first and last thing, then it is O.K for dd2 to have cows milk during the day - even though she will be less than 12 months - as it seemed stupid to give her formula for a month.

I can't believe that I am intending to bf after 12 months as I had such a nightmare with dd1 (was ff after 10 weeks) I am soooo proud of myself.

Also a big reason for carrying on bf are the crafty cuddles I get when feeding, how easy it is to comfort her and the immense pride I get from knowing that I am contributing towards dd2's good health (I hope)

I b/f twins until 18 months

Respect to you Y1. How did you do it - is it as hard as I imagine it is?

I was planning to stop at 6 months as returning to work, but actually ended up expressing about 8oz per day at work, so she had 2 small milk feeds at nursery and then bf morning and evening. Then was planning to stop at a year, but actually just stopped expressing and she now has follow on milk at nursery and still bf morning and evening. If I am away or out at bedtime then she has a bottle of follow on milk and I express to keep my supply up. (I know she could go onto Cows milk, but we have a family history of allergies, so I am avoiding it a bit longer).

Paid maternity leave does end at 26 weeks and an awful lot of women go back to work, so I guess lots dont want to or cant pump at work so mixed feeding or stopping might seem like their only choice.

I really hate the fact that stopping at 6 months is seen as something that is commonplace or something women feel they have to do. Maternity leave should be much much longer imo. Like someone else said - seems a shame to give up at the point it has become easier to do - no preparation needed, just available anywhere anytime & loads of lovely cuddles.

Bouj - theres no need to give up at 12 months either - thats just a misconception perpetuated by the formula companies. Babies are biologically meant to be bf for a mumimum of 2 years. Why another species milk should suddenly be better than our own milk at 12 months is very bizarre to me - the dairy industry must be laughing at their genius .

This page is really good for info & links about bfing after 1 year. This page especially has all the advantages to carrying on after 12 months.

I also love reading Kathy Dettwylers stuff about breastfeeding - have a look at the comments section - some really interesting stuff!

hotmama

my twins were premmies, but were great feeders and i had lots of milk. I feed my girls at the same time, and although i know some mums don't believe in routines i could not have done it without them. I stayed at home and really never left the house but this again was my choice.

But having just reached 6 months, interested to know what happens now. Am continuing to b/f and have started weaning. Do you just sort of leave it up to them how quickly they stop the milk feeds and just have food? Do they eventually feed as often but take less milk as they have filled up on food or do they b/f less often but still have their fill?
Sorry, a bit rambling.

Hi..i bf my daughter til 10 months, then sort of cobbled together a few bits of ready cartoned up formula and mixed it with cows milk, then totally switched about 11 1/2 months. Am now 7 months into feeding son, and since weaning at just under 6 mo, he is now down to 3 proper (ie double breast) feeds, morning, after lunch time nap and evening, and a couple of quick sneaky snacks sometimes. But since he is eating lots, and having yoghurt and dairy puddings (rice pud, semolina, custard) I will continue to the year this time. My daughter aged 2.75 still has a cup of milk morning, after nap and evening before bed. By 9 months you will probably be down to just 3 feeds a day....Hope this helps!

WriggleJ - essentially yes.

I was quite conscious of not replacing too much of my DSs intake of bm with solids (mainly because I knew I wanted to feed for as long as possible & we had a very hard start) so we did go very slowly at first. We started solids at 29 weeks baby-led style so he would regulate his own intake. He had one meal a day for a month or two, then two for another month so by 11-12 months he was having 3 meals a day plus snack. We also didnt introduce water before about 9 months for the same reason. Throughout this time he was bf on demand and I also kept offering it as well. He didnt really cut down very much at all before about 18 months, but even now at 28 months he is still fed on demand but maybe feeds 6 times max every day - & that would be day where I am around & sitting down a lot! If we are out & about he will sometimes only have his morning & bedtime feeds.

LLL Have a brill book called "How Weaning Happens" which has loads of info about weaning. These links might interest you as well:

LLL Articles on weaning
Kellymom Weaning index

I also don't understand why women change to formula after 6 months. Once weaning is started breastfeeds reduce. It seems to me that a lot of women start replacing breastfeeds with formula so babies end up having solids and milk at more feeds than are necessary. Breast feeds can be so flexible - if you return to work you can either express milk or baby can have solids and a non-milk drink when away from you and breastfed when you are there.

Mandymac - not sure the reasoning behind using follow-on milk to avoid allergies. It is made from cow's milk. It is also the biggest con of the century!

I agree with you Bouj, i couldn't be bothered with making up feeds! i breastfed dd until she was two. She started having cows milk in cups at a year, but still fed from me of an evening and sometimes in the day.

Do whatever you're comfortable with!

I worked parttime since dd was 12 weeks so she had ebm whilst i was away, which i changed to formula once she was 6mths cos i was sick of expresssing. But its definitely easier to continue breastfeeding imo.

I have gave a baby a bottle in 22 years. It just seemed a waste of materials and all that effort which you can just open your shirt up. Obviously they were eating bananas and other stuff and it just faded out. In fact none of the 5 were weaned by me. They all seemed to give up by choice at about 1 year to 14 months or so and I think one a bit earlier.

I think it was only when I got to about 4/6mths that I really felt I'd got bf cracked and wouldn't have wanted to stop then. A close friend struggled valiantly to bf, fighting the system to get proper treatment for thrush and at last all was going well. Her baby got to four months and she gave up bfing - to my mind just as she'd got to the best bit where she wasn't having to fret over each feed (work didn't come inbto it as she had a 12mths off). But each to their own, I guess.

at 6 months i was back at work and was expressing all of dd's feeds. weaning with her was very slow as she hated lumps. after a couple weeks of tasting food she flatly refused any lumps or texture (toast, everything) till 13 months. hence i ended up expressing at least 2x at work till she was nearly a year. at ten months she started to have sloppy weetabix and therefore started to drop feeds.

she also was a struggle to take a bottle and flat out refused the taste of formula or cows milk from a bottle or cup.

even now at 18 months, i express one milk feed a day for her to have at nursery. i'd like to think i do it because it comforts me that i can comfort her with something when i can't be with her. my reward has been that in 18 months of life she has never had vomiting, diarroeah or a course of antibiotics even though she is exposed to all sorts at nursery.

Why stop if it's comfortable to keep going? The only reason to stop bfing is if stopping works for you. Weaning onto solids is not a reason to stop, nor is social pressure.

I had never intended to feed dd for longer than 9m or so, but at that point, just as I was contemplating whether to stop (and not really wanting to), she came down with gastroenteritis. Boy was I glad I was still bfing! The one thing she could keep down was breastmilk, which is probably the best thing you can give a baby with gastro. So I kept going, and afterwards realised that I didn't have to give up at all if I didn't want to, and ended up bfing her until just before she turned 2. It felt right to go on, it felt right to ease off when I did, and in the end she stopped when she wanted to.

Just carried on.
Best way to calm them after a long day apart or if something upsetting had happened i found.

Carried on demand bf - so convenient

DS is almost 7 months, Still carrying on feeding on demand, but going back to work in the new year, so gotta think about either expressing or letting the nursery provide formula feed.

i got to 6 months when i had planned to stop, found out dd was intolerant to milk when i introduced it into her diet, including the odd bit of formula i gave her, said screw it and fed her til she self weaned at one year when i was pregnant again. she detested formula anyway.... spat it at me in disgust so didn't have the heart to force the issue, and bf is soooo much easier for a lazy cow like me!

Just carried on till they wanted to stop (DS2 nowhere near stopping, I don't think - DS1 stopped at nearly 17m).

Tootsieroll, get in the habit of expressing a bit now and you can stockpile it in the freezer.