Anyone else made to feel like a paedophile for breastfeeding past 6 months!

[cruisemum1]

getting miffed at peoples attitudes to bf past the 'required' 6 months. ds is only 7 mths ffs! makes me feel they think i'm a freak! grrrrrrr

which people

I think some people were surprised that I bf until 19 months, but I haven't really had negetive comments apart from a fairly stupid thing my sil said, that breastmilk doesn't contain anything past 6 months

I think they were all too polite to say anything, and possibly I changed their opinions.

I ignore them. Only if I care about them do I even bother to justify my decision as they speak from ignorance.

Am getting that a bit too now DS is 6 months, but have perfected a scary glare! Why oh why do people want you to stop bfing just as it gets really easy?

Somebody on here once said that extended breastfeeding is child abuse.

But you can console yourself with the fact that they are ignorant, small-minded fools while you are intelligent enough to know that you're doing something good for your baby.

last week dd2 (just 2) got my nipple out in the school playground while waiting for dd1

one mum was more shocked that I was still bfding than the fact I had a nork out in daylight at 3.15pm

as long as your comfortable breastfeeding then don't worry.

i've had people giving me "i can't believe she still does that" looks and my little one is 21 months. the only other option is lots of sobbing and crying - who can deny a child then?!

I had a few 'jokes' made about feeding my lo till she was 13months. but I'm quite fiesty so they only made them the once.
But yes it did annoy me particularly comments made by my health visitor 'your not going to be one of those extended breastfeeders are you.

a paediatrician once told me (informally) that she didn't think babies should be bf once they started walking I

Well DS#2 is well past that already Belgo

it does make me laugh though - mums can't make a child breastfeed and i'm sure no-one would deny a screaming, anxious child his/her comfort!

I'm still feeding my two and a quarter year old, sometimes in public.

I hadn't noticed anyone passing judgement but then I wouldn't take a blind bit of notice if they did. Weirdos.

you know, I've breastfed my children until they were jsut past one , baby is 7 months at the moment and still bfding her - and I've never come across anyone who has questioned my choice to do so, or had weird looks from strangers, etc etc. am I the only one? or maybe I jsut ahve thick skin and dont care?

no - and nor should you.

Bfing is wonderful if people don't think so then poor them.

Have been made to feel a bit 'you don't HAVE to do it now' by some people, mostly other mums (DS is not quite 9 months). But he's thriving on it and I'm happy to continue, so it's none of their business really.

The only comment I had was once DD was around 5 or 6 months MIL asked if there was any point carrying on, she got a very sharp 'Yes!' in reply and never broached the subject again.

My mum did say once 'Oh, are you still BFing?' when she was 11 months and again I just said 'yup' and that was an end of it. I don't get into conversations about BFing with anyone who is going to be negative about it as I tend to get a bit wound up!

I got so fed up with people telling me there was no benefit after 6 months, then the same at one, and then two, etc, etc. In the end, I became so exasperated at the "you're not STILL feeding him are you?" that I stopped proudly telling people and became a secret breastfeeder. I think people now just assume that ds isn't breastfed. If they knew, they would be shocked I think. (Ds is 3.5 and showing no signs of wanting to stop feeding!)

I think there are many older babies 'still' being b-fed, just that mums don't talk about it, and it you don't see it in public so much. I am happy to bf DS whenever and wherever, but as a nosy 9-monther he is often far too interested in what is going on around him when we're out and about these days.

wow - amazed by response. actually the main person is my mum! "you still breastfeeding?" precedes any conversatin we have. I said this morning that it is so much easier that bottles early in the morning and she said "well you've got a bottel warmer, that wouldn't be too much hassle surely!" btw,, my sis bottlefed her three, my niece bottlefed her lo nad she obviously bottled fed the three of us!

people keep telling me that I've done really well to get to 7 months which i also think seems to imply that it's time to stop

just rise above it and keep going...i plan to feed for months yet

(hi cruise, we were Sept mummies together!)

hi tassis - i remember you too

oddly enough for all my self conciousness at times about feeding in public i've never noticed anyone being shocked.

i feed ds who's a hefty almost 9 month old everywhere and i only ever get positive comments... and i'm always on edge waiting to have to defend myself!

with dd i fed her til a year but rarely ever in public as she was difficult to feed but i told everyone i was still breastfeeding and got no strange looks or comments

the only one who makes comments is my mom who takes up the mantra 'don't you think you've done that for long enough' whenever i'm around but she only strengthens my resolve.

i think alot of people here though were brought up in a rural environment where extended bf-ing was the norm so don't find it that unusual

pink tupips - isn't it strange that it is our mums who are most likely to express distaste/surprise at continued bf?!