just a quick poll ... how long did you bf for ? what it as long/longer than planned

[robinredbreast]

just a quick poll ... how long did you bf for ? what it as long/longer than planned

First one only lasted about 1 week,.. expecting second one in at Christmas, no plans as yet as to what I'll be doing, but no one ever tells you how hard it is to BF!!! Am I the only one who finds it hard?!!!

I breastfed for 6weeks, I hadnt planned it as such I told midwife id give it a try!
think if i have another i will try harder bf for longer!

I was deparate to bf. I found it very difficult and bloody painful at the beginning. Once through the pain barrier I found the whole experience exquisite
I wanted to bf for as long as poss but my ds self-weaned at one

Deceided to take it as it came... Was very difficult for first 6 weeks (poor weight gain, hounded by scales-weilding MW and HV) and DD was a very wriggly baby so it wasn't easy... then at 4 months when she got a reflux diagnosis and correct medicine I thought it would be such a shame to give up at 6 months when I could at last enjoy it without a struggle! Now at 8.5 months I'd like to be able to eat nice things again (DD is dairy & gluten-free) but she won't take formula. Looks like we're in it for the long haul!

DD1 - 12 months (pregnant with DD2

DD2 - 14 months kind of self weaned

planned a year with both of them

PEONY you are not alone thinking bf is hard. I wanted to give up every day until the 8 weeks that I managed. It was certainly for her benefit only. I had cracked nips which Lansinoh was brilliant for. But just could not seem to satisfy her. One day I fed almost continuously for 12 hours with the odd half hour break in between. Had on average 3 hours sleep per night for 5 weeks, improved to 5 hours when topped up.

I definately will try again though because I do believe its best for baby, but won't rip myself in two with guilt, like I did last time, if I have to give up sooner than I intend.

6 weeks, but only about 2.5 weeks exclusively. Didn't work out for various reasons. Had thought I'd breast feed longer and hadn't really considered FF before it all went awry.

BF for 18mths longer than I had planned. It took so bloody long to get the blighter to do it- he would not latch and so had EBM for 13 weeks- I was about to give in a move to FF when he just latched on and we never looked back.
I loved BF and I am so glad I perserved- at the time I thought I would die from lack of sleep and I did resent the fact that he could not do it. Late night feeds thru bottle then expressing took it out of me- but it was so worth it. In the end

Okay....

Planned on doing it for years. In reality..

dd1 - 3 days
dd2 - 4 days
dd3 - 4 days
dd4 - 3 days

I was truly crap at breastfeeding. It was an absolute nightmare every time.

gibberish - so you started off well, improved with the second and third and then your performance dipped marginally with the last but managed still to equal your second best length of time?

In my head I breastfed for ages but in reality I didn't manage for as long as I would like to have done. I have false memory syndrome about this. Oldest son is now 15 and I am almost certain I bf for a year. My best friend swears blind that I gave up at 3 months which I don't remember at all!

I know, it's awful isn't it? I blame inverted nipples and not having MN at the time

I'm bf my son who's 18 weeks. Agree with a lot of people here in that before getting pg assumed babies didn't need it after 6mo so assumed I'd stop then, if I made it that long. I now don't have any plans to stop, as long as it's going well. And assuming I can get my supply back up!!

Like sammysam no formula or even bottles of EBM here. DD about to be 10 months. Would like to make it to a year but taking each day as it comes. Hoping she will self wean between 12-18months i'm probably self delusional as she loves BFing .

About to go away with DH's family to a hotel this weekend and I'm dreading the "are you still doing that" and "shouldn't she just be feeding morning and night by now" remarks. DH says I just make his mother and sisters feel bad for giving up so early. I think its hard to BF and we need all the support we can get.

I was very sure I wanted to breastfeed when i was pregnant but had no plans for how long. ds is almost 10 months now and still bf. Planning to go for one year and then switch to cows milk, did think about giving up a few months ago but he was very upset when trying a bottle so figured it was more hassle than it was worth! With only 3 feeds a day now its so much easier than the beginning.

Currently breastfeeding dd who was 4 in May and ds3 who is almost 2. I remember thinking when dd was 1 that I was probably halfway through breastfeeding her - had no idea I was only a quater of the way through!

I Bf both DDs until they were 18mth, i had planned with DD1 to Bf until around the 6mth mark, as i didnt think i would like it so much, but by 18mth i was more that ready for my body back,lol. But i was gutted when DD2 self weaned at 18 mth as i knew that she would be my last baby and i wanted to feed her for as long as poss

21 months and about 23 months....not planned, just gave up when it felt right

I had no plans. I was just enjoying day by day.

My four all fed beyond two and some beyond 3.
I'm still feeding my 2.5 year old now and again, but he has just been camping with his dad for three days so I'm wondering if this will be the end of my 9.5 year breastfeeding career.

1 year 1 month and 1 day for dd3...she self weaned otherwise I'd still be doing it now by choice...

Planned on 6 months. Stopped at 12 weeks.

Never really planned how long to feed for - just went with the flow really. Dd1 I fed until 6 months when I went back to work full time. Dd2 until 2 months - again, back to work full time. Ds1 I fed for 14 months - had a vague idea of wanting to get to a year but wasn't going to put pressure on myself. However by 14 months I was ready to give up. Good job I did as a week later I was hospitalised with appendicitis! Ds2 is only 5 weeks so it's early days but I'm hoping to do a year as I did with ds1 - only planning to work p/t until they are at school.

DD 24 hours.
DS 36 hours.

Better than I expected.

DS self weaned about 6 weeks ago at 20 mo, probably as I'm pg with dc2. Had no plans as such but had assumed that like my sister's two that DS would self wean at about a year - how wrong I was, but enjoyed every minute of it! Five months break and we start again

Around 8-10 months for DD and DS1. I'm in no rush to give up with DS2 aged 5 months, as he will be the last baby we'll have . Shed a tear earlier this week when his first tooth popped through...