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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

Breastfeeding past 6 months

32 replies

BellyMama · 28/05/2020 10:51

I have a 7 month old combi fed baby. I wanted to exclusively breastfeed but due to her being early and some rather pushy midwives she ended up being formule fed and bottle fed pumped milk in hospital and I lost much of my supply before she learned to breastfeed. So she’s had formula and breast milk about 70/30 split since about 8 weeks. Now my best friend and my mum both encouraged me to stop breastfeeding altogether and move onto formula at a very early stage and everyone else was generally supportive of me continuing to breastfeed even though it wasn’t exclusively. Now my daughter is 7 months and weaning, has two teeth and everyone is now acting as though I’m a complete freak for still trying to breastfeed. Can I have opinions on breastfeeding past 6 months please??

OP posts:

WishOnADonkey · 28/05/2020 11:06

My LO is 10 months. She won't take a bottle, I'm going to continue breastfeeding till she's 1, then I hope to wean.

Nobody has the right to judge you or push their choices on you.

Personally, would I have come this far if my baby would take a bottle? Maybe? Maybe not.

I'm very proud of the journey I've had with BF. Any amount of breastfeeding is an important accomplishment for mother and baby. Continue for as long as you and baby want to. Good luck!

CaptainSpirit · 28/05/2020 11:08

Your mum and your friend have very weird opinions - 6 months is still so little!

I fed my eldest until she was 17 months old (by the it was night feeds only though). Currently feeding my nearly 5 month old and have no plans to stop until she's a similar sort of age.

Please ignore them and feed until you feel it's right for you and your baby to stop.

LemonBreeland · 28/05/2020 11:10

A lot of people have strange thoughts on breastfeeding. I have 3 dc. Two were breastfed for only a short amount of time. The other was breastfed for 14 months and would not take a bottle. My Mum did start to comment around 10 months but she got shut down pretty quickly.

Do what you want and ignore the people who make comments. It is perfectly normal to feed a baby over 6 months and with teeth.

Helbelle17 · 28/05/2020 11:14

We had to combi feed DD1 due to weight loss. Had lots of negativity from various people, but I was adamant I was going to breastfeed. In the end, she was breastfed most of the time, but had 1 bottle of formula at bedtime. When she was 1, the formula changed to cow's milk.
We breastfed until she was 30 months and only really stopped as I was pregnant with DD2. She decided herself she wanted to stop.
Do what feels right for you and ignore everyone else. It's your body and your baby. I know quite a few people who have stopped breastfeeding due to pressure from other people and it's something still they find really upsetting.
I'm currently feeding DD2, who is 3 weeks old. It's quite nice that we're not seeing anyone because I can feed her without comments! It's going much better this time, because I'm more relaxed about it and don't have to justify myself.

Sexnotgender · 28/05/2020 11:15

My DS is nearly 16 months and I’m still feeding. I don’t give a flying fuck what anyone thinks, unless I’m asking to use your breasts then you don’t get an opinion.

I’m a bolshy twat though.

weepingwillow22 · 28/05/2020 11:16

My LO is 7 months. I intend to carry on breastfeeding until he is ready to give up. Even if there were not health benefits I would do so as I am really lazy and it is so much easier than making up bottles. If I was you I would try to replace the formula with solids and carry on breastfeeding.

Besom · 28/05/2020 11:18

It's nobody elses business.

Pacmanitee · 28/05/2020 11:19

As long as you're happy to still BF, little one is still happy then who cares. Honestly, you get judged whatever you do so do what you think is best. It's great.

Henio · 28/05/2020 11:20

My daughter has been combi fed since birth and she's still breastfeeding now at 14 months Do whatever is best for you and your lo, ignore what anyone else thinks or says it's none of their business

GrumpyHoonMain · 28/05/2020 11:22

My LO is allmost 6 months. I plan to BF until he’s at least 1, but would love to do it until 2-3.

Gibbonsgibbonsgibbons · 28/05/2020 11:22

I think the WHO are likely to be more knowledgeable than your mum/people who are sticking their nose in
“WHO recommends mothers worldwide to exclusively breastfeed infants for the child's first six months to achieve optimal growth, development and health. Thereafter, they should be given nutritious complementary foods and continue breastfeeding up to the age of two years or beyond.”

Do what you feel is best for you & baby

roxfox · 28/05/2020 11:26

Keep feeding your baby if that's what you want. I wish people would mind their own business. NHS website and WHO both encourage continuing at this age.

I'll be feeding my little girl for as long as it works for us both.

AvocadoPrime · 28/05/2020 11:28

DS is 15 months and still breastfed. I was going to stop at 6 months but decided against it. I'll be sad when I stop although I am excited to wear decent bras again

1forsorrow · 28/05/2020 11:30

People are weird, fed one of mine for 3 years. Nothing to do with anyone else, my husband never expressed an opinion so don't know why other people did.

footprintsintheslow · 28/05/2020 11:31

I would nicely but firmly say to your mam and friend that you are the mother and you will decide what to do. I'd make them know it's not worth bringing up again. If they did continue to bring it up I'd have to tell them explicitly that I didn't want to discuss it with them again.
Remember your mam had her time to make decisions on parenting when she had young ones. That's not her role anymore.

You are not a freak, you sound like a super mum and if you want to ever increase your supply in future just breast feed more.

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 28/05/2020 11:36

Completely up to you. I breastfed for the first 6weeks exclusively, then the odd bottle, then around 7 months my LO took a lot more breast (alongside weaning)- 10months she was weaned off the breast as I went back to work and it was too much for me to sit at my desk with engorged breasts. I loved breastfeeding though and found it easier than formula in many ways.
Do whatever you want and tell people to keep out of it.

merryhouse · 28/05/2020 11:37

I started off thinking I'd like to go to six months (my mother once told me she didn't get quite that far with me because I got teeth). By the time I got to six months I thought "why stop now just when it's got easy?" Teeth weren't the problem I'd been led to believe.

Ended up doing the final nurse-to-sleep at two-and-a-half...

Admittedly that was on the long side in my social circle - though no-one at Tumble Tots batted an eyelid whenever anyone nursed in the 12-24 months group.

Just tell them you're trying to save money!

beautifulmonument · 28/05/2020 11:40

How strange! I breastfed DS1 until he was 15 months and DS2 until he was 2.5years, (but only at bedtime to be fair). Keep going with it as long as you want to.

sallyanne33 · 28/05/2020 11:45

I'm still bf mine at 20 months, he has a feed morning, bedtime and if he's unwell. I want to carry on until he's two at least (in line with WHO guidelines) because it's so good for him, it is perfect fuel, and I want his immune system is to be as strong as possible especially in the current situation. I would happily still feed him at age 3+ if he wants it, and I couldn't give a shiny shite if anyone else disapproves. You know what's right for you and your baby so stick to your guns and tell everyone else to mind their own business.

winniesanderson · 28/05/2020 12:01

Still breastfeeding my just turned 2 year old. Lots of opinions about it from other people from the get go really. It used to bother me a bit but now I just ignore it. If it gets mentioned at all. It's not their child or body so it's got nothing to do with them.

I never especially planned to feed for this long. And in fact would have been happy with 6 months, but allergies meant that she couldn't tolerate formula and so we just kept going really. I am at the point where I've had enough and weaning was going well until lockdown

Kay1341 · 28/05/2020 12:11

Don't let others pressure you into making decisions that are between you and your child. If brestfeeding works for you keep it going. I've personally found breastfeeding really helpful with a teething or ill toddler, and a nice way for us to get some quiet cuddle time now when he's older and more active.

Ejb86 · 28/05/2020 12:15

It is completely upto you. My lb is 29m and still has milk at bedtime. I couldn't have stopped him as he would have been so distraught if I refused. As he's got older I've done don't ask don't refuse, but he always asked, so he got.

edgeware · 28/05/2020 12:21

A LOT more people than you think BF past 7 months, but just don’t talk about it because we’re made to feel like weirdos. Beyond a certain age you also just don’t see people do it anymore because the babies can go longer without feeds and they just BF at home. Do what you / your little one want to do.

Selfsettling3 · 28/05/2020 12:28

There are health benefits for you and baby to keep feeding until they are two years old. I would ask them why in the middle of a pandemic they think it’s of good idea to stop doing something with supports your baby’s immune system? It better still don’t ask them. Giving food is the start of a long weaning process. My first was bf from 6 weeks not really my choice but the best is a difficult situation and my second is 10 months and was ebf until I introduced food now all milk feeds are still bm, so I’m not judging anyone feeding decisions.

Mums are judged in everything and we have an odd attitude to bf in this country. People don’t understand breast feeding (did your Mum ff you?) and think babies bite when they feed. My 10 month old has bitten my arm way more than she has bitten my nipple (about 3 times).

Poochnewbie · 28/05/2020 12:36

It’s sad that people are still so uneducated. It’s very much a British cultural thing to see breastfeeding as such a taboo subject.
I’ve just (in the last week) stopped feeding my little boy who is now 3 and a half. It was a mutual decision. Had he still wanted to, I would have continued to feed him.
The advice by the WHO is also widely misinterpreted. There is benefit in feeding for a MINIMUM of 2 years.
I’d love to see extended breastfeeding normalised. I had horrible comments from family but decided to ignore them all and do what I thought was right for us and I don’t regret it one bit.
Stick to what you think is right for you.

Also, my little boy was combi-fed from being a few weeks old.

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