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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

How long did you breastfeed for?

107 replies

Greengiraffe1 · 19/12/2020 18:46

My baby is almost 3 months. Myself and my partner saw my FIL outside today for a walk. He commented that I shouldn't breastfeed my baby when she is over 1. I want to feed her for as long as she wants it, or until I've decided I've had enough and want her to drink from a cup.

I'm wondering how long you breastfed for as a general "this is when I'll stop/she'll stop wanting to"

Also, if you could give me any benefits for feeding past the age of 1 so that when he talks about it again (highly likely) I have something to say back to him that tells him I won't just stop at age 1.

OP posts:
June628 · 19/12/2020 19:47

I find these threads so bizarre. I can't imagine a FIL ever taking an interest in his DIL breastfeeding... why would it have anything to do with him or bother him at all? Can't believe people like that really exist.
It's for your partner to tell him that his opinion on this subject isn't necessary and have your back.
You don't need to justify yourself to him. How utterly ridiculous

NoDontDoIt · 19/12/2020 19:50

I stopped at 1yr, but that was between me and my baby, no one else. She lost interest. I wasnt concerned. End of.

june2007 · 19/12/2020 19:50

To be fair to him their are plenty of women with the same attitude.

Pinkflipflop85 · 19/12/2020 19:51

Tell him that when he is able to lactate then he can have an opinion.

I fed Ds until he was 4.

Verybookish · 19/12/2020 19:56

I have been breastfeeding for more than 5 years.

DC 1 3,5 years ( through pregnancy and about a 6 month overlap with DC2

DC 2 more than 2 years. Still going.

It’s the decision of the actual people involved: mothers and their children. End of.

firstimemamma · 19/12/2020 19:56

16.5 months. I also had someone tell me I should stop at 1, the cheek! Ignore and do as u please op.

igotosleep · 19/12/2020 19:59

3 years 3 months with my youngest. Only stopped as I was 20 weeks pregnant, milk had dried up for months prior & it was very painful.
He’s still obsessed with boobs Grin
Loads of benefits, kind of sad I made us stop but I just couldn’t continue in pain as had been grinning & baring it for months.

pringlebells · 19/12/2020 20:00

I BF for 5 months, I tried so, so hard. I didn't enjoy it and it didn't work out. My baby was hospitalised for failure to thrive and being severely underweight. I went to bf groups, I had a bf support worker but to no avail, it really didn't work out. I had no issue with supply and tried expressing and bottle feeding but still, the milk just wasn't good.

I then moved onto formula and he's great. My initial goal was to exclusively breastfeed for 6 months and express and bottle for a further 6 months.

I'm proud of how far I got and devastated of how it turned out.

I give it my best shot, so many mums and healthcare specialists put a lot of pressure on mums. It's bloody hard, and it's not for everyone.

sittingonacornflake · 19/12/2020 20:01

DS is nearly 3 and still breastfed. No idea when he will stop.

Justgivemewine · 19/12/2020 20:01

Not of his business and you certainly don’t need to justify yourself. I cant imaging my FIL commenting on breastfeeding, just seems a bit wierd tbh.

Anyway
Ds1, self weaned at 2.5years.
Ds2, 17 months,
Ds3, 2 months

Both ds2 and 3 would’ve been bf longer but for various reasons it wasn’t possible

alltheadrenalin · 19/12/2020 20:07

6months then went to combi feeding. At 8months completely on bottle

Shmithecat2 · 19/12/2020 20:12

3y10mo. I had a few unsolicited opinions about how long I 'should' feed ds for. Smile, nod, ignore.

Bamboo15 · 19/12/2020 20:14

I let her stop when she was ready but I encouraged her to move on fully at about 18 months by distracting her etc. Mainly because I didn’t want to set up a problem at bedtime and only being able to sleep being breast fed to sleep, but with everything going on I wish I’d done it longer.

If there is anything in the world that is your choice - it’s this. There is no need for you to justify or sell to anyone what happens between you and your baby on this issue.

Zeetah · 19/12/2020 20:16

Dd stopped of her own accord at about 10 months
She was mixed fed from birth, but always breastfed well until deciding for herself to stop at 10 months

letsmakethetea · 19/12/2020 20:16

9 months.

You don't have to have a response ready for when he mentions it again - just smile and nod, then carry on with doing things your way.

GlennRheeismyfavourite · 19/12/2020 20:19

17 months - it made me feel uncomfortable once she was trying to lift my top and could say 'booby'!

Sexnotgender · 19/12/2020 20:20

18 months.

Matilda03 · 19/12/2020 20:20

I weaned my first baby at 14 months as was trying to get pregnant again and still didn't have periods. I recently weaned my second at 2 and 9 months - it has just been before bed for a few months now and I was starting to really dislike it so with a little gentle encouragement she stopped with no crying or difficulties. I didn't tell anyone I was still feeding her after 2 though.

PreRaphaeliteMotherhood · 19/12/2020 20:23

18 months. I hated it from about 11 months but really wanted to make it to 2 (if he wanted to). Once we weaned him off the bedtime feed at about 16 months it became a morning only thing and then that gradually phased out. I was pregnant with hyperemesis and I think I was so dehydrated and unwell my milk was either horrible (it definitely hadn’t dried up yet) or he could just sense how awful I felt.

Now feeding DD (6 weeks). We’ll just go with the flow. I’m not going to be a martyr about it if I get to the stage where I hate it again but as long as it’s easy and convenient we’ll keep going.

PrincessBuggerPants · 19/12/2020 20:39

I just acted with surprise if anybody suggested stopping before either if us wanted to. The worst reactions I have had have been bemusement, and I can deal with that!

You don't owe him an explaination about your decision to breastfeed (or not), any more than you owe anybody a debate on whether or not the sky is blue.

june2007 · 19/12/2020 20:45

Thats a good article about BF in Mongolia.

1stMrsFatherChristmas · 19/12/2020 20:53

Fed DTS for 14m. At that point I wanted to be able to stay away for a night and they didn't miss it once we stopped.

Momsincharge · 19/12/2020 20:58

I fed my babies before nap and bedtime up until they were 2 years and two months.

The world health organisation recommends breast feeding until 2 years old.

I continues to be good for them even as they get older. It’s comforting, healthy and good for their facial development.

TillyTheTiger · 19/12/2020 21:03

With DS I planned to stop at 6 months. Then I thought I'd probably stop at 1 year. Eventually stopped at 2.5 years, and when I did I felt like I'd lost a superpower, especially in terms of settling him to sleep.

The World Health Organisation recommends feeding to 2 years and beyond.

Still feeding DD and she's 14 months, I'll stop as soon as one of us has had enough.

Also, over 1 year you may well find that it's mainly a morning feed and an evening feed and possibly native, so you won't necessarily still be feeding in public or in front of your father-in-law any more so fewer intrusive questions to field.

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