How long did you breastfeed your children for?

[WildOnce]

I’m interested because I breastfed my first till nearly 3 (boob monster) but with DS2 I am keen to wean by 1. He is 6 months now and a bottle refuser otherwise I might try earlier. I get no child free time and am v tired by the nights but feel guilty about breastfeeding my first for so much longer.

I breastfed DS1 for 9 months. He lost interest when I was 12 weeks pregnant with DS2, and tbh I was relieved because I didn't want to carry on much longer, and definitely not after 12 months. Also I didn't want to tandem feed. No offence to anyone who does breastfeed long term, it just wasn't for me.

I breastfed DS2 until 8 months. I'd have carried on longer but he was losing interest and was on a good mixed diet by then. This was in the 90s when we weaned at four months. The day he bit me was the end, I decided to stop and didn't feel guilty in the least, it was the right time.

Unfortunately DS3 and I struggled with breastfeeding. I had to start mixed feeding at 6 weeks as he wasn't gaining weight and eventually it became easier to switch to exclusively bottle feeding at 4 months. Giving up was hard as I knew he'd be my last baby. I was very upset about it for ages, even though I knew it was the right thing to do.

DD 6 weeks and it was awful
DS 1 week as I was brave enough to stop
Wish I could have carried on with both but I was crying with every feed and had PDN with DD

My eldest I fed till age 8, nightweaned at 18 months (and regretted doing it so early later)
Youngest fed till age 6, nightweaned some time after 2.
Breastfeeding was my greatest parenting tool and I would not have given it up. Had hard starts with both of them, my eldest had lip tie so the first ten weeks were agony, and my youngest had tongue tie which was awful till he had it cut at 4 weeks. But it was worth persevering because breastfeeding is so useful! I don't know how people parents without it, life must be so much harder.

@Doggywoof it’s tough, I always wanted to let them self wean but when I’m feeling a bit burnt out I tend to blame breastfeeding.

I always intended to get to two again but once you get to 2 it feels like you are in for the long haul because they put up a fight if weaned. My first who is just 3 is actually still breastfeeding around sleep times and it’s feeling a bit much at the moment.

Baby 1 = 6 weeks combi
Baby 2 = 2.5 years
Baby 3 = 3.5 years
Baby 4&5 twins = 2 years

DT1 12 weeks
DT2 still going at nearly 2, but will stop soon as I’m pregnant and don’t want to be feeding a newborn and a toddler.

A year. DD started to lose interest and I decided that it would be good to wean then without any stress or tears than persevere and have to do it further down the road.

Dc1 nearly 2 - he went from wanting to bf constantly to having no interest at all in the space of about a week. It was bizarre but good as I'd been worrying about how to stop and then it was basically over with no effort!
Dc2 18 months. Had to stop as I was pregnant and feeding was painful.
Dc3 5 months and going well. I intend to feed until at least 1 and then see how it goes.

My eldest 2yr2m which was longer than planned and 8 months of that I was tandem feeding with my youngest. I desperately wanted to wean him at 12 months but it's been so so hard, it took 8 months to day wean and every attempt to night wean has failed, he's gone 2 weeks without milk at night twice and then we've had to relent as we couldn't take it anymore (screaming and crying most Of the night). So who knows how old he'll be but hopefully by age 2, he's 21mo now.

Stopped a week before DS 6th birthday, only for naps and bedtime from 3yo, then just for bedtime from 4 yo.

3 years 8 months.

3y 10mo. Although I did stop feeding in the night at approx 18mo.

6 months

Both until three months. I was going back to work and needed more sleep. We did all sleep much better, I felt more in control, less tied and found parenting much easier generally thereafter.
Now 19 and 17 and all bonded well enough.

2yrs

Ds 16 and a half months. He's 3 and a half years old now.

Currently feeding newborn dd and hope to go for a similar length of time.

My eldest until 13 months. My second is currently nearly 14 months and I’m still feeding her and am keen to stop but can’t seem to! I don’t remember it being a big thing with my eldest- I remember it being down to one feed a day at bedtime and then just stopping and her never being bothered. I wasn’t even back at work as has a bit of extra time til she was 16 months. This current one I was back at work when she was 11 months, I thought it would tail off but she’s as much of a boob monster as ever. Feed her morning, when home from work, bedtime and 2am.

No1 - 22 months
No2 - 2 1/2 years

12 months when I went back to work.

How will the replies of x months or x years help you to determine what to do....?

DD1 selfweaned three days after her first birthday
DD2 is currently 9weeks and I'll feed her til she wants me to stop or til I can't take it anymore, whichever comes first. Hopefully at least a year.

DS 15 months
DD almost 2

19 months. Despite being a bottle refusing, dummy refusing, boob fiend as a baby, he massively lost interest at about 17 months and self weaned pretty quickly. I wasn’t sad about it, to be honest.

DD1 ebf 10 days, ff at from then until 16 weeks, then relactation at 16 weeks and mix fed until 12 months

DD2 ebf til 6 months, then natural term weaning at 5 and half years.

A week