I don't want to stop bf please help

[chibi]

My dd is 7 months old, and a number of things have made me wonder if I hadn't better stop.

She started life on the 75th centile, and is now between the 9th and the 2nd, a long slow decline in growth rate, although she has been gaining.

No one I know is still bf, I feel like a freak.

She has started nipping me and it hurts.

i just wonder if I haven't been bf her for selfish reasons, and that maybe I should have topped her up or something rather than stubbornly insisting on ex bf until weaning, she is so skinny and I feel like my bf has harmed rather than helped.

An acquaintance of mine stopped bf when her ddd was a few weeks old as she wasn't gaining a lot of weight and now she is a chubby glowing picture of health.

Please reassure me that I haven't messed dd up completely.

well done..... your not a freak (we breast fed until two and even then he had to be convinced that the time had finally come to stop). Def contact a le leche league group i wish i had but had not heard of them at the time...... have met several people since who go and they are a lot of suport!!!! and remember that the world health org reccomend bf if possible until two!!!!

what can I add?? you're doing a fab job, look at your baby and if you see a happy, thriving, healthy baby looking back at you (which I bet you do) then you know you must be doing it right.
my dd is slowly slipping down the centiles, she started at 75, chunky monkey, was 50th last weighed and must be less now but it's cos she's been ill with bronchiolitis. I was glad I bf when we were in hospital, at least I knew she was getting the best I could offer, full of antibodies and bug fighting stuff. she's 9 months and also blw, doesn;t eat too much but enjoys her food, and very very active. there's lots of us around really, we're just so damn good at bf discretely in public noone notices us

Chibi, you're not alone! I've felt the same at various points and although I switched my diddy, dairy intolerant dd to soya formula at 6 months the feelings of thinking I'd 'messed up' her growth are long gone and I'm just chuffed I bf for as long as I did, even when I doubted my supply etc. Good to read such support for you on here. I too have lurked on the 'little acorns' thread and it's been a great help. (Thank you little carrot). Enjoy your gorgeous girly!

I bfed my dd1 until 25 months and she started on 25th centile and dropped to below the 9th and remained there. Now dd1 is 3.5 and is on the 2nd centile JUST. She is very physical and very very petite. But beautiful and bfed! (dd1 was not baby-led weaned)

dd2 started around the 9th centile and dropped to 2nd and has only recently moved up to just below 9th again, she is now 10 months. dd2 has been baby-led weaned. I will happily and proudly continue to bfed until she self weans.

CHIBI, you are doing the very best for your dd and yourself. BFing is nature at its best. Be proud and never mind what anyone else thinks. She may just be meant to be petite like mine are

Well done for carrying on this long.

It is hard isn't it, I second everything everyone has said.

I would carry on with the breast feeding as it is the most calorific of all foods for your lo, imagine how you will feel if you wean/transfer to formula and your baby doesn't put on any more weight than if you hadn't...I have heard so many stories on mumsnet where mothers weaned their babies thinking that it was somehow breastfeeding which was causing slow weight gain and it made no difference at all.

You are doing a marvellous job, I am dreading the nipping stage but hope to ride it out till 9/10 months. I love the closeness of breastfeeding and know I will struggle to give that up when the time comes. Hope you manage to find a support group near you.

xx