Support thread for those keeping it exclusive till 6 mnths

[charitas]

I meant to start this yesterday but had to feed my lovely 20 week old about every hour soonly wrote half the op before being "called on". I need someone to moan at who won't suggest weaning or ff as I am not going to do that I am just moaning 'cause I'm tired fed up with babe who takes ages to feed in public 'cause now he's so damm nosey.

So anyone who wants to bolster their beliefs in the face of rl opposition or remind me why I am doing this please join in.

Reasons why I'm exclusively bf till 6 mnths:

I read the eviedence and I beleive it
Once made meal for friend with coeliac's and it took flippin ages to find all gluten free ingredients and make a torte for pudding. Am far too lazy to deal with allergy prone child
I want to blw as piglet is so determined to do things for himself I cannot see him taking to spoon feeding.
Piglet likes it, he falls asleep quickly afterwards.

There are more but there are now sounds coming from the bedroom

What is BLW? Is everyone also managing to express milk and feed via a bottle? I have a few times but am unable to get DS to take a bottle so have pretty much given up trying as someone told me that at 7 months when I go back to work DS should be able to take his milk from a sippy cup. Does anyone know if this is accurare or if I should persevere with a bottle?

BLW is baby led weaning, google the term, it essentially involves avoiding purees and going straight to finger foods.
a bottle is not the only way to give ebm. cup feeding can be introduced early, we started dd at 6 weeks, begin with an egg cup, the baby tastes it, then esssentially laps like a cat, it can be messy! finger feeding is also poss but a pain. Try getting your dp to give the ebm, i think dd smells milk on mum and prefers the comfort and warmth of the breast.
you could also try the bottle at different times of day, my dd tends to want to feed at variable intervals (3-6hrly), she is more likely to take the bottle after a longer interval.

hth

Keep it up guys! I eBF both DD's until they were 24 weeks and then blw'd them both, but it was mostly pure laziness on my part!

(BTW Gangle, neither ever took ebm from me, only DP or MIL. Try varying temp as well, DD2 liked it on the hot side of warm, if you think skin temp is a lot lower than inside body temp....and a sippy cup is fine from 6 or 7 months they can figure out how to work it out if they have to.
Also I started doing odd days at work when DD2 was 8 months and she refused to drink anything but water or juice so she has no BM while I am out and just feeds like mad when I get home so don't worry too much about it, if he won't take it he'll cope, you won't be able ot so much as take your coat off when you get in but...)

You can do it - if I can anyone can!!

And the funny thing is, after 6mths the time jst seems to race - 6mths seemed unachievable to me - now suddenly it's 8mths and I have no idea how that happened!

Like others I'm heading back to work and can't express so there will be some ff during the day, but it doesn't seem so bad now that LO is on solids too

Good luck you can do it!

DS (20 weeks today) just spent 30 minutes drinking as if he had been deprived of all sustenance for 3 days (had had a feed @ 2 hrs ealier) then did gymnastics in bed next to me for a further half hour, finally fell asleep, only to wake again and shout bloody murder for a further 30 min.
Seems to be settled now, phew and fingers crossed.
I have to be honest I look forward to introducing solids so agree boredom may be factor in weaning early for some. I so enjoyed making purees for my other 2 I might just do that again, although BLW looks a laugh - see Archie on YouTube! . Having said that DS1 never ever touched fingerfood because he intensely dislikes having wet/sticky/"dirty" fingers, and still does, now aged 5 years...

I probably don't qualify yet, but I want to join too! Baby is only 5 weeks old, but I intend to exclusively breastfeed her to 6 months. I'm counting on your support to get there, ladies!

This is probably irrelevant, but let me share an anecdote of the "support" I've been getting from my SIL. When DD was 2 weeks old and seemed to be feeding all the time, she said "Your milk must be too thin, it's not filling her up, it's not good enough. Get some formula." Apparently she has forgotten having said this, because yesterday, now that DD is 5 weeks old, she said "Your milk must be too rich for her, it's too thick, she'll end up getting fat. You should switch to formula."

I can't wait for her next comment!

Good luck everyone!
My ds is now 7.5mo, still bf, and had been blw since 23-24 weeks, though didn't really start eating until 27-28 weeks old!
It is doable and blw is such fun

Me, me, me.
We're at 17 weeks, only another nine to go

freakypenguin, weirdly, by 6 months they mean 26 weeks.

Me.

16 weeks tomorrow, just coming through a nightmare growth spurt and still waking 4 times a night.

If I had been 30 seconds later into the kitchen this lunchtime however my 2 yr old would have taken the weaning decision for me by feeding her little sister her Quavers.

Piccallili, OMG, the 16 week growth spurt.
ARGH, it has just passed most of the post-natal-April 08 ladies and we are all very tired!

Hi!! Can I join??

Ds is currently 12 weeks and is exbf. We will keep going for as long as he wants!! I did 6 months with DD2, then stopped because I thought that was what happened! My Hv encouraged. but she was food weaned at 4 months.

God, my whole knowledge and opinions have changed so much since finding MN. I always listened to HV's! Never again!!!!

hi
my little 1 is nearly 7months and ebf util 6 months. so glad i wasn't pushed into solids by know it all granparents! stil bf i love the extra closeness it gives you and the cheeky smiles they give you as their about to throw themelves off ( especially in public!! ).
i agree with stretchmarkqueen hv are completely
useless and are always in a rush!!
and introducing solids dosen't make them sleep better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi all

Just wanted to offer support to all - I ebf both my children until 6mths and they are now 2 very bright, happy, healthy children (6 & 4 yrs). They were really easy to wean, and have never been fussy eaters (unlike a lot of their bottle fed friends). Ignore any negative comments, you know why you're doing this so stick to your guns & be proud you're doing the best for your babies!

hi ladies I have just started BFing DD3 who is 4 weeks tomorrow, DD1 and 2 were EBF until 24 and 26 weeks. DD2 was 9lbs 3ozs born and always was a big hungry girl but she did fine on BM despite being told I would never be able to feed her on just milk for 6 months and yes solids did nothing for her sleep including when she was on 3 meals plus snacks a day at 12 months.

I'm so glad there are lots of us to encourage each other. Havn't been online as escaped to coffee shop to read Sunday papers baby free and on standing up after sitting still for ages went over on dead foot falling off clog.Lots of pain and swelling later went to casualty for x ray and have bruised foot. Dp took piglet shopping and as soon as they entered Mothercare (default feeding place when out and about as chairs are comfy)his face lit up and he started sucking on the sling strap and after not seeing me for the five hours I was in A&E demanded a fed (patently not hungry as had just had bottle of ebm)sucking a few times before falling fast asleep. I no I'm blithering but it's nice to know how secure bf makes him feel.

Have almost done EBF for all of Baby Hobgoblin's 23 weeks (he's had three small bottles of formula, all in the earlier weeks when I couldn't face sitting up for the third one-and-a-half-hour feed of the night - phew, glad we're past that!). Oh, and I offered him some water in a sippy cup a few weeks ago when I thought he'd caught the sun too much (back when we had summer, I mean) which I know isn't necessary but I felt guilty about the sun exposure, etc...

He wasn't bothered about the water, anyway!

Am hoping to start BLW in the next week or so, and continue to BF for as long as he wants. I haven't encountered any real resistance to this - PIL have, I think, been biting their tongues, and aside from some crapola from one of our HVs the other day, everyone else is very supportive. I still think I'll end up being the token mum who BFs her toddler in our NCT group, though!

ooh can i join. i intend to try - DS only nine weeks old at present though. he's had formula twice, once in the hospital because my milk was late coming in due to post-partum hemorrhage, once when my overkeen DP broke into the 'emergency' formula when i was out and DS had drunk all the EMB.

i've had blocked ducts three times now but it hasn't become mastitis yet (touch wood). it's only when i have a blocked duct that i think about quitting - the pain when he latches in incredible. i don't think i've had such a bad pain, apart from childbirth, of course. even breaking my leg didn't make me cry the way that did.

anyway, long post, sorry. i think i am relieved to be able to discuss this with people - most RL friends don't have babies so when i say 'i have a blocked duct' they say 'ew' and get all grossed out instead of giving me sympathy, which is kind of annoying.

Oh ampster, that sounds terrible! I haven't had any experience of blocked ducts, so I don't know what it is like, but here's a virtual hug for you!

I hope you find the courage to continue (and I'm impressed with your perseverance with all that pain and trouble!). Good luck!

Well done ampster! I had a blocked duct but only once and it wasn't too horrendous. That was when dd was 4 months. If it had happened when she was very young and having bf problems, I would have despaired. You're doing great. Shame about your friends, but plenty of support here on MN hopefully!

hooray! what a great thread. 21 weeks ebf so far and thoroughly enjoying it

can I join?
I am so tired I am not sure how old DS2 is but its almost 5 months now....
I might falter at the last....

Bookswapper my almost 5mnths is driving me nuts this weekend am almost sure it's nosiness that has made him suddenly stop feeding after only one boob. But6 means he is feeding more frequently and had unsettled night last night . I had to take him into a seperate room at baby groug this week to get anything down him. Seriou8sly considering ebm for out and about but know from experience it doesn't comfort him the same way Repeat after me this too shall pass and I shall pass the greatest invention known to women chili chocolate

anyone else having biting problems. My DD got her first tooth at 13 weeks, but she now has three and have had a few bites. They don't break the skin and I immediately take her off and say No, but ouch!!!

I've got through another week, despite SIL (some babies just don't like breastfeeding, perhaps dd doesn't like your milk)

peachsmuggler - my first baby bit me a few times, but only when his teeth first came through. Perhaps you need to change the way you latch on, I found that helped.