Extended BF

[goingnowherefast]

How old does your child have to be to be classes as an extended bfer?

i thought it was when they were over a year but i think the world health organisation say you should bf for 2 years. i could be wrong though.

I still BF, DD is 12mths and just has morning and evening feeds. I certainly wouldn't describe myself as an extended BFer... think after 2yrs maybe?

thank you

dunno but ds is 16 mo and has about 6 feeds in 24 hours - i now count myself as an extended feeds as I don't know anyone else in RL who is still BF'ing...

I don't think there is a set cut off point tbh, though if you called yourself one before a year I'd laugh at you!

my dd is 20 mths and feeds twice a day.

I guess i'm clessed as extended feeder. Don't know anyone in rl who has fed fo longer. Fed my ds till he was 2

Not sure what is classed as "extended". Extended implies that you are going beyond what is "usual" or "recommended", I'm not sure which?

Am also the only person I know still BFing, DS is 20 months and has a feed when he gets up in the morning and before his daytime nap if we are at home.

Hijack - Liahgen, did your DS self wean or did you stop the BFing? Just interested in how this BFing malarky might end!

Almost 25 months and still going strong...

Usually anything over 12 months gets referred to as extended. Probably because that's when you can give them cow's milk as a drink so they 'don't need it'.
Of course the emotional benefits (and ongoing health benefits) don't matter...

No length of bfing should be classed as 'extended' imo, as long as the child and mum are happy to continue. Bugger what everyone else thinks...none of their business .

I fed until DS was 4ish years and never thought of it as extended feeding...more like natural term bfing

I'm with terramum, it's not extended, it's (biologically) normal. Actively stopping your child before they lose interest is premature weaning, most naturally stop between 2-4 years of age.

I have one of the exceptions who is 5yrs 5 months and boobs at bed-time and first thing, but she is tandem nursed with her younger sister so I think that has influenced her a bit!!

Do I win??

No LeninGrad. I'm still feeding dd at 2.11, as well as ds at 3 months, are there are lots of MNers going longer than me .

terramum - I tend to think of 'natural term' as being if they self wean, but you can extended feed without allowing self-weaning, which I wouldn't call natural term.

Instantly hands prize to GreenMonkies

Ah, hello GM. You were the longest I could think of, and there you are!

CantSleepWontSleep - please tell me how you would stop a child from self-weaning....I seriously can't see how that's possible!

fat controller.

I stopped feeding ds on his 2nd birthday. It wasn't neccasarily the ideal but i had a very unsupportive h at the time, and i had fed as long as i could get away with befor ehe made my life even more difficult.
Ds wasn't the least bit bothered actually, I suspect dd would be if i tried that one with her.

hats off to all of you proper extended feeders.

Do you guys tell people or is it some kind of secret society? I don't care who knows at the moment, but am beginning to get "the looks" when some people find out. (have amuch more supportive dh now)

It seems I don't need to terramum as liahgen has handily provided an example of someone who weaned their child by her decision and not the dcs.

WHO is definitely 2 years. I expressed masses so that partner could feed in evenings and kept going for months so have loads on the freezer! Still. Don't know if that counts!! Still feed in the morning. It wouldn't bother him if I sat him straight down for breakfast with cow's milk though. Think I'm doing it more for me than him. Had real difficulty to start with for first month finger feeding and then still not good had to use shields in the end, now i'm enjoying it I'm making up for lost time!

Those who have fed for more than a year - have you really seen the benefits helath wise? I'm hoping that stillbf when he has his MMR in 2 weeks time will mean less reaction?

HFAD - obviously I can't say how well/ill my dd might have been if I hadn't been feeding her, but other than colds, chickenpox is the only thing that's ever made her ill!

I much prefer the phrase natural term feeding.

DS is 3.2yo, and I am going to let him self wean.

It is by far the easiest way for a lazy arse like me.

My Dd has been almost continuously ill/unwell since last Spring I am most disappointed!

I class myself as a natural term breastfeeder. DD is only 17 months so young yet but I plan to let her self wean.