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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Please may I blow my own trumpet a little bit? And invite others to blow theirs too?

127 replies

feralgirl · 10/12/2009 20:26

Would anyone mind if I just have a small proud moment because DS was 1 year old last week and I'm one of the 3% of mothers still BFing?

Noone in RL has bloody congratulated me but I'm feeling pretty chuffed with myself tbh.

Feel free to blow your own trumpets here:

OP posts:
Rhian82 · 13/12/2009 11:01

My nurse never asked about breastfeeding at DS's 12-month jabs, just left both boxes (Yes/No) empty. Have to admit I was a bit disappointed.

Ooh that reminds me actually - when DS was about 8/9 months or so, I had to take him to the paediatric clinic at the hospital. It was lunchtime, so they came round offering food to the children there - but not the adults, which is fair enough. However, there was a couple there with a two-week old, and the nurse with them called out that the mum should get a meal as she was breastfeeding. I was a bit miffed that they hadn't asked me, or just assumed that I wasn't. So I was cheeky and asked for food for me as well, since I was also breastfeeding. They looked a bit surprised but did bring me a meal.

(What seemed stupid was that they didn't provide baby food, I had to feed DS from a jar).

Concordia · 13/12/2009 12:25

our hospital have a policy of breastfeeding mothers of babies under 1 month (!) being given food but not others.
I know this because when DS was in at 1 week i was given food but when he was in at 13 months (still bf) i had to pretend he would eat the veg curry i had ordered!

Concordia · 13/12/2009 12:26

he wasn't really in a fit state to eat it btw in case people accuse me of stealing my son's food!

leeloo1 · 13/12/2009 20:35

Hurray, what a lovely thread (in general anyway!).

Still BFing DS at 14 mths - usually 1st thing, pre-nap, mid-pm when grouchy, before bed and then (hopefully not too often) during the night.

I've been relatively lucky and it hasn't been too hard overall - apart from a month or so of biting and resulting scabbed/bleeding nipples at 10/11 months, but it still feels like a real accomplishment to have got this far. Almost all my friends stopped at a year (if they made it that far) but I love the fact that I'm still helping to provide nutrition and comfort for DS and I hope to keep going for as long as possible/til he self-weans.

The stats make me feel really and I hate that people get so negative when you BF a bigger child - even previously BFing friends now say 'wow he looks so big when you do that' and ask when I'm going to stop. - I blame those TV shows about BFing other people's children/12 year olds(& their dads) which makes it look like something only odd people do.

But lovely to come on here and find other people who are still happily BFing!

Deux · 14/12/2009 00:53

I'm bfing my 16 month old dd and she shows no sign of stopping. I just find it so flexible. She feeds before lunchtime nap and at bedtime plus one other time. DH can put her to bed without a feed and she's fine. Weekday mornings are too busy to fit in a bf before I take DS to school so she has that feed when we get back from school. (She takes ages over her first feed and nothing will rouse her from it.) She gets her dolly and favourite quilt and snuggles up ... and I watch Oprah (my guilty secret!). I've tried cow's milk in a cup and the mere sight of it has her turning up her nose, pouting and then pushing it away.

I fed my DS for 12 months, so I've bf for 28 months ..... never added it up before. I wish someone would congratulate me though instead of looking horrified. DH is very supportive but some other relatives are a bit 'oh, so you're still doing that'? To which I reply, with big smile, 'yes and doesn't she look well on it'.

Attitudes to bf have still got such a long way to go. But we should be very proud of feeding our babies ourselves.

jessid · 14/12/2009 20:09

I think we all deserve a huge round of applause, a week in a 5 star hotel & a crate of champagne !!!
DS wouildn't breast feed at all for first six weeks so expressed every feed ... then he got the hang of it and is now 15 months and still going strong first and last thing. DP not impressed at all and actively encouraging me to stop but I shall take no notice of him and plan to keep the night feed for as long as DS wants it

minnietheminx007 · 14/12/2009 22:45

can i join in, im only 6 months in but have no plans to stop until dd is ready and feel quite pleased that i have kept going this long and also feel very lucky that it hasnt been too bad and i have had some lovely bonding experiences with dd
currently poking hands in mouth (not so rose tinted lovely) but also looking deep into my eyes and trying to smile a big gummy grin while feeding (melts)

OooohWhatAFuss · 15/12/2009 14:53

Toot toot! I am blowing your trumpets as I had to give up breastfeeding shamefully early but hope with the next one I will be able to come on here and toot for myself! Maybe by then there will be a culture whereby breastfeeding to over a year is accepted, maybe even the norm if more support is given. Well done all

wem · 15/12/2009 15:09

I'm still feeding dd at 13 months. I've been having a bit of a wibble recently, grandparents are keen to have her overnight, that kind of thing, and this thread has given me more resolve to continue . So congratulations to all, and thank you!

ChairmumMiaow · 15/12/2009 15:18

I think it does deserve congratulations, rather than raised eyebrows and questions.

DS is still going at 23mo despite (at times) 18 hours a day feeding when young, feeding all night and barely in the day for a while at around 5 months, bottle (EBM) refusal (which made me refuse to go back to work 2 days a week as agreed, and I'm glad I had that option). We've even managed to continue through the sore nipple phase of pregnancy and my milk pretty much having gone now (probably not helped by my limiting feeds during the sore nipple phase!)

In some ways, there was never a choice for me (I have said to DH before when DS was ill - "Its his pain or mine, what choice is that?", although I am less martyr-like when he is well!) but I think it is nice to be congratulated. I was recently congratulated at an LLL meeting for continuing through the sore nipples by a mum who felt unable to do the same with her pregnancy. It was nice but by this point I didn't feel I needed the encouragement.

Anyway, I think more encouragement and congratulation would hurry along a change in culture that would mean more people would feel comfortable and be educated enough to continue longer. I don't think people would find it so hard if they had less to fight against!

jimblejambles · 15/12/2009 15:26

What a lovely thread.

Well done everyone. Ds2 still going at 23 months despite mil looks of disgust

ChairmumMiaow · 15/12/2009 15:30

jimblejambles -oh yes I get those too!

cassell · 15/12/2009 15:37

Lovely thread. Well done everyone!

I'm still going strong at 8mths and planning to continue until at least 1yr and maybe longer as can't envisage giving up!

WhereTheWildThingsWere · 15/12/2009 15:41

Well done all, what a nice, supportive, back slapping type thread

Fed ds to 18mo am still feeding dd at 22mo, getting bored of people asking 'why' tbh.

Rhian82 · 15/12/2009 21:26

Ooh jessid well done for sticking with it - DS wouldn't feed until he was one week old and I thought that was bad enough!

I was determined to feed until he was a year old, and just haven't stopped. He's dropped most feeds, but still has his morning one, and I don't really get any reason to stop. He enjoys it, it's good for him and it helps settle him. How would I stop?!

Original poster
feralgirl · 16/12/2009 20:43

Ooohwhatafuss, I honestly don't think that you can give up BFing "shamefully" early; you tried and had to stop which is something to be proud of I think.

Interesting that so many of us feel unsupported, even by our families. Why is it that people don't understand that "how long are you planning to BF for?" is a really loaded question? Even my mum has asked me, several times. My gran suggested when DS was 3 months old that I should stop when he started teething, I nearly choked I was so at her ignorance!

My stock response to the question is going to be that I will continue to BF until everyone who feels the need to ask has read the WHO guidelines!

OP posts:
Belgrano · 16/12/2009 21:17

oooh love this thread! Currently bf dc 2 who is 4 months and ALREADY fed up with 'how long are you planning to breastfeed for?'. Why doesn't anybody understand that BREASTfeeding should be the normal state of affairs and BOTTLEfeeding with formula is not an equal alternative, let alone the more 'normal' state of affairs, which is of course their implication!
Anyway, well done to the OP and all the other b feeders on here. I'm hoping to still be doing it in a year's time. Regretted stopping at 8 months with DD.

TrinityReindeer · 16/12/2009 21:19

gecko is 34 months and still feeding

spiderlight · 16/12/2009 21:20

Cobngratulations all! I'm still breastfeeding DS at 2 years 9 months and he's showing no signs of wanting to stop. It was a slog at first because he fed ALL the time, but stopping has never really entered my head and I'm fortunate enough to have supportive family on both sides (MIL fed her youngest until he was 4 )

TrinityReindeer · 16/12/2009 21:22

all in all I've been feeding for 4 years and 9 months (3 girls)

Elpis · 17/12/2009 12:10

I've made it to nearly 8 months on breastmilk only (obviously she eats solids now - you know what I mean!) and returning to work 4 days/wk at 5.5 months. Had to spend a lot on expressing kit but it was worth it.

Congratulations to everyone else here, too. I try not to feel too smug because I'm enjoying the oxytocin and I love feeding her, but I am quite proud.

I just wish my immediate bosses hadn't both recommended I give up in patronising tones. I honestly can't see how giving her formula in the night would be any less tiring - in fact more so - so how is it their business? I spend c35 minutes away from my desk each day and Blackberry with a free hand. And I don't take a lunch break to compensate. Why do so many people feel breastfeeding and work are totally incompatible?

But mostly, I'm just very happy to be able to do it.

Elpis · 17/12/2009 12:13

Oh, and has anyone seen that formula ad with a shot of the huge quantity of cows' milk you'd need to give a one-year-old in order to obtain their 6mg of iron a day? It's just ... so ... objectionable. As if the food you're giving them by the time they're a year old doesn't contain any iron... It just helps to undermine women's belief in their own ability to nourish their child, even if the comparison is with cow's milk.

NyumNyumMum · 17/12/2009 12:41

First ever post on MN. Just joined today.

DS is 18 months and 2 days and we're still going. Sleepytime feed each evening after I get home from work.

As they say, no sooner do you get bf established than people start asking you when you're going to stop!

I found the NCT leaflet 'Reasons to be Proud' was useful at times when it all seemed too much. Or when I needed to educate a family member about the benefits of going on beyond the magic six months!!!

NyumNyumMum · 17/12/2009 12:43

Oh and I just used to tick the breastfeeding boxes in the red book myself if the HV didn't.

calebsmum · 17/12/2009 13:14

DD is 18mths and still loves breastfeeding, she would be permanently attached if I let her! Just trying to feed her 3-4 times a day to cut down

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