did any of you have an idea in you head how long you wanted to BF for?

[jomummy2]

My DD is now 14 wks old and i'm BF her exclusively except for the odd dream feed of formula by DH if i need to go to bed early to catch up on sleep.

Before i had her i was determined to BF her and went through some initial problems (mastitis etc) but the last 6 / 7 weeks i'v relly turned a corner with it and we are both loving it and i feel so close to her. I wanted initially BF her til she was 6 months and then wean her off onto formula but now i'm not too sure if i want to stop but don't feel 100% comfortable with the idea of feeding for an extended period of time either. Just never thought i'd feel like this. Thought i'd just do it until she reached weaning age. Did anyone else have a similar goal in mind and then change and carry on longer?

I thought "if I can get to 6 months that will be good". It then got so easy at 6 months that I thought "might aswell carry on until she is one and can have cows milk". She's now 14 months and I'm still going (which I never ever thought I would). I'm back at work and it's a lovely way to have a cuddle at bedtime as I really miss her

Well done, glad its going well for you and DD.
We took it week by week with DD and lasted 5.5months. I planned 6 mths with DS and he is 13mths now and no signs of giving up. If you are happy and comfortable then go with it, she certainly won't tell you otherwise for quite a while I think

I assumed that I'd feed dd for 6 months cause 'that's what you do'. I fed her until she turned 4 last week, 16 months of that in tandem with her brother who I am still feeding (and will most likely tandem him with his sibling due in June).

There were just more reasons to carry on than to stop.

I just hoped i would feed for at least a year,and I have fed DD1 until she was 2y4m and now dd2 who is still bf at 2y9m,with no sign of stopping.Just enjoy each day with your baby,its all good!

Originally I thought no more than 6 months, then after about 2 months I was a bit fed up and didn't think I'd make it that far. DS is nearly 8 months and I'm still breastfeeding him, he has teeth now but can't imagine giving up any time soon

A year - so that I didn't have to use formula at all, because the logistics of it all seemed far more complicated than using my breasts. In the early days, getting through the night was my goal though.

Nearly 17m with DS1. 4 years with DS2!

Sounds like it's going really well, JM2

I thought 6 months, or til I go back to work at 8 months.However, I had introduced 1 formula feed a day and to be honest found it more of a faff with formula, as not able to make in advance, and now we have just started solids, DD has dropped a feed anyway, so I have stopped the formula. I'm now planning to carry on BF for the year but playing it by ear as will have to see how expressing at work goes.
I'm used to expressing and DD used to bottles and has just started taking water from a cup too.
I had a lot of problems to begin with, as DD didn't latch on for 8 days and we were syringe feeding, and I got mastitis too. Now I think " this is the easy bit, we've got the hang of it now, it's a shame to stop".

I kept extending the 'absolute maximum' because both my son and I were benefiting from bf much more than I had ever anticipated.

1yr, 2yr - then when he was 2.4, I said one day, mummy has no more milk now, you can have milk from a cup at bedtime, but mums milks all gone. I expected him to wail, in fact, I was the one the shed a quiet tear or two. (I'd only feed evenings and through night after 1yr not in public (not that I'm against, just afraid)

This time, I am just going to do the same, what ever feels right for us both. Sod anyone else. Also, I am more brave; I always hid my bf ds1 - now I do it discretely where ever I am, who ever is there and sod them all. Wow, I have really grown up having children.

like hunker I'd thought I'd go to 12m to avoid the need for formula

eventually stopped at 18m when it became obvious it was stopping me conceiving again - still feel a bit sad about stopping before dd wanted to.

I wanted to BF till DS was 2. I did (he is nearly 2.1). I'm not sure when I want to stop - I'm hoping he will decide before I have to.

Originally I aimed for six months - because of some sub-conscious concept that's what you do, I guess.

The first three months were really hard and riddled with problems; by six months I'd cracked it, and it was so easy, dd was sleeping well and eating solids etc. I couldn't see the logic in giving up in favour of the hard work, expense and potential health risks of formula - boobs are a million times easier!

By nine months she was only one 3 feeds a day anyway. It seemed daft to have put in such hard work establishing breastfeeding and learning the techniques, without benefiting from it during the easy period of 6 - 12 months old.

Now weaning dd off at 13 months, as ttc the next one - will probably keep going on morning feeds for a while yet though.

I thought i would try for 6 months - no idea why i had that in my head, but there has been no good reason to stop. So we are still BFing (not very much, say two feeds a day) at just gone 3, whilst i am about to give birth any day now.

The more i read about it, the more i realised that my preconceptions were based on prejudice - i thought "if they can ask for it they are too old" - Why? surely its easier if they can ask for what they want! Or - as soon as they start getting teeth i will stop - but after a couple of weeks of pain he learnt not to bite,so here we are!

I would just see how it goes. There's really no need to decide in advance. Ive had some chats to him about it, and he tells me how much he likes it, and that there will never be a time when he doesnt want 'milkies' - i disagree, but am in no hurry to spoil what can be a lovely cuddly time for us both.

I wonder whether the six-month thing being a subconscious boundary is because the follow-on formula advertising makes it clear that's what you "should" be doing, ie "moving on" from breastfeeding at 6 months? Otherwise, why do so many women think it?

I think it's because of the 6 months exclusive b/f being the gold standard in this country (and I know the WHO recommends 2 years). That and the recommended weaning age being 6 months. Plus most women used to get 6 months kind of paid maternity leave. Those were my reasons for having a 6 months target anyway - as it turned out it was a lot less. I never really thought about what I'd give if I stopped b/f at 6 months, but I suppose if it was going well at that stage I'd have kept going as much as I could.