Right I need your best retorts to

[BunnyLebowski]

the inevitable 'Oh isn't it time she was off that?' questions.

DD (18 months) and I fly to Ireland tomorrow to visit my family. Dd is till breastfeeding too much loads and is thriving.

From what I can gather bf rates must be very low back home. No-one I know breastfeeds. 4 school friends have had babies recently and in every single set of photos I've seen taken in the hospital the baby is on the bottle straight away.

So while most of my family are supportive I am feeling a bit defensive already about the ones who will passively aggressively ask dd why she isn't off 'it' yet.

Any firm but not angry retorts you can lend me??

So far I have 'Well actually the WHO recommends bf as the best option up to 2 years'.

You have my sympathy. My MIL is from NI and every conversation about feeding dd since her birth has revolved around when I'm giving up bf. She's now 5 months old and I've had lots of problems with feeding of late but this passive/implied criticism and being made to feel like a weirdo has made things so much more difficult.

The MIL refers to it as "the breastfeeding" like its some new fangled fashion

Bunny, your mum sounds like mine! It was around the 6 months point that she started buying formula for my dd and trying her with it - I was unfortunately in the depths of PND and let her try it, but I don't know what changed, maybe she could see that bf was the only thing keeping me sane But yes, I'm the "different" one too.

Good luck

"no" should suffice

herethereandeverywhere - does't she call it 'feeding her yourself'. I don't know anyone in NI who will use the word 'breast'!

DS is 14mo now and I have started to notice a bit of this too. I have just been saying 'Good grief I can't stop yet, I'd have to eat less cake'

And the equally honest 'Yes, he will stop one day but I've no idea how!'

Or ignore it and say yes, we've done well haven't we.

confusedfirsttimemum she thinks she's up to date with all the latest things because her daughter (my SIL) had a baby 9 months before me. I expect its described that way to all fellow NI citizens though! You're so right. Her whole problem with breast feeding is because it involves breasts!

I am of course expected to sit in a different room or hide dd under a stupid "bebe au lait" thing (thanks for that precedent SIL).

Bunny, I'm in the South and BF rates down here aren't any better! I have bfed ds3 and ds4 till they were 2.

My Mum bf my brother till he was 3 so wasn't in a position to say anything but MIL had seen some "Extreme Breastfeeding" show and kept dropping hints about giving "that" up.

I would just look puzzled and say

"But he's not 2 yet!" in the tone of voice that implied that everyone fed their toddlers.

By the time ds3 was 2, she'd stopped asking!