Have now officially breastfed for 6 months with no formula !

[Ruthiebaby]

Yep - my ds is 6 months old today, and I have successfully managed to breastfeed my son totally for 6 months. He has had no bottles of formula milk at all in this time.

I'm so chuffed that I managed to do it. There were times when I was so tempted to just buy some powder to make up a bottle for him instead of expressing if I was not going to be around, but I never succumbed.

Mumsnet actually helped a lot through this time, and it also gave me an incentive to do it as I wanted to make this post to say I had done it. You guys also gave me the confidence to breastfeed in public.

So, thankyou to all of you who have given me advice etc, and thankyou mumsnet ! xxx

I'm going to start him slowly onto formula now as I'm going back to work in 2 weeks...booo..

Well done for reaching the 6 month mark! I only managed for 15 weeks.

congratulations ruthiebaby! I only managed 3 weeks with DS1 but then DS2 came along and I bf him for over a year and he only ever had one small carton of formula milk on his cereal (smug emoticon)
It's a fantastic feeling isn't it? Well done
(great name BTW!)

well done you, i breastfed all 4 of mine but had to stop bf dd2 at 7 weeks as was put on warfarin, bf dd1 till 9 months exclusively though.

Well done !! I also felt very proud of myself, people can sometimes make you feel a bit weird about breastfeeding for so long.

well done

Good luck with the introduction of formula, Ruthie. Don't stop expressing in case it takes him a while to accept something different.

I felt v sad when I gave DS formula for the first time - I realised that it would be the last time he was made entirely from my body and fresh air (and a microscopic speck of DP dna!). I took a photo of him...and then he refused to drink formaula or from a bottle, anyway! But if your ds is happy with a bottle, that's most of the battle, I think!

Ooops, sorry - have realised that will sound like a right damper!
Well done, Ruthie!

well done!

i felt so proud of myself when i achieved the same goal - you should too

Well done! I wanted to do the same, but only managed 4 months before I started with formulae at nighttime. I would be proud If I was you

Well done Ruthiebaby. You might find that he will quickly take to solids as he is older starting and need less milk at feeds. You might find that you will be able to express enough going back to work. Just a thought because you can breastfeed and work without formula too. Depends what suits you really. Well done

Are you going to feed him once you're back at work too, it seems a shame tonot carry on. i know i missed it loads when my dd chose to stop at 18months. Have you considered expressing? you have to be allowed time to do this. Just wanted to check you'd thought about it, before introducing formula totally, it will help you feel less engorged if you decide to wean him off very slowly, or express when very full.
Well done, this website really is a godsend at times

Thankyou all

Blu - omg..I never thought of it like that.. but I guess he's just getting older and this is what is going to happen.

Mears/loupylou - I have pontificated long and hard over whether I will continue breastfeeding after returning to work. As much as I would love to continue, I don't think I'll be able to cope with the expressing side of it. I've always found expressing hard work and I although I love my son dearly and wish him the best in everything I cannot commit myself to expressing daily. I need some time to myself at lunchtimes! (will be the first time that I can enjoy a break and eat my lunch alone in a long time)! I found working full time hard enough without a baby let alone with having to express as well.

My admiration totally goes out to all mums who can do this.

But, in my case, it's bring on the formula during the day. In the evening/night/morning I'll still be breastfeeding. I just can't break that bond just yet and frankly feel quite tearful thinking about stopping it altogether. I don't know when we'll stop. I guess it will take it's natural course.

Well done, Ruthiebaby - you have given him a great start in life

Well done ruthiebaby! That's fantastic!

(Blu, soooo know what you mean about the b/fed baby made of you and frsh air. The first food that my baby took was,symbolically speaking,the last snip at the shreds of the umbilical cord.)

So true, Blu and Moondog...can't imagine what it'll be like when ds decides to stop altogether!

I'm so pleased for you.

Well done! Lovely! I think it's something to be proud of, given all the misinformation out there about bfeeding!

DS (16mo) is down to one feed a day now - but if he stops before January, I'll have another one to feed then anyway - eek!

Wondered where you were hm! (Is that 'until the age of 4' thread still going on? Honestly,had to drop out as it took forever to come up.)

Lovely to read this thread and nice to have a chance to appreciate someone for doing such an important job. Well done to you and hope you have many happy breastfeeding days ahead of you!

Ruthiebaby - I continued feeding DS morning and night until he was about 20 months, so you don't need to stop altogether, if you don't want.

You are right - he's growing up!

Thread's still going, occasionally!

Yes, do go on with morning and night if you'd like to.

DD2 dropped even the occasional night time feed while coming up for two, I think. Although she still likes a quick proprietory grope

motherinferior: lol @ quick proprietory grope

And thankyou to everyone ! Makes me feel good for doing something

I know that loads of other mums do it, but on a personal individual level it is a huge thing.

Well done.

I stopped feeding ds when he was 12m. He's 23m now and I still miss it - although can't imagine trying to feed him as he is now. I'd be covered in bruises

You've done a great thing for your baby and it is lovely to read this thread