Did you bf one child longer than another?

[spiralizeme]

I breastfed DD1 for 5 months but I plan to breastfeed my next baby for much longer.

I kinda feel guilty for this.

If you breastfed babies for different lengths of times, I'd love to hear.

Thanks in advance xxx

DD I bf til she was about 8 months in total.

DS was 13 months.

I fed DS until just before 2 yrs, I was pregnant and it was getting uncomfortable. I know people tandem feed but that wasn't for me.

DD fed until her 4th birthday (we agreed together she would stop when she was 4). I don't feel guilty about this, they are different children and had different needs.

Yes, all different.
Ds1 bf to 18mo, I weaned him
Dt 2&3 bf to 16mo and 18mo, they both self weaned
Dd4 bf to 4 years, I weaned her

There are some very very long times in here, I’m surprised because I don’t know anyone in real life who went beyond about 18 months

I did 17 months with DD1 and am thinking about stopping with DD2 (who is 13 months). The prospect of freedom is very attractive!

Yes,
I fed my eldest for about 7 days after a hideous birth. I felt desperately sad I didn't continue and carried that guilt/sadness til i had dc2 9yrs later.
Dc 2 was about 8m I stopped when I fell pregnant with dc3. I stopped because 2 completely went off me.
Dc3 was about 11m because she would bite me and I lost my nerve.
Dc4 was 12m. We made it to a year but he really wasn't interested so stopped.
Dc5 was 16m. She was CMPA so never took a bottle, she was (like dc3) incredibly easy to feed. But at 16m she bit me. I said Ow and she absolutely refused to feed ever again. Just patted my boob and said ow.

I dont now feel any guilt about the difference in times I fed them. I guess I only feel sad for young me who carried that guilt, if that makes any sense.

Meh. 3 weeks, 4 months and 6 months. All absolutely robust teens and young adults. Zero guilt, zero issues

DS1 -six months, he repeatedly bit once he got teeth and drew blood and nothing worked to stop him. I would have continued.
DD1 - two years. I was a SAHM, she flatly refused bottles or dummies and it worked fine for us.
DS2 - six weeks. I had to return to work when he was ten weeks old and I was scared he wouldn't take a bottle like his sister so I combi fed.
DD2 - twelve weeks until I went back to work, then she had another 2 months of breast milk that I had frozen.
DD3 - twelve weeks, then maybe a month of morning and night feeds, and I pumped at work
All different circumstances ...financial and otherwise. Given the current maternity leave allowance I'd have fed them for longer. Maternity leave was much shorter in the 80s and 90s

I did, DS until he was 2 and DD until she was 3. DD didn't want to stop!

Fed my first child for 12 months and second for 3.5 years. Don’t feel guilty, with my second we were in lockdown, I was off work, it just went on much longer.

yes DD1 gave up naturally around 12 months. DD2 is still feeding at 19 months and shows no sign of wanting to give up, despite me trying probably not hard enough. She starts crying and pulling my top up, whereas DD1 just wasn’t that bothered!

Both of mine self weaned so I get that's a bit different to you choosing to stop, and avoids any guilt because it was very much their decisions. My eldest fed for two years more than my youngest, so quite a difference.

1 week with dc1,
6 months with dc2,
14 months with dc3 (dried up while pregnant),
14mths with dc4 (dried up while pregnant) and 2 years with dc5

No need to feel guilty. You do what is best for you! I breastfed purely for handiness, I couldn’t be bothered with getting up in the middle of the night to make a bottle like I did with dc1!

First and third 6 months (cut down when started weaning), middle DC, I found it difficult and was mixed feeding at 4 weeks and stopped expressing at 12 weeks, felt guilty for years and I'm sure it contributed to my PND.

Omg this. I could have written this myself, I also felt so much pressure to stop. I am so glad to hear n am not alone. I will be so much more confident next time xxx

I didn't put my times but they were years not months and I know loads of people who have fed beyond babyhood. I'm in a Facebook group for women doing exactly that which has thousands of members.

Dc1 stopped at around 16 months. I was pg again and just too sick to face it. DC2 stopped of their own accord at just turned 3.

I don’t feel guilty. The bf relationship ended naturally for both of them, just at different ages. DC2 actually had the odd bit of formula from early on, whereas DC2 never had a drop. I have the same lovely close relationship with both of them and they’re equally healthy at 10 & 11.

I bf dc 1 and 2 for about a week each. Dc3 for over 3 years.

Dc 1 and 2 were pretty similar in terms of health and academically.

Dc3, the bf one, is noticeably different. He's far 'healthier' in terms of much less childhood illness or conditions than the other 2. He's also far less academic than the other two, much slower in most academic things.

I breastfed ds until 16.5 months. It just gradually came to a stop when we both felt it was right. Thought it would be the same with dd. She loved breastfeeding then very abruptly decided one day that she was done with it and that was that! A big shock. She was 1. I was upset but honestly she's 15 months now and I'm 'over it' and don't often think of it. In a weird way I kind of like it because it suits her headstrong personality!

Well sure, I don’t doubt they exist but I’m just saying what my person experience is!

I think the average BF time is a few months hence being surprised by people feeding in to childhood

ds1 bf til he was about 15 months - he stopped on his own when I was 5 months preg with ds2. Ds2 bf til he was about 21 months. Interestingly I was also 5 months preg with dd. I had a theory that my milk must have changed taste about that time. Dd bf til she was 3. By 3 though it was just a comfort thing not really feeding much.

I breastfed my first daughter for 3 years,
second daughter for 3 months and my third daughter for 18 days, only cut short because she got really unwell and was diagnosed late with galactosaemia a metabolic condition where all milk (including human milk) is toxic to her liver.

Gave up bf-ing DD1 at 6 months because she'd stopped gaining weight. She had terrible reflux and a lactose intolerance which didn't really improve until she switched to oat milk (pediatrician's advice) at 12 months. I felt very sad and guilty about it, and still worry that it affected our bonding.

Still bf-ing DD2 who is 8 months old and has no digestive issues at all so will likely continue until I go back to work when she's 12m.

Yes. 4 months first child and 4 years second child. Different circumstances made it easier to do second time.

My DS never latched. I expressed milk for 5 months though could still only get 40% out of what he needed.

I’m pregnant again and apart from colostrum, I will be going straight to formula.

No need to feel guilty. I wasn’t breastfed and my brother was breastfed for 6 monthd. No difference between us and we’re both very healthy.

Baby 1 bf for 6 weeks. Baby 2 bf 8 weeks but also had formula in this time. Baby 3 bf 2.5 years. I don’t feel guilty as I did try to bf all of them, but the first two preferred bottles so it’s on them.