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Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

How long did you breastfeed for?

132 replies

sea0 · 30/12/2019 20:01

Exactly that really! I'm planning on breastfeeding when our first arrives in April but not to sure how long you're supposed to keep it going?

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firstimemamma · 30/12/2019 21:20

16 months. One of my biggest achievements Smile

The first 2 weeks were very tough but then it started to get easier and after a few months it was just brilliant and I loved it from then on.

The uk has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the world (the lowest I think but not 100% sure) so sadly not everyone is very accepting of breastfeeding / it's not very normalised but try to ignore people who are not very nice.

Some areas have better support than others so it's worth researching this as the breastfeeding class for mums-to-be and support group for new mums in my area were both life lines to me.

Good luck, I loved breastfeeding and gave up recently so am definitely still feeling a bit emotional!

firstimemamma · 30/12/2019 21:22

@iamNOTmagic I believe it's 'up to 2 years or beyond' not 'at least', I just googled it to confirm.

Justasconfusedwithnumber2 · 30/12/2019 21:39

18 months when DS decided to stop by himself. I'd had enough way before then but he was only on a night feed so I continued for the last few months. I cried when he stopped 😂

BillieEilish · 30/12/2019 21:40

3 months

Hoolahlah66 · 30/12/2019 21:43

DS is 5 months and has pretty much decided to stop and gets very fussy on the breast. He also lost a bit of weight so I have decided to introduce formula 3 times a day and breastfeed in the morning before bed and at night. It won’t be long before he is on solids and I’ll just be led by him really.

8MinutesToSunrise · 30/12/2019 21:44

2.5 years. Never would have believed that in the beginning though, just how it worked out, it seemed right.

InsertFunnyUsername · 30/12/2019 21:45

3 days. So you could say I'm a Pro 😏

WeirdPookah · 30/12/2019 21:48

Until my daughter was 2 years 6 months. EBF for 6 months.

Currently at 18 months with my second child.

DramaAlpaca · 30/12/2019 21:48

It's up to you how long you breastfeed for, it's a very personal thing.

I breastfed my eldest for 9 months and my second for 8 months, which was perfect for me. My youngest I only managed 4 months, and that was with mixed feeding from about 6 weeks as he wasn't gaining weight. I wish I'd been able to carry on longer with him.

Fabuleuse · 30/12/2019 21:49

DS1 - never really got off the ground with it at all. He had to be given formula from a few hours after birth but got tiny amounts of breast milk from me until it all dried up within days.
DS2 - 21 months. I wasn't aiming for that long but he refused to take milk in all other forms except on cereal. Hmm

CountFosco · 30/12/2019 21:50

Every breastfeed counts. You'll get every answer from one day to years.

DD1 I fed for 15 months, DD2 for 2y10m and DS for 4y. He had a CMPA and refused soyamilk so I didn't do anything to encourage him to stop, although BFing a child over 1 is very different to BFing a newborn, as they get older they have fewer feeds and with DD2 and DS by the end it was just 1or 2 feeds a week.

Aria2015 · 30/12/2019 21:58

I did 13 months. Io gave me up. I was working part time and I think that's what ended it. The first few weeks were HARD but someone once told me ’never give up on a bad bay’ and that's what kept me going. I'm glad I kept with it, for me personally, it ended up being so convenient (and a bit lovely). It's all very personal though. As long as a baby is fed and happy that's all that counts.

bobble53 · 30/12/2019 22:03

5 days. Baby didn’t take to it, took hours to feed and lost too much weight. It made me miserable and worry about him too much. Put him on the bottle and it’s much better for us both. I beat myself up at first but now realise it was the best decision. Baby is 3 weeks old.

chatnicknameyousuggested · 30/12/2019 22:05

2 children, 3 years each

Savuti · 30/12/2019 22:06

17 months currently. I'm carrying in despite all family thinking it's bizarre and that I'm crazy. So important to have a good support network if you want to extend feed

annlee3817 · 30/12/2019 22:14

Stopped when she was around 8 1/2 months, had started to reduce due to going back to work, took two months to get her to take a bottle and then once she was on the bottle she lost interest in the boob. Wish I'd just persevered with boob around work hours rather than introducing the bottle as turned out she was dairy intolerant.. something I'd not picked up on when breastfeeding as I already had hardly any dairy in my diet.

Clevs · 30/12/2019 22:15

Still going at 20 months.

isaidaflip · 30/12/2019 22:19

I'm still breastfeeding my 15 month old and he isn't showing any signs of stopping! I'm hoping to get to at least two as that is what the world health organisation recommends😊

Ribeebie · 30/12/2019 22:30

Sat here breastfeeding my 14m old as I type! I initially thought I'd do 6 weeks, then 6 months, then through Mat leave, then a year... and we are still going. See how you go but get lots of support through your local breastfeeding group and look online at kellymom etc. Congratulations on your imminent arrival!

LockThatFridge · 30/12/2019 23:51

Dc1 for 2 years and dc2 for 3 years and counting.

LaudableLaura · 31/12/2019 00:07

DD is five months and still BF. I agree with PP who have said see how it goes. I really didn't enjoy it to start with, and gave myself six weeks to keep going as I heard that's how long it can take for you to both get the hang of it. Well six weeks rolled around and I couldn't stop telling people how much I loved BF! I had always planned to do six months and then wean, but I don't think I'd really thought about the fact you don't get to six months and stop overnight! So I'll also be seeing how it goes in the next month or so! I'm planning to perhaps keep morning and night feeds and bottle feed/introduce solids during the day. I'll miss the closeness but I'm kinda done with getting my boobs out in public now and having to wear only easy access clothing!

WarmthAndDepth · 31/12/2019 00:14

DC1: 2.5 years, rapidly followed by DC2: 4 years.

Graymare · 31/12/2019 00:27

DS1 3 months. Dodgy delivery and 2 months in NICU unable to nurse at all initially and we never really got the hang of it.
DS2 4 years. He would definitely have kept going longer but I was very touched out by that point and slightly concerned about breastfeeding a reception age child.
DS3 still going at 2. Generally only has 1 or 2 feeds a day now though and I think will be ready to stop before long.

LBOCS2 · 31/12/2019 00:38

Both DC to 2yo. I am useless at being pregnant but it turns out I'm quite good at breastfeeding - we didn't really have any problems.

I went into it thinking that I'd see how it goes and it just worked out really well. I stopped because I had got to a point where I was touched out and just done with feeding.

Perid0t · 31/12/2019 10:19

11 months with my first and 18 months with my second.

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