How long did you breastfeed for.

Quality

How long did you breast feed your child for? Was there a particular reason for giving up? (return to work etc)

Do you think there is an age that you should stop breastfeeding your baby? And why?

I lasted 8 months on the last fella.. Hope to keep going on this one he is 7 months now.

deisemum

I breastfed my first lad until he was 6 months old and only stopped when I was returning to work. He's a big strapping teenager now and has rarely been ill, in fact I cannot remeber the last time he's been to his GP but it was before he started school 9 years ago

I breastfed the second lad until he was 15 months and had enough of it at that stage. Another healthy lad who hasn't seen his GP in years apart from getting referred to x-ray.

Broad

First one for nearly two years... she would not stop and it was a real struggle to get her to quit! Had to stop cos was pregnant again and struggling. Still don't think she has completely forgiven me . Second one for nearly a year I think, third one for six or seven months. All really well and happy, second one was a little asthmatic for a few years, nothing serious and he is fine now.

Best of luck whatever you decide.

lalalulu

My mother breast fed three of her children and bottle fed four
She said she breast fed for 6 months on all three and only stopped because they were starting solid's.
I'm always curious about breastfeeding as i didn't breastfed my own daughter.
Is it difficult? How do you know baby is getting enough milk? How do you know when baby is looking to be fed (in the early days) or just looking for comfort from the breast? These are all the reason's i didn't breast feed.

sachamama

To answer your questions:

1. Is it difficult? - yes yes yes
   
2. How do you know baby is getting enough milk? - you don't. but if you feed on demand so you know when they fall asleep their stomachs are full.
   
3. How do you know when baby is looking to be fed (in the early days) or just looking for comfort from the breast? - you don't. but what is the harm in getting comfort? they're tiny newborns and out in the big scary world, they need to be held and comforted to feel safe. so it never bothered me, this part. I never liked a dodee in the mouth anyway, but i dont leave my breast in there the same way! they suckle for comfort and fall asleep, then just being up close to my body is enough comfort. the breast doesn't stay in their mouth like a dodee.

Here are all the reasons I did breastfeed and will do again:

• its better for baby. they get all their immunity from you so they are better protected from being sick.
  
• it gives a good bond between mother and baby
  
• the baby isn't bloated from drinking formula and dosent get knocked out from being too full. because of this, baby has more "awake" time and can learn and pick up things quicker
  
• the nappies are much more pleasant from breastmilk because more of the milk gets absorbed and used by the babies body
  
• baby is less likely to vomit after meals because the milk is specifically tuned to their body
  
• the constituency of the milk changes all the time depending on what the mother eats, so baby gets a variety of vitamins and minerals and flavours, formula is the same stuff all the time.
  
• all three of my babies are highly intelligent and i put it down to the breastmilk being able to provide essential fatty acids which go into brain development that they cannot reproduce in formula, no matter how hard they try to.

and yes its hard and sometimes not pleasant at all, it hurts in the beginning too. but the baby does great out of it, and benefits for mama (and dada) is that you dont need to buy sterelisers, bottles, teats, formula. when baby wakes up in the middle of the night, you dont have to get out of the bed to heat up bottles, you can just feed. you can travel and not have to bring heaps of stuff with you.

so thats why i think breast is best! 6 months i fed each of my 3, even though i went back to work, I did half and half after 5 months so i fed them at night and in the morning and they had bottles the rest of the time. (never liked expressing the milk!)

shell42970

My son is 9 months old; I'm still breastfeeding him and will continue to do so until we're both ready to stop. The current recommendation is to breastfeed until the second birthday.

I nursed my firstborn (who's now 18 years) until she began walking just before she turned 11 months. At that point it no longer felt comfortable for me (my mom was horrified when I was still nursing the baby after 3 months and gave me grief over it thereafter), and my daughter wasn't that interested in nursing anymore, either. Weaning at that point worked out fine for both of us.

This time around I'm certain that I'll breastfeed much longer. My son really enjoys nursing and I'm more relaxed about it, myself - doing what I feel is best for both of us, rather than what my family or culture thinks is acceptable.

I think it's important to handle the whole thing with respect for yourself and your child. If you're no longer comfortable nursing, it's fine to stop (your child will sense that you're no longer comfortable during nursing time and may misinterpret your unease as being directed at him/her, rather than at the breastfeeding itself), but do wean your child slowly and gently. An abrupt weaning is very distressing for a child.

lalalulu

sachamama wrote: »

To answer your question

1. How do you know when baby is looking to be fed (in the early days) or just looking for comfort from the breast? - you don't. but what is the harm in getting comfort? they're tiny newborns and out in the big scary world, they need to be held and comforted to feel safe. so it never bothered me, this part. I never liked a dodee in the mouth anyway, but i dont leave my breast in there the same way!

Here are all the reasons I did breastfeed and will do again:

• its better for baby. they get all their immunity from you so they are better protected from being sick.
• it gives a good bond between mother and baby
• the baby isn't bloated from drinking formula and dosent get knocked out from being too full. because of this, baby has more "awake" time and can learn and pick up things quicker
• the nappies are much more pleasant from breastmilk because more of the milk gets absorbed and used by the babies body
• baby is less likely to vomit after meals because the milk is specifically tuned to their body
• the constituency of the milk changes all the time depending on what the mother eats, so baby gets a variety of vitamins and minerals and flavours, formula is the same stuff all the time.
• all three of my babies are highly intelligent and i put it down to the breastmilk being able to provide essential fatty acids which go into brain development that they cannot reproduce in formula, no matter how hard they try to.

and yes its hard and sometimes not pleasant at all, it hurts in the beginning too. but the baby does great out of it, and benefits for mama (and dada) is that you dont need to buy sterelisers, bottles, teats, formula. when baby wakes up in the middle of the night, you dont have to get out of the bed to heat up bottles, you can just feed. you can travel and not have to bring heaps of stuff with you.

so thats why i think breast is best! 6 months i fed each of my 3, even though i went back to work, I did half and half after 5 months so i fed them at night and in the morning and they had bottles the rest of the time. (never liked expressing the milk!)

You picked me up wrong when i said how do you know when baby is looking for comfort from the breast. I don't think there is anything wrong with baby taking comfort from this. But what worried me was how do you know baby is sucking for comfort or if they are hungry. When my daughter was a new born i held and snuggled her close to me while feeding her and i took great pleasure from this as did she. I never found babs was bloated from formula and she had plenty of awake time, i would never of overfed her.

I think there is a lot of negativity toward's breast feeding and formula feeding alike. I felt terrible pressure to breastfeed from family, friend's and the nurse's in the hospital. I got a dirty look when i said i wasn't going to breastfeed and i just thought ya know what i'm going to do what i think is best and not have something pushed on me. I do regret not feeding my daughter myself as i know the benefits out weigh the negative's but i think it's pushed to much as the ONLY way to keep your baby healthy and then if a woman can't breastfeed then she's left worrying that her baby won't develop the same as a breastfed baby which is not true.

I admire you for breastfeeding all your children it must be very hard but i'm sure the reward's are worth the hard work.

deisemum

How do you know a formula fed baby is looking for a feed or for comfort? Same as a breastfed baby.

Also a breastfed baby has to work more facial muscles when sucking compared to a formula fed baby so tend to have better dentition

Don't forget the health benefits for mums, lowers the rate of certain cancers.

It also had a relaxing effect.

If you're happy about whichever choice you make when it comes to feeding your baby then don't let other peoples comments get to you. That's one of the things about being a parent is that you're going to encounter plenty of people wearing very tight judgy pants who'll make judgements about every aspect of parenting. I definitely think it's a lot more competitive these days but bear in mind a lot of what some "expert" parents claim to do is a lie ie only allowing their children to watch no more than one hour of tv per day or not even allowing them to watch tv at all yet no matter if it's morning afternoon or evening that you call round to their house the tv is always on and their children know every character.

When I had my first lad I got so many negative comments about breastfeeding from people trying to disourage me from breastfeeding, my own mother came out with a cracker when I was breastfeeding m second lad, she reckoned my older lad who was 2 at the time would end up gay if he saw me breastfeeding his younger brother.

Happy mum happy family.

GeorgeBailey

deisemum wrote: »

Don't forget the health benefits for mums, lowers the rate of certain cancers.

I don't doubt for a second that breast-feeding is absolutely the best way to go but I do wonder sometimes about some of the supposed benefits. At some stage I expect to hear that women who breastfeed are more likely to win the lotto

lalalulu

GeorgeBailey wrote: »

I don't doubt for a second that breast-feeding is absolutely the best way to go but I do wonder sometimes about some of the supposed benefits. At some stage I expect to hear that women who breastfeed are more likely to win the lotto

Yes i'm sure that will be the next thing! I will definitely breast feed my next child if there's even a slight chance of winning the lotto:p

Also do the women here plan on giving their babs cow's milk once they are finished breast feeding because formula is just an adapted form of cow's milk.What i'm getting at is, women who don't breast feed are led to believe that if they don't feed babs themselves but choose instead to give babs the dreaded formula that they won't be as bright or have as good teeth??? as their little friend's who were breast feed. Seem's a little over the top and i'd love to know where people get their statistic's???

lalalulu

deisemum wrote: »

Also a breastfed baby has to work more facial muscles when sucking compared to a formula fed baby so tend to have better dentition

Don't forget the health benefits for mums, lowers the rate of certain cancers.


If you're happy about whichever choice you make when it comes to feeding your baby then don't let other peoples comments get to you. That's one of the things about being a parent is that you're going to encounter plenty of people wearing very tight judgy pants who'll make judgements about every aspect of parenting. I definitely think it's a lot more competitive these days but bear in mind a lot of what some "expert" parents claim to do is a lie ie only allowing their children to watch no more than one hour of tv per day or not even allowing them to watch tv at all yet no matter if it's morning afternoon or evening that you call round to their house the tv is always on and their children know every character.

When I had my first lad I got so many negative comments about breastfeeding from people trying to disourage me from breastfeeding, my own mother came out with a cracker when I was breastfeeding m second lad, she reckoned my older lad who was 2 at the time would end up gay if he saw me breastfeeding his younger brother.

Happy mum happy family.

How do you know a baby work's more facial muscles while being breastfed? I think a lot of what is said is just ridiculous not personally by you but some of the statistics that are thrown about.

I agree about some "expert" parent's who's children sit watching tv all day but then try to lecture others!

Wow gay because he saw you feeding his brother! Ah the older generation are hilarious, my god!!

deisemum

GeorgeBailey wrote: »

I don't doubt for a second that breast-feeding is absolutely the best way to go but I do wonder sometimes about some of the supposed benefits. At some stage I expect to hear that women who breastfeed are more likely to win the lotto

I'd become a wet nurse if I thought I'd win the lotto

I worked as a dental nurse in a teaching hospital in London and a Professor made the comments about dentition plus my own PHN made the same claim when I had my second lad over here.

I think the majority of breastfeeding mums have quite pragmatic views on feeding baby but it's the breastfeeding fascists that get on most peoples wicks.

deisemum

lalalulu wrote: »

How do you know a baby work's more facial muscles while being breastfed? I think a lot of what is said is just ridiculous not personally by you but some of the statistics that are thrown about.

I agree about some "expert" parent's who's children sit watching tv all day but then try to lecture others!

Wow gay because he saw you feeding his brother! Ah the older generation are hilarious, my god!!

I was told that milk flows out a a teat without much effort ie if a bottle falls over the milk will just flow out which I've noticed myself whereas a breastfed baby has to suck harder to get milk.

Personally when I was born back in the mid 60's, 6 weeks early, I wasn't breast or formula fed, I grew up on a farm and had fresh milk that was boiled and strained through a tea towel. Now it didn't do my siblings or myself any harm but I wouldn't recommend it.

GeorgeBailey

deisemum wrote: »

it's the breastfeeding fascists that get on most peoples wicks.

My wife called them nipple nazis

sachamama

at the end of the day, what's best for baby is having a happy mummy who loves and cares for it the best way she can.

if you are unhappy and breastfeeding because you feel you have to, the baby will be unhappy because you are, without knowing why.

so nobody should be forced into anything.

my sister in law has 4 babies who all fed from bottles, they're all bright and bubbley children and did fine. they also have different genes to my babies, so who is to tell what features come from the genetics and which ones from being breastfed or not.

i feel breast is best and im happy to do it, thats my choice and those mums out there that choose to bottle feed and that makes them happy, then that's the right choice for them.

IsThatSo?

Sachamamas' post covered it all perfectly and I agree with every word of it.

I breastfed my first two for 6 months each, my third I fed on formula (4 months old now) purely because it transpired that the 24 hour colic my first two had (pause to shudder at memories) was in fact milk protein/lactose intolerance so I put my daughter straight to special formula.

The problems my first two had did make breastfeeding harder that it would normally have been, but I wouldn't change the fact that I did it. Given the issues my children have with milk protein/lactose I am finding this one a lot easier with the formula as she is a lot more settled than my first two were. I do feel though that I have treated her differently to her brothers, even if it is for the right reasons. Having said that, the last 4 months have been a LOT easier than they were when my others were newborns. Sometimes life just butts in and makes a decision for you

lalalulu

deisemum wrote: »

How do you know a formula fed baby is looking for a feed or for comfort? Same as a breastfed baby.

I have a friend who is breastfeeding her four month old. My friend will lift the baby when she cries and offer her a feed all good so far but babs seems to feed for only 5-10 minutes and falls asleep on the breast. Half an hour later it's the same thing! It goes on like this for most of the day. So i'm presuming babs is looking for comfort, has wind, etc etc rather than her being hungry.
This is what put me off feeding my daughter myself.

beth-lou

lalalulu wrote: »

I have a friend who is breastfeeding her four month old. My friend will lift the baby when she cries and offer her a feed all good so far but babs seems to feed for only 5-10 minutes and falls asleep on the breast. Half an hour later it's the same thing! It goes on like this for most of the day. So i'm presuming babs is looking for comfort, has wind, etc etc rather than her being hungry.
This is what put me off feeding my daughter myself.

Tell your friend to tickle her babies feet when he/she starts to nod off. 15 to 20 mins should be enough time to empty the breast, anything after that is generally comfort sucking. So you keep stimulating baby to keep it awake so it empties the breast and then I'd invest in a soother.

As far as breast feeding being hard, I only found it hard when my nipples got sore, and that only lasted for a few days. After that I found it grand. A breast fed baby will feed more than a bottle fed baby. But I just put my feet up and relaxed with my little ones for the first few weeks, and they did actually fall into a routine. I was lucky enough to have my sister on hand with lots of practicle tips on getting the baby latched on properly, tips on keeping the baby awake while feeding, such as tickling the feet or taking off socks etc and about how long to let baby feed. She encouraged me and made me stick to the 15 to 20 min rule and it did work. You can actually feel when your breast is empty.

I found it easier than washing and sterilising bottles, loved the fact that I could just lie the baby beside me for a night feed and just pop her back in her basket when finished. I have had two very positive experiences so far and I am due my next baby in 2 weeks and hope to breast feed again.

I know that it can be hard for some people and my other sister had problems when she did it, but she persevered and it did get better. But she's not sure if she'll breast feed her next. I suppose I would advise people to try it if they are curious about it. If it isn't for you, then far enough, but I loved it and had a positive experience. If I had problems and couldn't do it, while I would be disappointed, it wouldn't be the end of the world and as has been said, a happy Mammy is the best for baby.

Quality

beth-lou wrote: »

Tell your friend to tickle her babies feet when he/she starts to nod off. 15 to 20 mins should be enough time to empty the breast, anything after that is generally comfort sucking. So you keep stimulating baby to keep it awake so it empties the breast and then I'd invest in a soother.

As far as breast feeding being hard, I only found it hard when my nipples got sore, and that only lasted for a few days. After that I found it grand. A breast fed baby will feed more than a bottle fed baby. But I just put my feet up and relaxed with my little ones for the first few weeks, and they did actually fall into a routine. I was lucky enough to have my sister on hand with lots of practicle tips on getting the baby latched on properly, tips on keeping the baby awake while feeding, such as tickling the feet or taking off socks etc and about how long to let baby feed. She encouraged me and made me stick to the 15 to 20 min rule and it did work. You can actually feel when your breast is empty.

I found it easier than washing and sterilising bottles, loved the fact that I could just lie the baby beside me for a night feed and just pop her back in her basket when finished. I have had two very positive experiences so far and I am due my next baby in 2 weeks and hope to breast feed again.

I know that it can be hard for some people and my other sister had problems when she did it, but she persevered and it did get better. But she's not sure if she'll breast feed her next. I suppose I would advise people to try it if they are curious about it. If it isn't for you, then far enough, but I loved it and had a positive experience. If I had problems and couldn't do it, while I would be disappointed, it wouldn't be the end of the world and as has been said, a happy Mammy is the best for baby.

Thats a lovely post.. And good luck with the new baby bethlou.

I love feeding my baby too.. I enjoy the time with him, I love the fact that myself and my partner created him, that I cooked him in my tummy, brought him into this world and exclusively fed him to 5 months old... So every lb he puts on is from the milk I make him!!

MaryFMOR

Quality wrote: »

Thats a lovely post.. And good luck with the new baby bethlou.

I love feeding my baby too.. I enjoy the time with him, I love the fact that myself and my partner created him, that I cooked him in my tummy, brought him into this world and exclusively fed him to 5 months old... So every lb he puts on is from the milk I make him!!

That's lovely

Exactly how I feel 7 months on and still breast feeding my little fellow.

Morag

4 months with both of them, once they had teeth I was done.

cynder

first lady 2.5 years. from 9 months she would wake up 11 times a night for a comfort feed.

She had chronic tooth decay at 2. Had 8 teeth removed at 3 and 2 more removed at 6. she had a chest infection every time she cut a tooth and needed antibiotics the antibiotics gave her the runs which gave her nappy rash and she had to have steriod cream.

At 7 was diagnosed with diabetes.

She bit me twice when she got her teeth at 4 months and gave me ulcers on my nipples.

She would not take a bottle or formula and at 2 and a half i was at my wits end and put mustard on my nipples and told her milk had gone yucky and that did the trick, she had great comprehension at 2.


i had another baby when she was 6, he was 5 weeks premature and could not latch onto the breast so he had the bottle, no tooth decay, no investigation every time he cut a tooth, and so far at age 5 no diabetes. He is way healthier than my breast fed baby.


3rd baby also bottle fed, his now 4 and is the same as my other bottle fed baby.

Cottontail

Quality wrote: »

How long did you breast feed your child for?

8 Months full time, then gradually introduced bottles (one a week) until he was just breastfeeding twice a day, until he was just over a year old.

Was there a particular reason for giving up? (return to work etc)

I was going back to work when he was 10 months or so. But I kept on the other 2 feeds just because I could. At about a year I noticed he wasn't really staying on for long and didn't seem too bothered so we just gave up completely.

Do you think there is an age that you should stop breastfeeding your baby? And why?

No, keep going as long as ye are both happy. Although if he's leaving for college you might want to think about it..... : )

Morag

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neuro-praxis

sachamama wrote: »

Here are all the reasons I did breastfeed and will do again:

• its better for baby. they get all their immunity from you so they are better protected from being sick.
  
• it gives a good bond between mother and baby
  
• the baby isn't bloated from drinking formula and dosent get knocked out from being too full. because of this, baby has more "awake" time and can learn and pick up things quicker
  
• the nappies are much more pleasant from breastmilk because more of the milk gets absorbed and used by the babies body
  
• baby is less likely to vomit after meals because the milk is specifically tuned to their body
  
• the constituency of the milk changes all the time depending on what the mother eats, so baby gets a variety of vitamins and minerals and flavours, formula is the same stuff all the time.
  
• all three of my babies are highly intelligent and i put it down to the breastmilk being able to provide essential fatty acids which go into brain development that they cannot reproduce in formula, no matter how hard they try to.

I'm not a mum, but I have au-paired for breastfed and bottlefed babies and toddlers, and I must say that a lot of what you have listed is nonsense. Every child is different.

This is coming from someone who is completely in favour of breastfeeding. Let me tell you, I have cared for some sick, vomity, stinky-nappied and average-intelligence children who were exclusively breast-fed. I'm glad you've had such a good experience but I do think your post verges on propaganda...

Das Kitty

I just want to point out that this thread is from 09, I'm leaving it open as it contains information that is still relevant and may be helpful

Kildrought

..once they had teeth I was done

I always thought this was curious - presumably your husband/partner has teeth also?

Morag

Kildrought wrote: »

I always thought this was curious - presumably your husband/partner has teeth also?

Yes but they never gnawed on me several times a day looking to be fed.

Rosy Posy

I breastfed both my children until they were able to drink from a cup. They weaned around ten or eleven months. A lot of my friends went longer than this and one thing that I noticed was that after about a year a lot of the babies were still waking in the night. Both my children only stopped waking in the night after they were weaned. Its fine to breastfeed as long as you want as long as you and the child are happy with it. But if the mother is just keeping on breastfeeding because they don't really know how to stop or to comfort their child or get them to sleep at night, you'll often find that that spills over into other areas of parenting, such as discipline. Basically the child gets a few smarts when they're over a year and thinks that they own you. This is just what I have observed from several different cases. Every mother should decide how long to breastfeed for for herself, not how long her friends/boss/mother-in-law/partner think she should.

Cat Melodeon

I breastfed my lad until he was 11 months (on the boob) or 14 months (expressing) depending on how you look at it. He went on nursing strike at 11 months but wasn't ready for the cup or cow's milk at that point so I kept expressing for him. By 14 months he didn't need me any more

It was a lovely experience. I had two or three tough weeks at the start but looking back, it's not them or the night feeds or the awkward moments when I'd leak in public that stick in my head, what stands out is the cosiness and cuddles and loveliness and the fact that he was never sick. Hope I get to do it all again some time soon!

littlebitdull

I exclusivly breastfed my eldest - ie no bottles - for nine days!

My second I mix fed her for four weeks - bottles and breast.

My 3rd/last child I exclusivly breastfed her for almost ten months.

My elder two children are extreemly healthly kids/now young adults who have not been seen by our doctor for medical reasons for about ten years now. The eldest lad got six honours in his leaving last year, the second child got all A's and B's in her junior, so no worries that end either.

My youngest - has had inpatient hospital visits, and was a frequent flyer at our doctors surgury. She was on constant meds up untill she was 9 and had pages and pages of notes with the doc.

She is no more inteligent than the other two. Has similar facial features to her sister, had stinky nappies as an infant .......

But if I had the time again I would still breast feed her. I personally found it so much easier, no washing bottles, never having to worry if you had milk powder in the house, never worrying when your out and about did you bring enough bottles. And the joy of night feeding when you dont have to actually ever leave your nice warm bed !!! Makes any downside worthwhile!!