Breastfeeding or Not... How long did you nurse?

[EthiopianFood]

I'm still nursing my 23 month old, and I don't know when she will wean, obviously. I'm thinking definitely over age 3 though. :D (I didn't respond in the poll)

[Matryoshka]

I nursed my twins to 16 and 18 months, my singleton to 23 months. With the twins, they were preemies and had health issues; it took us 3 months to get the hang of things and get them off of formula supplementation, but then it was smooth sailing and they pretty much self-weaned. My youngest is my "still would be bfing" one.

Edited December 17, 2009 by matroyshka

[6packofun]

I am pro-breastfeeding, although not beyond the first year personally, BUT I only nursed my first child for 4 weeks and never did it again. I hated it. It was uncomfortable, I'm antsy, I wanted dh to help, I'm a depressed monster without sleep and I really hated how it felt. I'm not a prude at all, it's just not something I wanted to continue personally.

 

I tell all new moms to really give it their all, too, but for me, my all was not enough to keep it up. (Oh, my anatomy didn't cooperate very well, either, and the experience with a grabby LLL lady in the hospital didn't help, but those things alone did not keep me from trying.) :)

[LibraryLover]

Oh, it was years alright. ;)

 

Why on earth not? The World Health Organization says babies should be breastfed for a minimum of two YEARS. "Years" is exactly what we should be striving for. We should be proud of our years and years (and years). ;)

 

22 months

33 months (yes, that's almost three years)

8months and still going strong

[joannqn]

Each child in order of birth:

 

36 months (weaned on her 3rd birthday)

23 months

25 months

still nursing, though she will be weaned when she's 28 months if she hasn't done so already

[lisabees]

All four of mine were nursed between 2 1/2 and 3 1/2. Looking back, it's very strange to think I nursed so long. I nursed for ten years straight. And my poor "raisins on a plate" prove it!

 

I LOVED being pregnant, giving birth, nursing and having a baby with that sweet head smell and chubby, soft feet. Aaahhh...I miss those days. ;)

[RainbowSprinkles]

i nursed my dd, my first child, until she was 16 months. my next one, i nursed 12 months and i'm still nursing my littlest one. he is 11 months and i would like to nurse him until he is at least 18 months.

[mama2cntrykids]

My oldest was 18 months. I would have nursed him longer BUT I was preggo with his brother and nursing was literally driving me insane. Ah hormones! With my youngest ds, it was 17 months. Again, I regret not going longer, but by that time I was a single mama and totally stressed out. My dd was 27 months when I weaned her. I didn't grieve it near as much as her brothers. If I were blessed with another, I'd probably be more inclined to go longer...maybe even let them self wean...ok--with in reason, lol--no five year olds or anything (no offense to anyone who's nursed that long, I'm just not sure I could do it).

[Daisy]

I fed my daughter breastmilk for 10mths. She never latched on, had problems sucking, etc. I pumped for 10 months straight. She was sleeping through the night and I was getting up to pump in order to keep my milk supply up. She couldn't tolerate formula & in hindsight, I'm glad.

 

I nursed my son for a little over a year and then he weaned himself. He was more interested in food than drinking anything.

 

I'm all for nursing though and wished I had had an easier time of it.

[MeaganS]

I breastfed for 4 months, and stopped because my daughter only gained 2 ounces in her first 2 months. She was below zero percentile and looked like a little skeleton baby. My mother had the same problem with me when I was a baby, and my grandmother was also unable to breastfeed. It was completely miserable for me because I felt like a horrible mother and was completely relieved when I decided to switch to formula.

 

I'm happy for you who were able to nurse for a while, although I have to admit, I never did like it much.

[Imprimis]

I LOVED being pregnant, giving birth, nursing and having a baby with that sweet head smell and chubby, soft feet. Aaahhh...I miss those days.

 

Exactly how I feel....and as my "baby" gets ready to turn 6, I can't help but feel a tiny bit wistful...

[nrg]

and just a few days for the others. They were found to be unable to digest any proteins and were prescribed predigested protein formula. I was badgered by the breastfeeding consultant for the hospital and derided by strangers. Times had really changed. Sigh.

[Barb_]

This thread inspired me to do the math and I've been breastfeeding for a sum total of....

 

14 years :eek:!

 

It's a wonder I have a tooth left in my head.

 

Barb

[IsabelC]

My first child only got 1.5 years. At the time I thought I'd done all I could, but now I realize that I could probably have prevented him from weaning so early :(

Second child got almost 2.5 years

Third child is currently breastfeeding so I don't know how long she'll go for. I aim to do at least 2 years, after that we'll see what she wants to do

Edited December 17, 2009 by Hotdrink

[tdeveson]

I nursed #1 for 2 years. Back then that was obscene and I didn't tell most people. (She's 27.) When I arrived at the hospital to have her, the nurse went to give me a shot to dry my milk without even asking me -- she said everybody did that. I was out of it, but my mother intervened and sent her away. If my mom hadn't been there, that would have been that.

 

#2 wouldn't latch on at all. (He's 10.) We hired a lactation consultant who tried all sorts of things, but I ended up attached to a big hospital machine for hours and hours every day expressing milk. Dh took three months off when ds was born, and it was his job to feed ds with a syringe and a little tube the lactation consultant came up with. This went on for eight months when I finally had to quit because I couldn't stand it any more -- being attached to that machine month after month damaged me. I still grieve this. A lot. :(

 

I have all kinds of respect for dairy cows now.

Edited December 17, 2009 by tdeveson

[CatMomof3]

oldest dd - tried did not work

ds - 9 mo (he just did not want it anymore)

youngest dd - 25 mo (I finally said I quit)

[jillian]

 

I LOVED being pregnant, giving birth, nursing and having a baby with that sweet head smell and chubby, soft feet. Aaahhh...I miss those days. ;)

me too, i look at dd now and just wish i had nursed her longer

[tricia]

Phew, I am glad I'm not the only 36 month or longer nurser. My Mary just turned 4 yesterday and she still nurses at night before bed. I could totally be done but I can see that she clearly would miss that time.

[Spy Car]

Only one child. He breast-fed for just shy of 2.5 years.

 

But, good-golly, did he make the most of it. His mother was a saint, I'm telling you.

 

Bill

[Annie Laurie]

My longest was just past 3, maybe 39 or 40 months. Sad, but I can't remember to the exact month anymore.

[The Governess]

Dd5 weaned at 13 months. She lost interest and I had been having health problems the whole time I was bfing her (colds and sinus issues that wouldn't go away, way too much weight loss, etc.) and so it was a good time to stop.

 

Dd3 was adopted at 8 months and was not bf.

[Ritsumei]

Monkey was 15 months, and I was trying to get pregnant with the baby that I'm just now starting to "bake," about 2 years later! I was dealing with fertility issues, and it became clear that there was no way I was going to get pg again while nursing. Weaning was hard on us both. I'm still wistful about it, although Monkey's clearly fine. We'll see how things go with this one. Not less than 1 year. I'd like to get closer to 2 years. We'll see what the body is up to and what DH and I decide to do about expanding the family when the time comes.

[nmoira]

DD the Elder -- 4.5 years

DD the Younger -- 5 years to the day

[SonshineLearner]

DD the Elder -- 4.5 years

DD the Younger -- 5 years to the day

 

Yippee... we are the same about nursing:-) Did you have to wean them... or did they "give it up"?

 

I actually weaned my little one... when he was almost 5.... I just felt that it was socially "time to give it up". He still remembers nursing, fondly. (He's 6.5) Just last night he was watching a baby nurse and said, "I bet Maya loves her n*rsie".... I told him that yes... I'm sure she does... I asked him if he remembers n*rsing... and he said fondly, "yes... I do... I was 4 when I stopped."

 

No more babies for me.... Sad...

[nmoira]

 

Yippee... we are the same about nursing:-) Did you have to wean them... or did they "give it up"?

My eldest self weaned... it gave her extra time to read. :tongue_smilie: With my youngest, my milk was almost gone, so I asked her (with a couple weeks notice) to stop after her fifth birthday. She also has fond memories of nursing.

[SABE]

#1-weaned himself 1 week before his 3rd birthday. I was pregnant with #3.

#2-weaned himself at 18 months. I was pregnant with #3.

#3-weaned himself at 32 months. I was pregnant with #4.

#4-still nursing a ton at 10 months with no end in sight!

[Peela]

I tandem fed my two who are 17.5 months apart. They weaned themselves when dd was 5 and ds 3.5.

[MelanieM]

I nursed my daughter until just after her 4th birthday. She was down to one nursing in the morning and I was very tired of tandem nursing (after 18 months of it).

 

My son weaned at 3.5 when I was pregnant with our third. I really didn't want to tandem again.

 

With both of my big kids weaning was encouraged by me, very gently and with lots of discussion, and they were completely fine with it. Though I think my girl would have hung in there a little longer if I was more open to that, and my boy wouldn't have wanted to stop if there was still milk!

 

I'm soooo glad I nursed them both through the toddler years. Nursing is such a wonderful way to reconnect and sooth a big kid that is overwhelmed or over-stimulated!

[crl]

Each of my babies weaned around 2 and a half. And neither was because they wanted to, but my milk dries up when I get pregnant so they had no other choice. I'll never forget my DD's face when she looked at me and said, "Mommy, goobs (b**bs) broke." She was so sad.

[Hedgehogs4]

i weaned ds at 2 yrs. 9 months, my daughter self-weaned and didn't give it up until 3 yrs. 8 months, but it was just the snuggle at night quick nip before bed kind of nursing.

[PineFarmMom]

The same with all, and how I will with this next one: 1 year. :)

[Parrothead]

Dd weaned herself at 11 months.

[Miss Marple]

I wasn't a very good producer and all my boys weaned themselves after they started on solids (around 6-9 months). Mom was obviously not meeting their needs/desires. They never nursed for comfort. Even when they would get hurt they would become even more indignant when I tried to "nurse them through it".

[mommyto3]

#1 weaned at 8 mos

#2 self weaned at 10 mos

#3 self weaned at 12 mos

#4 planning to BF but not sure how long

[babysparkler]

This thread inspired me to do the math and I've been breastfeeding for a sum total of....

 

14 years :eek:!

 

It's a wonder I have a tooth left in my head.

 

Barb

 

:hurray:

[ohmel]

My first I weaned at 39 months (I did not want to tandem), the second at 30 months (same story) and my third is still going strong. I don't think I'll do child led weaning but we're not having more children so who knows when he'll be done.

[sleepymommy]

Ds1- nursed for about 12 1/2 months.

 

Ds2- only nursed for about 2-3 weeks and even that was supplemented with formula.

[Nakia]

#1-self weaned at 12 months

#2-I weaned her at 18 months because she was biting me constantly. I couldn't take the bleeding and pain anymore. She is still very oral.

#3-self weaned at 23 months

[OurClub190]

Not the same child obviously!

 

DS 17 nursed until he was about 3, maybe 3.5 -- he weaned while I was pregnant with child #2

 

DS 13 nursed forever. I honestly can't remember if he was 5 or closer to 6 when he weaned. All I can say for sure is that he weaned before we moved into our current house, and he was almost 7 when we did that.

 

DS4 is still nursing, still going strong too, with no thoughts of weaning. He ignores me when I tell him that soon he'll be a big boy and big boys don't nursey and they use the potty (he still hides in his closet when that time comes around). While I am eager to wear one piece dresses again, ones without nursing holes, I'm not uptight about the issue. I know he'll wean when he's ready and that's OK with me. (P.S. It's OK with DH too. He's my biggest fan with the whole natural parent thing.)

 

C