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s/o extended nursing


mo2
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I'm sure it's been discussed before, but really, how many of you have nursed your baby past age 3? I am currently nursing a 3yo but it's sporadic---mainly at nighttime or when she is sick. Where I am from, it is NOT acceptable to nurse a child that old, so I just don't mention it. I wonder how many other closet nursers there are out there...

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I'm sure it's been discussed before, but really, how many of you have nursed your baby past age 3? I am currently nursing a 3yo but it's sporadic---mainly at nighttime or when she is sick. Where I am from, it is NOT acceptable to nurse a child that old, so I just don't mention it. I wonder how many other closet nursers there are out there...

 

I did. My first stopped nursing around 2.5. Second went until 3 or so. Third was 4. Fourth was older than the third!

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My two older children both nursed past 3, and my 2.5 yo shows no signs of stopping. I'm not closeted though. I don't broadcast it, and I put limits on nursing starting somewhere around 18-24 months because I'm unwilling to nurse on demand with a child that age.

 

I have told a few people, but most people don't exactly ask. So yeah, I don't broadcast it, but I also don't feel ashamed or closeted or anything like that.

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Not closet nursing, at all! :) I nursed my oldest till just shy of 3yrs old and my youngest till just shy of 5yrs old. It's great for them and my youngest seemed to stay well more, until after I stopped! :) I believe that it's a societal thing and am proud to be part of the generation that is bringing back extended nursing. I believe it's part of a "we do what's right for our children" thing. Society can believe that br**sts are for more than what Vict*ria S*cret says they are :)

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I'm not a closet nurser but in my family extended nursing was the norm so I have a good support system in place. I was definitely not the norm where we lived, but I had family nearby and I tend not to care what others think anyhow so it didn't bother me. My good friend from those years had zero support, a wary husband, and a people-pleasing personality. It was very hard for her.

 

Mine nursed beyond 3.

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I'm sure it's been discussed before, but really, how many of you have nursed your baby past age 3? I am currently nursing a 3yo but it's sporadic---mainly at nighttime or when she is sick. Where I am from, it is NOT acceptable to nurse a child that old, so I just don't mention it. I wonder how many other closet nursers there are out there...

 

i practice child lead weaning. i feel breastfeeding meets a need and i am not in a place to know what my child's inner needs are save by their behavior -- so i take the POV that if they are still asking to nurse, and still nursing, they are still meeting a need.

 

my oldest nursed my whole pregnancy and tandem with his little brother for a year. he weaned just past 3, his last nursing was in church. i have nuresed in public till the end with both, though DS2 (below) gave up NIP at about 3.5 because he was generally too busy to care and would only nurse when things were slow or he was really hurt -- thus rarely in public)

 

my oldest nursed till 3 months past 4.

 

at no point in nursing either did i ever "hide" to nurse -- both boys have nursed every place i go

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Nursed my youngest until just past her 4th birthday. We only nursed at home after she turned 2. Very glad I did. I decided to extend nursing after attending a LLL conference where they explained the health benefits of extended breast feeding. At that time I decided this was my body, my child and my life so I decided we would continue. Weaning was a very natural process whet she gradually reduced her request until one day she did not ask.

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I am currently nursing my youngest ds18mos. I don't plan on weaning anytime soon. Seeing all of these posts is so encouraging. I don't have much support in my area for extended nursing. That includes my doctor and my dh. My dh feels that it takes up a lot of my time but I enjoy it.

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I nursed #1 till 27 months. She weaned herself when I was a couple of months pregnant with #2. I nursed #2 till just after her 4th birthday. At that time I was a couple of months pregnant with #3 and whenever she'd latch on I thought I would die from the pain. So I had to wean her. It was easy though. Currently nursing #3 who is ten months.

 

I've never kept my extended nursing a secret. We did basically stop nursing in public after 2 though....it just wasn't necessary. I'm the type that I may be shy but I dare someone to comment to me about nursing my child lol.

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I nursed my youngest just past her 3rd birthday. She did not want to quit and weaning was hard but by then I was desperate to have my body back to being my body. She nursed several times during the day for comfort and at least once at night until I weaned her. She turns 5 next week and will sometimes still come up and talk to my booKs and tell them she misses them. Instead now in the night I hear "mommy just hold me" (we still bedshare).

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The boys nursed until the summer before they turned 4. Literally, over the course of a week, they just "forgot" how. It was odd, especially after their older sister weaned with a "no. No, t'anks" shortly after her first birthday. (I thought it was a strike. It totally wasn't. :( )

 

No closet nursing for me. Perfectly normal on both sides of the family, and among my friends. No one ever batted an eye except one very young waiter who leaned over my shoulder to take my order and found himself looking down my top into another face. :lol: (To be clear, it didn't seem to be the nursing that there him so much as the face peering out.)

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First baby stopped regular breastfeeds at 14 months and was fully weaned by 18 months (unwillingly on my part - he had an extended nursing strike and I had inadequate support to get him back on - if I had another chance, I'd never give up before 24 months).

Second baby weaned at around 28 months (mutual decision).

Third baby weaned at about 38 months (ditto).

So I only made it past 3 once. But I know a few people who've gone to 4 or 5, one to 6 and one to 7 years.

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Thank you all. There is very little support for extended nursing where I live. In fact, not too long ago I had to mention to my doc that I was still nursing (she was prescribing a new med for me and I wanted to make sure it was okay). She looked at me incredulously and said, "Are you even able to still produce milk?" I think I just said, "Well....yeah." :lol:

 

All 3 of my now teens nursed past age 3.

 

 

They are all weaned now.;):lol:

 

:lol:

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