Exclusively expressing later on?

[AK89]

I was just wondering if anyone here has started exclusively expressing later on, say from 6 months on? I always said to myself I'll probably breastfeed til she's about 6 months. Don't ask me why but I just always felt like I didn't wanna go the full 12 months... but now I don't like the thought of transferring to formula, and don't see the point either since I've got an endless supply of the stuff right here for free, and it's even better for her!

I feel a bit different about it now.. like not as uncomfortable about breastfeeding for longer. Maybe not til she's 12 months, I'll see.. but I was just wondering if anyone has gone from breastfeeding to exclusively pumping? So obviously when she hits the 6 month mark she'll start on solids and have milk alongside it, and I'm thinking of just expressing my own milk and giving it her purely out of the bottle. I'd maybe pump twice a day. Would my supply survive off that or no?

Not sure how well I've explained that.. it's the middle of the night!

 

[staralfur]

You'd need to pump more than twice a day, your LO will still need mostly milk until 12 months, so unless you're prepared to start buying/making up formula, you'd need to still pump for regular feeds. I was at school and working part-time when my LO was 6 months and I think I was pumping 4-5 times per day plus two feeds with her at home.

I also said I'd stop at 6 months and when I got there it just made absolutely no sense to switch her to formula. I pumped out of necessity but I would've much rather skipped that and nursed full-time, it's just so much easier.

I mean, I intially said I'd stop a 6 months, then I got to 6 months and said a year, then got to a year and said two years... now we're still going at almost 2 years and 8 months. You never know how you'll feel until you get there, but for me, my LO still seemed so little at 6 months and I had finally gotten comfortable with breastfeeding, and stopping just seemed counterintuitive.

With the amount of milk your LO would still need at 6 months I think it would be much, much easier to just continue nursing. My pumping routine on days that I was away and needed to pump was exhausting.

 

[luna_19]

Yup as pp said you would need to pump every feed to maintain your supply, might as well just nurse! My original.goal was 1 year but I love having nursing as a tool with my toddler, it is an excellent source of nutrition, fixes boo boos, is great bonding time and puts him straight to sleep when he's tired

 

[noon_child]

LO still seemed so little at 6 months and I had finally gotten comfortable with breastfeeding, and stopping just seemed counterintuitive.

With the amount of milk your LO would still need at 6 months I think it would be much, much easier to just continue nursing.

This! I think weaning and bf is easier too as you don't have to decide to reduce bottle sizes, in fact YOU don't have to decide anything, LO will just take less milk when satisfied by food or too interested in playing to sit on Mummy's lap but more when he/she needs it.

I also think those toddler years are full of tummy bugs and teething and milestones and breastfeeding is so good for all of those. It didn't matter how ill my LO got she would always nurse and never got dehydratyed even with horrible d and v.

 

[staralfur]

LO still seemed so little at 6 months and I had finally gotten comfortable with breastfeeding, and stopping just seemed counterintuitive.

With the amount of milk your LO would still need at 6 months I think it would be much, much easier to just continue nursing.

This! I think weaning and bf is easier too as you don't have to decide to reduce bottle sizes, in fact YOU don't have to decide anything, LO will just take less milk when satisfied by food or too interested in playing to sit on Mummy's lap but more when he/she needs it.

I also think those toddler years are full of tummy bugs and teething and milestones and breastfeeding is so good for all of those. It didn't matter how ill my LO got she would always nurse and never got dehydratyed even with horrible d and v.

It's also great for those picky eating phases... when my LO has a day where all she'll eat is cheese and won't drink anything other than apple juice from her cup, it's nice to know she's getting some other nutrition from breastmilk when she nurses. She's finally at the age now where I can say "you have to eat your carrots before you can have _____" and she understands and will do it, but even 6 months ago that wouldn't have worked at all.