How long did you breastfeed for?

[Gizzyy]

Hi ladies,
I'm not due until the 1st or 2nd of July and this will be my first. I was wondering how long should you breastfeed to get the benefits? I know some mummys choose to breastfeed longer but on an average how long did you breastfeed your little one/s for? x

 

[BunnyN]

LO is 6 months and I can't imagine giving up soon.

I think any amount of time is good but most babies will get good out of it for at least two years if you are willing to carry on. That is seen as a long time by a lot of people but is actually the official recommendation of health organizations like WHO.

A lot of mums give up in the first weeks because it can be hard going during that time and there is often not enough support given but if you can make it through that it gets much easier. Quite a few mothers plan to stop at 6 months or at a year but some of them are surprised how much they like it and carry on longer. Others prefer to let LO decide when they are ready to stop. Personally I wouldn't plan on going less than a year but at the end of the day only you know what's right for you and LO.

 

[Celesse]

I cut DD off the day before her third birthday. I'll carry on nursing DS for the mean time.

I think it depends what you mean by "benefits". Breastfeeding is the natural normal way to feed a baby, so technically there are no benefits to breastfeeding, just risks to not breastfeeding. I'd say one of the biggest benefits to nursing from the breast as opposed to feeding via a bottle is the comfort it offers the child, comfort they continue to get well into toddler-hood and beyond. Continuing to breastfeed increases the childs potential IQ, studies have looked at this up until 2 years of age and the longer a child is breastfed the higher the IQ.

The WHO recommend feeding exclusively until 6 months, and then along side solids until at least 2 years old. Some people (and formula companies) get stuck on the "until 6 months exclusively" bit.

I don't think you can decide how long you will nurse your baby for until you are doing it. Your baby is always only one day older than they were yesterday and a lot of mums want to carry on a lot longer than they first set out to.

Writing this whilst my almost 2 yr old has a quick boobie and plays car cars at the same time. This involved using my boob as a road whilst nursing.

 

[Bevziibubble]

My LO is 21 months and still going strong. She's a real boobie monster. There is no 'cut off' point for the benefits, they are ongoing. Any length of time you can breastfeed for is great and will give benefits

 

[Gizzyy]

Thank you everyone It will be my first time so not sure what to expect I really hope I can do it and will feed baby as long as he/she needs x

 

[BintUmmi]

We're still breastfeeding at 20 months. My goal has always been 2 years but I set my minimum for 12 months didn't want to stop before then and thankfully we didn't have too.

 

[Gizzyy]

My LO is 21 months and still going strong. She's a real boobie monster. There is no 'cut off' point for the benefits, they are ongoing. Any length of time you can breastfeed for is great and will give benefits

Haha 'boobie monster' made me giggle!

 

[Gizzyy]

I think I want to do it to bond with baby aswel it seems much more comforting and soothing for them than a bottle when they're that young.

 

[Celesse]

Boobies are the answer to around 98% of a breastfed babies problems.
Tired? Boobie!
Hungry? Boobie!
Bumped head? Boobie!
Bit bored? Boobie!

I think I'd struggle to parent if I had to FF as I'm so use to just being able to pop a boobie in babies mouth and solve almost everything.

 

[cat lover]

Dd1, 14 months. Dd2, still going at 13 months and will probably stop soon

 

[BunnyN]

Boobies are the answer to around 98% of a breastfed babies problems.
Tired? Boobie!
Hungry? Boobie!
Bumped head? Boobie!
Bit bored? Boobie!

I think I'd struggle to parent if I had to FF as I'm so use to just being able to pop a boobie in babies mouth and solve almost everything.

Lol, so true.
BFing can seem like hard work to start with but in the long run it's sooo much easier.

 

[Dream.dream]

My first I did 11 months before I had to stop ( doctor told me there was not alternative to a medication I had to take)

I'm planning on a minimum of a year with my second longer if we both want to

 

[susannah14]

Still nursing at 15 months and no plans on stopping anytime soon. It's something we both enjoy so much. Every night when he snuggles into me and has his bedtime feed, I think about how much I will miss those moments once he's older. He's probably going to be my only child, so once we are done nursing, it's something I will never get back.

In the beginning, it was really difficult, and I had a lot of challenges (milk came in late, got thrush, bad latch, tongue-tie), but I stuck with it, and around 6 weeks it became SOOOO much easier. You have to take it one day at a time. If you think "Oh man I have to do this for the next two years?!" when you are nursing your newborn, you will go crazy. Just know that it's not that hard once you are past the first 4-6 weeks, and nursing an older baby/toddler is the easiest thing in the WORLD!

 

[special_kala]

River barely 2 weeks as i had some really bad advice and didnt know any better so it didnt work out.

W 14 months, i would have liked to have to got to at least 2 but she self weaned happily

Fox still going strong.

 

[Gizzyy]

I worry that i might not be able to or my nipples will get sore or milk ducts clogged, trouble expressing ect but as someone said it's probably best taking one day at a time and I'm sure I'll get used to it

 

[Bevziibubble]

Yup one day at a time. It gets so much easier. And Lansinoh nipple cream helps so much

 

[BintUmmi]

I worry that i might not be able to or my nipples will get sore or milk ducts clogged, trouble expressing ect but as someone said it's probably best taking one day at a time and I'm sure I'll get used to it

There are loads of things that could happen then again none of them could. I think as long as you have good support ( and this forum can be very helpful) if things do go wrong you should be more than fine taking it each day at a time.

 

[susannah14]

I worry that i might not be able to or my nipples will get sore or milk ducts clogged, trouble expressing ect but as someone said it's probably best taking one day at a time and I'm sure I'll get used to it

For every person who experiences problems, there is another (or more) who breastfeeds without any problems at all. My cousin was one of them...so easy from the beginning!

It only seems like everyone who breastfeeds runs into problems because most of the people posting here do so because they have problems! Not many people start threads that say "I have no problems breastfeeding! The end!"

Don't get ahead of yourself...you might have a really easy time, and even if you do have some issues, you can work your way through with support. This forum is a great place to start.

 

[BunnyN]

I didn't get sore nipples, or very sore breasts. I think it is just good to know it can happen and it will get easier.

 

[Gizzyy]

Susanna:This is true! I think the internet can be your best friend or your worst enemy lol. I'm so grateful for this forum and all you ladies and your advice because although they say parenting comes naturally it doesn't hurt to get some tips to make life a bit easier. i'm sure nearer the time I will develop more fears but I know I have the support of this forum