Nursing longer than you expected?

[sheldonsmommy]

I have never really put timelines on breastfeeding my babies.

With ds1 my milk dried up around 4 months so we happily switched to formula as I was back at work.

This time around I said I hope I make it to 4 months. Well we've passed that milestone and now I'm confident I will get to 6 months. I haven't decided what I will do at that time but it's been such a breeze this time around (now that I'm out of the newborn stage) that I don't know if I want to stop. Maybe I will go to a year?

Has anyone else nursed for longer than you expected? What were your reasons for continuing?

 

[Tacey]

That's great that you've exceeded your target!

With Alice I intended on 18 months, discovered the WHO say 2 years minimum, so that was my new aim then ended up stopping at nearly 4 and a half years!

The benefits were so obvious and she wanted to keep on going, so I couldn't see a reason to stop.

 

[staralfur]

I had originally planned on 6 months, then once I got there I realized there was no point in discontinuing breastfeeding (which was finally going well) in favour of formula, making bottles, etc. So I said I'd go until 1. She turned 1 and still wasn't very established on solids at all, still nursed frequently, and weaning would have been a nightmare. So I said "until she's 2..." and now she's a couple of weeks away from 2 and there's no way she'll be weaned by then.

I've started to lightly encourage less nursing (refusing if I know she's just wanting to nurse out of habit) and she seems okay with it, so I'm hoping we'll both be done within the next year... but who knows!

 

[sheldonsmommy]

Wow good job ladies!

 

[QueenMummyToBe]

We have got to 6 and a half months and I have no reason to stop..
In the early days I had to take it a day at a time as she was attached to me
non stop.

The issue I have at the moment is she screams when I am not in the room.. making it very difficult to do anything without her or even leave her with her daddy.

xx

 

[Pielette]

My original goal was 6 months. I ff my first and was desperate to make bf work this time. Each time I reached another month I was so pleased. And when I got to 6 months I thought I am loving this far too much to stop. Aiming for a year now but who knows, I might go longer! We both love it.

 

[missk1989]

I always assumed we would wean at 6 months but we always had a really easy time of it and it seemed wrong to and almost insulting to mums that had tried so hard to get that far. I wanted to stop around 12 months but Isaac disagreed and we stopped last week at 17 months.

 

[capegirl7]

With dd1 I has originally said. 3 months when going back to work I then said. 6 months. Didn't want to stop, said one year. And we made it to. 15 months and I stopped because I was 9 weeks pregnant with dd2 and it felt like the right time as she was only on one feed per day anyways

 

[DianaB]

I wouldn't say this time is longer then expected but after the horror of attempting breastfeeding with DD1 making it only 4 weeks before switching to pumping all her milk until 14 months, I was just happy for each day I made it. Now at 5 months going on 6 I don't see myself stopping any time soon and hope we make it until at least 2 years.

 

[kissesandhugs]

Well original goal was 6 months, then in the early days my only goal was 'the next day' Seriously. Then we got to 6 months and it seemed like more work to stop than to continue so we did so. And now we're at 19 months and definitely thought we'd be done around a year but I guess not. I've been getting nursing aversion big time lately but hoping it just goes away soon! So, to answer your question lol, YES I'm definitely breastfeeding longer than expected

 

[BigAl]

Yes another one here who only intended on 6m. It was so ingrained that it was weird past that point. But it would have been weirder to switch to bottles, once i'd got to 6m. All the hard work is well behind you at that point. Plus the weight loss, for me, was definitely worth continuing.
I carried on until 16m, and quit the night feeds for my sanity. I hope i can make until a year with the next one.

 

[susannah14]

I didn't really have a goal when I started, I was thinking more "short-term" like, if I can only get his tongue-tie fixed, if I can only get this thrush resolved, let's get his latch right...etc.

After we got all that settled, I didn't have any sort of expectations as to when I would stop, just that I would stop when it felt right. And since it became abundantly clear that stopping would be more difficult than continuing, I never had a reason to stop and I kept going. I NEVER thought I'd still be going at 18 months. It's been a really wonderful journey though. One that I will never forget.

ETA: What I mean by stopping would be more difficult than continuing, I mean...formula, bottles, etc. My boobs continue to make milk without any effort from myself at all...feeds take all of 10 minutes...hence, EASY.

 

[Kellen]

My first goal was 18 months. Well, we are 4 months away from that I cannot honestly see us stopping. My second was 2 years per WHO, but I honestly doubt that we'll be weaned by then. We both enjoy our nursing sessions and there is no reason for me to stop until she is ready. Thankfully DH allows me to be a SAHM and is 100% encouraging us to go until we are both done.

 

[Calibeachbum]

My first goal was 6 months. I had a lot of issues in the beginning. Now he is almost 7 months with no end in sight. My DH is fully supported. He was breastfed until he was 3! I love our breastfeeding relationship, I will let him wean himself. Luckily I am a SAHM or I would prob be using formula because I don't respond well to a pump.

 

[PearDrops20]

My goal is a year which I don't see us having a problem achieving at all He's already beginning to wean himself as he now only feeds for naps, If we make it to 2 years then great i'm going to leave it up to Isaac to decide

 

[NoodleSnack]

Originally, I planned on stopping at a year, but he still mostly feeds to sleep and I'm too scared to give it up. I don't mind it, but I do look forward to stopping. I would so love to read him to sleep instead.

 

[babydoll06]

My original goal was 4 months but I never thought I'd end up making it because it was SO hard in the beginning. I weaned him at 19 months. Not because he was ready, he wasn't.. he still nursed very frequently and didn't want much to do with solids at all, but I was 8 months pregnant and my supply plummeted and it was very very painful nursing him. It was so easy after the initial newborn stage though.. ! I'm hoping to nurse this one for a year.

 

[Cangaroo]

I intended to breastfeed until I could switch to cow's milk at 12 months as I didn't want to buy formula. When we got to 12 months there was no way we were going to wean! She clearly still needed it. I then wanted to feed until at least 2 knowing full well it would be a lot longer.

Now I'm pregnant, we'll see what happens! I hope to feed through pregnancy and tandem nurse, but will go with the flow. There's no sign of my milk supply dropping yet, but it's still very early days.

 

[sheldonsmommy]

Well done everyone! I'm not even kidding, I don't think I know anyone in real life that nursed past 6 months. So I think that really shaped my perception in the beginning.

Congratulations on your pregnancy Cangaroo