One of the 17% :)

[summer rain]

The US numbers are for exclusive and should go down because new studies show that 6 months is late to introduce solids. New recommendations are 4-5 months due to higher risk of diabetes when introduced too early or late.
https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/data/reportcard2.htm

https://www.clinicalendocrinologyne...es-risk/4fa37fe86a67ad51207be407100a5321.html

I highly doubt weaning advice is based on one flawed study? At least it isn't here Also maybe I didn't put it properly, in the US the figures are based on what is currently happening so even if a baby had formula in the past but is only being BF at 6 months-they are classed as EBF. In the UK a baby is no longer counted as EBF if they ever had any formula, even if it was months ago. There are many babies given formula in hospital after birth, rightly or wrongly and according to UK figures can never be classed as EBF again-according to how the US figures are collated they can be. Xx

 

[minties]

Same here summer rain. Only medicine doesn't count. If a baby ever had water or formula or food, then they are 'fully breastfed' but not 'exclusively' and so goes into a different catagory.

 

[ttc bubby no2]

Congrats on exclusive feeding to 3 months, I'm sure if you want to you will get to 6 months and beyond

The post got me wondering what the Australian rates are. According to this document (https://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/49F80E887F1E2257CA2576A10077F73F/$File/Breastfeeding_strat1015.pdf) we have a better breastfeeding rate than the US, UK and slightly higher than NZ.

It really is quite a difference between the countries so it makes you wonder why it is like that.

- Approximately 92 per cent of Australian babies are
breastfed at birth
- 56 per cent of infants were fully breastfed at three months
- 14 per cent at six months

That is for exclusive feeding, hence the big drop at 6 months because of food being introduced.

Interesting to note that 30 per cent are still feeding (not exclusive) at 12 months and
five per cent at 24 months.


Looks like I need to update my badge below.. we are up to 22 months and the way things are going will will be in the 5% that still feed at 24 months (only went to 15 months with DS1)

 

[Bevziibubble]

That is great! Well done!

I also wonder why 17% make it that far yet only 1% to 6 months. Maybe it is to do with mothers having to return to work, or the early introduction of solids. You've done the hardest part now though, so well done!

 

[BunnyN]

I guess it does make a certain amount of sense that there is only 1% left EBFing at 6 months with the rules being so strict. I would have said my mum EBF me and my sister but she did actually give bottles of water once in a while by the time we were 4 or 5 months old. It was mostly to keep us entertained and half of it ended up on the floor but strictly speeking that disqualifies it from being EBFing. And a baby that was given solid food a week or two before turning 6 months wouldn't qualify either. I intend to EBF for 6 months but if she grabbed food off my plate the week before she turned 6 months not sure if I'd stop her and I might decide to start giving water before solids also.

 

[ttc bubby no2]

By those rules technically my youngest wasn't exclusively breastfed until 6 months as he did play with some broccoli about a week before he was 6 months and I saw a few specks of green in his poo. He was crawling at 5.5 months so who knows, he might have found something on the floor to eat too lol. There could have also been some drops of water on his dummy too after it was rinsed off. Anyway, I still say he was exclusively breastfeed as he didn't get filled up by anything else but my milk.

 

[SarahBear]

You know what is strange to me?

That 17% get this far but only 1% to 6 months.

Am I being naive to think I'm through the hard parts and now we just keep going? Or does something happen between now and 6 months that's going to shock me? Teeth maybe?

Wow, is it really that low in the UK??? I think the "hard" part that happens between now and 6 months is the baby discovering the world. It honestly really does get difficult to nurse in public. It can also get difficult to nurse in other situations. Violet is 9 months old and we pretty much only nurse in the bedroom on the bed, laying down. She will sometimes nurse in the sling and luckily, she will nurse in other bedrooms, but boy does she get distracted! Many moms find it much easier to just give their baby a bottle. Keep it up though. It's what's best for your baby!

 

[SarahBear]

Google searching reveals that those numbers are accurate. Blows my mind that it's that low. Nice job continuing in a culture that's so anti-breastfeeding! I thought the US was bad ...

• Across the UK, at three months, the number of mothers breastfeeding exclusively was 17% (up from 13% in 2005) and at four months, it was 12% (up from 7% in 2005). However, exclusive breastfeeding at six months remains at around 1%.

https://kellymom.com/wp-content/uploads/US_exclusive_BF_rates.png

 

[CupcakeBaby]

It's a shame that at 6 months they count food.

I'd like to know what the % of breastfeeding + food.

As I'll count DD as EBFd all the time the only milk she gets is mine.

 

[Tournesol]

Hello, well done Cupcakebaby, you're doing amazingly well mama!

I just wanted to say that we've been breastfeeding up until now, but the time has come for us to move on. I've loved breastfeeding my son, but lately, the bigger he gets, the hungrier he is and my milk just isn't enough. After a very easy start for us both, lately I've been so sore and he feeds and feeds and still cries for more after and hour.
So, neither one of us was happy any more and feeding my baby should be a joy, not a painful chore.
So we nurse during the night if he wakes up and once or twice in the day if we're at home, but otherwise he's on formula now. And what a happy baby he is too! He's fallen into his own little sleep/eat/play routine and everyone's happy. I will continue like this until he's ready to wean himself off completely.

So, maybe there are lots of women like me, who just can't keep up with hungry babies.
I would like to point out though, that we are moving on, not "giving up".

I hope it keeps going well for you, you're doing great x

 

[SarahP13]

I do feel as the the figures are slightly misleading. For example in my head both my girls were EBF til 6 months but according to these figures they wouldn't be.

DD1 had to be 'topped up' for three days as my milk didn't come in til day 7 after a big blood loss at birth. If I hadn't done this I would have had to give up breastfeeding completely (she was losing a LOT of weight). However, from day 7 til 6 months of age she only had breastmilk.

DD2 started BLW four days before she turned 6 months. Since it was BLW not purees, I'm pretty confident she didn't actually ingest anything til after 6 months though!!

If babies in situations similar to these were included then the numbers could be drastically improved. I understand that there has to be a line drawn to get accurate numbers but I think they paint a poorer picture than the reality.

 

[Pearls18]

Oh wow I never realised it was this low, that makes me feel a weird mixture of proud for having done it myself but sad that so many women haven't been able to when I am sure a much higher percentage would have wanted to, really wished we had better education and support for BF in this country. I am also one of the 1% I didn't give DS anything but BM till he was 6 months, and I swear his iron immune system is a direct result. Will do the same with this one, no ifs, no buts :/ congrats to you, you should be so very proud, the best lifelong present for your baby xxx

 

[Pearls18]

I've only just read the replies, apart from the initial 4 weeks my next big obstacle was 4 months when we went through a sleep regression, I was tired, DS was on the 91st centile, I had everyone telling me to wean I so very nearly did. Then I decided that actually if he wasn't drinking me dry and I was still able to produce milk for him then I would get up every 2 hours if needed, sure enough we got to 6 months, him on the 91st centile weighing 20lb on nothing but BM chuffed to bits not at all modest about it lol, I love telling women who say big babies cant be BF without formula top ups!!! So yeah I agree it's the pressure of relatives and weaning that probably causes so many to stop 3-6 months.

 

[ayh78]

Well done on getting to 3 months! It certainly gets easier, not harder, but I do think the UK should also gather data on how many babies only milk source is breast milk at 6 months (other than in foods). Both my two have been big-ish babies (9lb 6 and 9lb) and have been fully breastfed until I started weaning them about a week early (they started stealing my food!). I'd be interested to know the figures for breastfed + food at 6 months, but with only 17% getting to 3 months, sadly I doubt it'd be more than about 10%.

 

[BunnyN]

I think you have to be pretty determined to EBF. There is a lot of pressure to supliment. I've found for the most part people see BFing as a good thing but every body asks what else we are giving and has an opinion about what it should be. Most people assume we will start solids at 4 months. I haven't broken it to my inlaws yet that we are planning to wait until 6 months.

 

[Wildfire81]

I am not sure what the rates are here in the US for 16 months, but people give me a lot of shit about BF now. Apparently it makes me weird and dirty to still BF my son, so now I do not feed around people. I go into the restroom at my moms, and I do not get out as much anymore. I do not think I should have to feel this way, but I do.

 

[BunnyN]

I am not sure what the rates are here in the US for 16 months, but people give me a lot of shit about BF now. Apparently it makes me weird and dirty to still BF my son, so now I do not feed around people. I go into the restroom at my moms, and I do not get out as much anymore. I do not think I should have to feel this way, but I do.

Well done for sticking at it. You are doing what you know is best for your son. It's completely natural to still be BFiing, unfortunately lots of people are poorly educated about it.