How long did you breastfeed?

cori514 · December 2010

Just curious.

melrrr · December 2010

14 or 15 months.

cori514 · December 2010

melrrr:
14 or 15 months.

Wow!! That is awesome!

cali_girl92504 · December 2010

Exclusively for 7.5 months and then we introduced formula when she was away from me (just 4-5 bottles a week tops). DD will be 9 months Sunday and I am weaning this week due to some health issues. I'm in too much pain to continue taking the weak meds that are safe for breastfeeding moms. My goal was 6 months so I think I did great making it to 9 months. I have enough frozen milk so that she'll get some until she's a year old (hopefully).

charlotteL · December 2010

12 months with #1

12.5 with #2. I was prepared to go longer, but he wanted nothing to do with me.

12 months is my goal with #3 too.

duchessII81 · December 2010

She got the last bottle of pumped milk at 13.5 weeks.

cori514 · December 2010

charlotteL:

12 months with #1

12.5 with #2. I was prepared to go longer, but he wanted nothing to do with me.

12 months is my goal with #3 too.

Impressive. My goal BEFORE I had her was 12 months...now my goal is until my milk dries up =/...my supply is getting worse by the week. I am doing everything in my power to keep breastfeeding though...

kat.in.the.hat · December 2010

Cori - have you seen a lactation consultant? Why do you think your supply is drying up?

I didn't make it past six weeks with Marion. Eliza is 12 weeks tomorrow and its going great. I'm open to BFing her to around 24 months, but we'll just have to see how that goes

Suzi-G- · December 2010

Still going, he's just over 11 months and never had formula. I intend to stop pumping around a year but continue to nurse him morning and night for awhile. I don't know how long, we'll see how it goes and what he wants to do.

KNJepp · December 2010

Still at it - he'll be 1 year in 1.5 weeks. We're trying to introduce cow's milk at meals, but he's not digging it so far. I have no problem continuing to nurse him morning, night, and naptime (if that's what he wants) for a while longer - 18 months, maybe?

mrs.littlejeans · December 2010

I stayed home for 19 months with #1 and breastfed for 26 (!) months. I'm breastfeeding #2, but going back to work and pumping so I hope to make it to six months at least.

opallover · December 2010

17.5 months. He's 19 months now and still asks for it.I miss nursing him but when he was like 7 months old - not 17.5 months old. I was "shamed" by my family into doing it until 24 months but I totally was OVER it. It's a two way street to me. I was so happy nursing him four times a day at 14 months but then I started to get tired of it. One day I thought, damn, when are you going to be done? That's when I reached out for help to wean. I actually got scared when I started thinking it was going until 24 months.

horn_jm@hotmail.com · December 2010

18.5 months with DS1 - goal was 12 months

13 months with DS2 - and he doesn't seem to want to give up any feedings... planning to wean by 2.

anna_j · December 2010

6 months, I never had a stellar supply but made it as far as I could. I think going back to work and pumping hurt me because it was really hard to pump at my job.

cori514 · December 2010

kat.in.the.hat:

Cori - have you seen a lactation consultant? Why do you think your supply is drying up?

I didn't make it past six weeks with Marion. Eliza is 12 weeks tomorrow and its going great. I'm open to BFing her to around 24 months, but we'll just have to see how that goes

I have seen a LC and it's just a matter of me not producing much milk. My milk never came in after S was born, we had to work really hard to get what I have now. I have never had leakage, engorgement, or even an increase in breast size. Fenugreek seemed to really help but after 3 miserable weeks for my DD, I had to quit taking it because it was causing her really bad gas pains (and it gave me stomach aches). Really the only reason I think I am drying up is becuase DD is starving after I feed her and I have had to supplement more and more....

almond1123 · December 2010

15 months.

alliwalton · December 2010

5.5 months and going well. My goal is 12 months.

TexasPaige · December 2010

My last BF session was when he was 14 months old. I gradually switched one feeding per month to whole milk, so at 14 months, I was only nursing once a day.

So far I've made it almost four weeks with #2! We'll see how this one goes...

savannah11 · December 2010

#1 - 4 months

#2 - 6 months

Going back to work killed my supply both times. I just don't respond to the pump. 4 - 5 pumping sessions per day would only produce about 9oz and after a while I couldn't handle the constant pumping in desperation to maintain supply. I loved nursing but hated pumping.

jen5-03 · December 2010

17 mo with DD. Quit to do fertility treatments. Still goiing strong at 13mo with DS, I think I,ll encourage him to wean at 24mo.

cori514:
kat.in.the.hat:

Cori - have you seen a lactation consultant Why do you think your supply is drying up

I didn't make it past six weeks with Marion. Eliza is 12 weeks tomorrow and its going great. I'm open to BFing her to around 24 months, but we'll just have to see how that goes

I have seen a LC and it's just a matter of me not producing much milk. My milk never came in after S was born, we had to work really hard to get what I have now. I have never had leakage, engorgement, or even an increase in breast size. Fenugreek seemed to really help but after 3 miserable weeks for my DD, I had to quit taking it because it was causing her really bad gas pains (and it gave me stomach aches). Really the only reason I think I am drying up is becuase DD is starving after I feed her and I have had to supplement more and more....

She is nursing, therefore your milk came in. Engorgement, change of breast size etc are common side effects of bf but are not required. But It sounds like she's having a growth spurt. And by supplementing more and more you are hurting your supply. If you really want to try to build it up then when she seems hungry bf her. Even if it is only 5 min since she stopped bfing.

jen5-03 · December 2010

Duplicate

starlettedir · December 2010

I plan on at least 6 years ;-)

M&M614 · December 2010

12 months with both girls. I plan to do the same with #3.

I wanted to go longer, but neither gal would take a bottle and my poor DH was really tired of a crying baby while I was teaching dance classes.

michellebelle · December 2010

6.5 months. Had really bad post partum depression so I had to wean and get on meds. Had a great supply and excellent nurser so it was a really hard decision.

alisa1228 · December 2010

13ish months with #1.

hoping for the same with #2... so far at 4mos, everything is going smoothly.

CareBear01 · December 2010

Exclusively (including pumping) - 5 months. started supplementing at 5 months, but still BFed when I could until 8 months, in which my supply tanked, and I was tired of pumping at work! Then I happily bowed out. :-)

ayersfam20 · December 2010

10 months w/ DD - not exclusively as I went back to work full time when she was 6 weeks so she got BM and Formula at daycare.

So far 2 months with DS. He does well with it and I work from home now, so we will just see how it goes. I don't really have a goal in mind.

kreeper611 · December 2010

8 1/2 months. I wanted to go longer, or at least be able to BF in the am/pm and suppliment with formula but I tried to do that one weekend and DS was so mad because he just wasn't getting enough out and pumping had turned into a waste of time at that point. I would come home with maybe 3oz each day.

Cajun_gal · December 2010

5 weeks and most of that he was getting about half and half formula. I didn't produce enough, and it was too stressful on me to keep trying.

erica_kaspar · December 2010

Three months today. I'm hoping to go 6 months because Olivia has milk protein intolerance and formula for that is expensive!

Cajun_gal · December 2010

jen5/03:
17 mo with DD. Quit to do fertility treatments. Still goiing strong at 13mo with DS, I think I,ll encourage him to wean at 24mo.
cori514:
kat.in.the.hat:

Cori - have you seen a lactation consultant Why do you think your supply is drying up

I didn't make it past six weeks with Marion. Eliza is 12 weeks tomorrow and its going great. I'm open to BFing her to around 24 months, but we'll just have to see how that goes

I have seen a LC and it's just a matter of me not producing much milk. My milk never came in after S was born, we had to work really hard to get what I have now. I have never had leakage, engorgement, or even an increase in breast size. Fenugreek seemed to really help but after 3 miserable weeks for my DD, I had to quit taking it because it was causing her really bad gas pains (and it gave me stomach aches). Really the only reason I think I am drying up is becuase DD is starving after I feed her and I have had to supplement more and more....
She is nursing, therefore your milk came in. Engorgement, change of breast size etc are common side effects of bf but are not required. But It sounds like she's having a growth spurt. And by supplementing more and more you are hurting your supply. If you really want to try to build it up then when she seems hungry bf her. Even if it is only 5 min since she stopped bfing.

That's not always true. I had a great nurser, but he was losing weight instead of gaining. I would have starved him if I didn't supplement. Some people just don't produce enough milk. I hope that growth spurt is what's going on for you though, Cori.

TexasSmith · December 2010

13 months. Hoping to hit at least the 12 month mark with #2 as well.

KKMMex · December 2010

savannah11:
#1 - 4 months
#2 - 6 months

This was the exact same for me! With #2 I pumped exclusively though.

Katieraye09 · December 2010

DS self weaned at 13 months which was perfect because my goal was 12. I couldn't have asked for a better BFing experience!

lilbitnmag · December 2010

Still at it! We will hit the 9 month mark this weekend. I am not sure when I'll wean. At this point my goal is just to make it to a year/ 12 months.

SigmundsGirl · December 2010

3 months exclusively and that was a huge deal. DS had bad refulx and it was painful and not a good experience for either of us most of the time. I gave him 1/2 Anti-reflux formula and 1/2 breastmilk until he was 7 months old. Now he is on straight formula.

We noticed that he was spitting up less when we fed him upright with a bottle. I wish we would have tried it sooner.

allie&trav · December 2010

I never nursed exclusively, but breastfed and pumped primarily (over 75% of the daily intake) until about 6 months. I continued evening, nighttime, and morning nursings until just over 9 months old when I weaned completely.

kat.in.the.hat · December 2010

Cori - has your LC suggested, or have you tried, pumping after feeding her?

KT120106 · December 2010

Still going-DD will be 2 next week. Plan on weaning soon.

readyforbaby · December 2010

Exclusively for 5 1/2 months and then with a little bit of formula thrown in until 10 months when I stopped pumping at work. I did morning and night feedings until he was 11 months old. I plan on doing about the same for #2 even though I am not really looking forward to it! Nursing was fine, but having to work and pump I really hated!

AbbyMae · December 2010

I nursed DD til she was 14 months old. I never experienced any of the symptoms you mentioned either...and struggled with my supply for the first 2-3 months and supplmented until she was about 2.5 months or so until I was able to wean her off the formula and build my supply up.

It was really, really frustrating for me and I think I put way to much pressure on myself. Looking back, I wish I had been easier on myself...yes we made it to 14 months and I'm thankful, but goodness, it was stressful those first few months.

It really may just be that she's going through a growth spurt and those days sometimes feel like all day nursing sessions...you have to do what's best for YOU and your baby though. If you do decide to stop breastfeeding, my advice would be to not stop on your worst day.

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