Breastfeeding
stupid question
Hello! My baby girl is almost 4 months old and is EBF. I plan on breastfeeding for the first year. How does BF work as they get older? Do you continue to make more milk per session as they get older or do they just get more effecient at getting it out? My friend says I'm crazy to BF for a year and that it will "look weird" with a kid that big under my hooter hider. Did any of you make it till the first year??
This discussion has been closed.
Re: stupid question
I thought your body adjusts to what baby needs. At least that's what I tell myself and how we're going to make it a year.
My SIL BF for a year. A lady I worked with BF for two years. A kid who is a year old still looks like a baby to me, just a bigger baby. It's not like you're going to BF till baby is six, seven, or eight years old.
Don't worry about what your friend says. Some people are just anti-breastfeeding.
First of all, kick your friend in the shin. There is nothing weird about BFing at a year and you should not worry about that. Who cares what she thinks? The AAP recommends BFing for at least a year and the WHO recommends BFing beyond a year. So you're just fine.
Here is an interesting article on Kellymom about how milk production changes through the course of breastfeeding: https://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/milkproduction-faq.html
And there's also this: https://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/milkproduction.html
Blog
Perhaps your friend should look up the official AAP stance on bfing - it's for at least the first year! The World Health Organization recommends bfing for 2 years! Would she so easily dismiss her pediatrician's advice?
Sorry...
Anyhow, unlike formula, you don't really increase the amount of breastmilk you give. Your milk changes as your baby gets older - more calories, more nutrients. It's magic! Well, not really, it's science...but it's pretty magical to me
Best wishes to you and your little one!
I BF until 14 months. Your milk changes and gets fattier as they get older so they don't increase in amounts like babies do with formula. Plus they are eating more solids by then so they don't nurse as often.
When my DD was 1 we were only nursing 3-4 times a day. Mainly as 'snacks' between meals. I never had any issue nursing in public as it actually got easier since she was so big. She could actually just sit on my lap facing me and nurse rather than laying down.
Your body will just continue to adjust to whatever your DD needs. It really is that simple. You don't have to do anything differently. They do get more efficient nursing as they get older, so you might end up nursing for less time for your DD to get the same amount of milk. You are absolutely not crazy to want to breastfeed for a year.
DD is still nursing usually 3x a day at 29 months. I never used a hooter hider or cover, so I guess it didn't "look weird."
We don't NIP anymore anyway. I think that stopped sometime around 18 months.
Charlotte Ella 07.16.10
Emmeline Grace 03.27.13