Any working moms BF past 1 yr?

KCKappa · August 2011

I'm hoping to continue BFing DD past 1 yr - ideally until she's at least 2. I realize we have quite a while, but I'm curious if other working moms have been able to do this. If so, were you still pumping after you hit the 1 yr mark, or just nursing when you're home? Did you continue to send EBM to daycare, or switch to cow's milk for DC at some point? When did you end up completely weaning - and was it because you/LO wanted to, or because you had to for other reasons?

rssnlvr · August 2011

I nursed DD until 14 months. I stopped pumping during the day at a year and just nursed her morning and night for another two months. I got pregnant again at a year, which made my supply plummet. If not for being pg, I'm sure we could have continued nursing much longer.

We were allowed to send EBM to daycare as long as we wanted to.

aglenn · August 2011

DD is still nursing, although she is (finally) starting to cut back a lot. I think she will self-wean relatively soon, although she has been known to surprise me so we'll see.

I pumped at work a little past a year. The 1-year mark just felt too soon to quit, and DD was not a fan of cow's milk at the time. I kind of followed her lead and as she started to nurse less and I started to get less when I pumped, I basically let it taper off until it was at a point where I felt like it was no big deal to replace with cow's milk or other dairy. I went a few months past her first birthday, and would send some EBM in a bottle to daycare during that time for them to put in a sippy cup for her. I probably could have stopped pumping right at one year but honestly I just had a hard time convincing myself to stop (sounds weird, I know; but I did). Once I stopped pumping we started to just nurse when we're together and we haven't had any issues. Good luck!

Suzi-G- · August 2011

We're still going. I stopped pumping at one year on the dot and started sending WCM in sippie cups to school then. He continued nursing morning, bedtime and when he wakes at night (he's a crappy sleeper). We cut the bedtime nursing first when he was around 18 months. Now we've mostly dropped the morning nursing and if he'd ever learn to STTN I'd call it quits in a heartbeat. I'm ready to be done but nursing him is my fail-safe-middle-of-the-night-trick when he wakes.

ConnieRob · August 2011

I BF to 16 months. From 4mo-1 year I pumped 3 times a day at work. At the 1 year mark I dropped one of the pumping session, at 13 mo I dropped one more and then at 14 mo I dropped the last. At that point he was only drinking cows milk at Daycare and BF at home. I started dropping feeding at home at that point. Around mo 15 he was only nursing 1st thing in the morning and last thing at night. We moved right around mo 16 and one of my friends watched him for the weekend he had cows milk all weekend and that was that. Had we not moved I would have kept on with the 2 feedings a day for as long as he wanted (or until it got creepy). Big Smile

cc62406 · August 2011

Very similar experience as others. I pumped at work maybe a few weeks past 12 months. I wanted to go very slowly. We continues to nurse in the morning and before bed until he was about 14 months. I was ready to wean because I wanted to get pregnant again. I hadn't had a period and it took us almost a year to conceive DS so those were my main reasons for weaning. If I hadn't done this I think we would probably still be nursing well past those 15 months.

I used up my freezer stash sending to daycare in sippy cups and then did half breast milk, half cow's milk and eventually all cow's milk around the 13 month mark.

JLS0320 · August 2011

I BF until 13 mos, stopped pumping at 11.5 mos. I was ready to quit nursing, it was time for us. At 11.5 mos I started him on whole milk for during the day and would nurse morn and night

C.squared · August 2011

I nursed DD till she was 17 months and was working full time. I stopped pumping at 11 months, but had enough EBM in the freezer that we didn't introduce milk until she was 13.5 months. She was on milk (soy b/c of a dairy allergy) during the day at daycare and nursed at home with me and on the weekends. She self weaned - one night at bedtime, she pushed me away and said "night night!" It was so hard for me, but it was an easy transition for her.

JJ1973 · August 2011

We're almost to 13 months. I'm thankful I did the same thing you're doing (checking with others on here). Great advice. I stopped pumping at work a couple weeks ago. I now nurse in the morning and night, with whole milk at daycare (probably 10oz per day, a little more or less depending). The transition was easy, though he still uses bottles right now (I know we need to push the sippy but he's so inefficient with it). I'm seeing how long I can stretch it with two nursing sessions a day. We're not sure about a second and I haven't gotten my period yet, so that may shift things if we ultimately decide to go for a second.

lindsay.lou · August 2011

This is inspiring! I'd LOVE to nurse until DS self-weans but I feel like it'll be hard or impossible working full time. Maybe not!

mittensonkittens · August 2011

I stopped pumping at work around 12-13 months, and nursed on demand on nights and weekends. DS decided he was done at 15.5 months. I was willing to go to age 2, but he had other plans.

Mrs.Handy · September 2011

I'm still pumping at work twice a day. I'm not sure why exactly. It just feels too early to stop. I don't mind pumping and I like that I'm still losing weight. I might go to once a day in a few weeks and then drop that eventually.

DS has a mix of BM and WCM each day since I'm not producing enough. I nurse on demand at home in the evenings and weekends. DS doesn't seem like he's ready to stop nursing any time soon. I'll stop when he feels like it.

ashleyaugust7 · September 2011

Yes, nursed until she was 27 months. I pumped until she was 1 year, then she got cows milk and I would nurse her when I was around- it dropped off when she was 1 year, then a little less at 18 months, and by 2 she was nursing at naptime and bedtime until she (mostly self) weaned.

superned · September 2011

rssnlvr:
I nursed DD until 14 months. I stopped pumping during the day at a year and just nursed her morning and night for another two months. I got pregnant again at a year, which made my supply plummet. If not for being pg, I'm sure we could have continued nursing much longer.
We were allowed to send EBM to daycare as long as we wanted to.

Exactly this, except I'm not pregnant yet. I just had to wean DD because we are TTC #2 and because of our history of IF, by ob/gyn strongly suggested that I wean.

We stopped all bottles at one year and did WCM in a sippy for all meals.

DallasHorn · September 2011

Yep - with both (15 months w/ #1, 17 with #2). With both I stopped pumping somewhere around 11ish months and went to using up my stash and transitioning to whole milk during the workday.

On weekeneds and evenings I nursed on demand.

As far as when I gave up...with both the last nursing session was at bedtime and it just got to a point where they were not really interested, so one day I simply rocked, sang, etc but didn't nurse - they never had an issue and it told me it was the "right" time for each child.

Angela814 · September 2011

I nursed DD1 to just over 3 years. I worked about 1/2 mile from her daycare, so for the first 18 months, I nursed her on my lunch hour. I stopped pumping at 12 months. She had WCM at daycare after that. I finally started weaning her at 34 months when her latch got too uncomfortable for me to deal with. I spent months trying to get her not to rest her top teeth on my nipple, and it just never worked. Eventually I decided to start slowly weaning her.

DD2 is 13 months and still nursing. I worked full time until she was 8 months old and then part time after that. I stopped pumping at 12 months. She's now drinking WCM on the days when she's at daycare, but when we're home together, she nurses at least 2-3x. She's just realized that she gets to nurse whenever she signs milk, so she's taking advantage of that. I plan to nurse her for at least 2 years and then see how things go. I had planned to let DD1 self wean, although that didn't work out. As long as things are going well, then I'll let DD2 self wean.

Angela814 · September 2011

lindsay.lou:
This is inspiring! I'd LOVE to nurse until DS self-weans but I feel like it'll be hard or impossible working full time. Maybe not!

Nursing past 1 year is super easy. You don't have to worry about pumping during the day. DC can go longer without nursing or can be offered a cup of milk instead. Really, everything about it is just easier.

Any working moms BF past 1 yr?

Re: Any working moms BF past 1 yr?

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