How long will you BF?

Stillharbor · February 2013

I'd like everyone's thoughts. While I don't BF, I do EP. I'm wondering how long you plan on BFing? 6months old LO will have surgery, so I plan on continuing until she's well healed from that, but I'm thinking of stopping beyond that. Even though most docs recommend BFing for a year, I'm having difficulties imagining myself continuing to pump for an entire year, especially if we get pregnant again.

numberonemama · February 2013

I plan on BFing as long as we are both happy doing it even if she's three.

patrickandkim · February 2013

numberonemama:
I plan on BFing as long as we are both happy doing it even if she's three.

Ditto. I plan to BF as long as baby wants to BF.

TnG05 · February 2013

I'm trying to make it to a year, my first goal was 6 months, but I'm not sure we're going to make it due to low supply.

Stillharbor · February 2013

TnG05:
I'm trying to make it to a year, my first goal was 6 months, but I'm not sure we're going to make it due to low supply.

Pretty sure I don't have a low supply. It's hard to tell. LO has eating issues due to milk allergy, but pumping hurts. From what I understand, most people get accustomed to pumping or BFing. I don't seem to be acclimating. Each time I pump it's like the first time, pain and all.

Jbosarge85 · February 2013

I want to BF 1 yr to maybe 1.5 but not beyond that. It might get easier for you at the 6 month mark because that's when they start to eat a little bit of solid foods.

blu-eyedwife · February 2013

Honestly, if I was EPing I don't know how long I would have lasted. I hated pumping.

Right now the goal is 18 months, because I want to keep breastfeeding through flu season.

greyt00 · February 2013

I'm almost-exclusive EP. I BF overnight, that's the only time. I hate pumping and have days where I want to quit, especially since I've had to give up dairy and soy. It's tough. I'm going as long as I can. I'd like to make it to a year, but I take it one day at a time. One thing that helps keep me going is the thought that my LO should be at peak milk intake now (he's 6 months old). I'm getting closer and closer to the time where I may be able to cut back by one pumping session per day. Also, I could be getting close to where he might get over all or part of the food allergy. Would be a shame for me to quit now if I can start adding food back to my diet in a couple of months. Best of luck with the surgery. Set small goals for yourself to keep going.

kami1977 · February 2013

My DS is almost weaned at 35 months and I plan to continue nursing DD until at least 2 but probably closer to three. The beautiful thing about an older nursling is that you're not the main source of nutrition so there is a lot more freedom to come and go.

steffnstuff · February 2013

My goal is at least a year but I'd be ok with up to 18 months or so. LO is 5 months now and things are going pretty good.

amberthehobbit · February 2013

Women who EP deserve a medal. I hate pumping but BF is so important to me. I plan on BF until LO weans and if it's before 2 I plan to pump so he still gets the benefit of BM.

ObLaDi · February 2013

patrickandkim:
numberonemama:
I plan on BFing as long as we are both happy doing it even if she's three.

Ditto. I plan to BF as long as baby wants to BF.

Me too. I'm hopeful that'll be at least until the WHO recommended 2 years.

sosoph · February 2013

9-12 months, although the past two weeks have been very.hard. Feeding the baby is only one part of parenting. When the efforts to bf eclipse other aspects of parenting both my children, we'll wean. It was a lot easier to have tunnel vision with just one.

blondie42107 · February 2013

With my first, I EP'ed until lo was 13 months old. I had about 3 periods awas pregnant with our second lo. I am now EP'ing and plan to do so full time for the first year and then eventually get down to either 2 or 3x a day if I can keep some supply. I would like to do breastmilk until 18 months. I do have a pretty good freezer stash.

kleigh926 · February 2013

BF'ing has been more of a struggle than I thought, and I'm not real comfortable with nursing in public, so I don't think I will make it to a year. I do want to BF for at least 6 months. I just don't really enjoy it the way a lot of people seem to.

JSabs09 · February 2013

8 months... I EP too and have cut down to 4x a day with no drop in supply. I have a large freezer stash though and still freezing so I can get DD to a year. Who knows though if I am at 2x a day at 8 months I might keep going...

ILoveRunning · February 2013

kleigh926:
BF'ing has been more of a struggle than I thought, and I'm not real comfortable with nursing in public, so I don't think I will make it to a year. I do want to BF for at least 6 months. I just don't really enjoy it the way a lot of people seem to.

Give it time, and take it day by day. Set small goals. Most of the people who say they enjoy BFing are further along than you. It was so frustrating for me at first, I didn't think that I would make it a month, let alone six. Now my DS is 2 years (27 months) and we are still nursing.

bellelamb · February 2013

OP if pumping hurts that bad you probably need different flanges or to turn down the suction. Also are you using nipple cream before and after pumping??

Your question my first was ff, my second we supplemented some but he bf until a year, my third and last is 9 months now and I'm planing on a year full time then wcm and bfing untill 18 months maybe 24 months.

lexmtown · February 2013

My first initial goal was 6 months. LO has the milk protein allergy so I have been on a dairy elimination diet for almost 5 months now though. Every time I consider switching something in me tells me not to, probably because he and I are doing so well with it, with the exception of my diet. My new goal is a year but I'm honestly just taking it one day at a time and hope that he can tolerate dairy sooner than later.

mexicolombiana · February 2013

However long we want. (DD#2 is almost 13 months old).

jesstellina · February 2013

kleigh926:
BF'ing has been more of a struggle than I thought, and I'm not real comfortable with nursing in public, so I don't think I will make it to a year. I do want to BF for at least 6 months. I just don't really enjoy it the way a lot of people seem to.

Things may change. Around 3-4 weeks nursing got easier for me, and then by 6 weeks I started to enjoy it. The next few months I loved it even more, as DD got more interactive and would look up at me with those big eyes while she was nursing. I also loved it, after I Went back to work, when I'd be home on the weekend and she'd take a boob nap all afternoon. Such sweet cuddle time.

jesstellina · February 2013

I had a goal of a year and figured we'd play it by ear after that. I stopped pumping at a year, and she also stopped taking bottles at that time. There was a period of time where she wouldn't drink any type of milk out of a cup, bottle, etc., so I ended up donating over 500 oz of frozen pumped milk. I just recently stopped nursing altogether just before she turned 19 mos. i was pregnant again and getting sensitive, and she still wanted to nurse before bedtime but was a wiggle worm because there was't much milk. Now that I've had a miscarriage, it's weird that I'm not really *using* my body for anything for the first time in well over 2 ys.

pepomntpat · February 2013

Well, I am still BFing number 1 and will be BFing number 2...so my guess is for at least another 2.5 years.

pepomntpat · February 2013

Stillharbor:
TnG05:
I'm trying to make it to a year, my first goal was 6 months, but I'm not sure we're going to make it due to low supply.
Pretty sure I don't have a low supply. It's hard to tell. LO has eating issues due to milk allergy, but pumping hurts. From what I understand, most people get accustomed to pumping or BFing. I don't seem to be acclimating. Each time I pump it's like the first time, pain and all.

Are your flanges the right size?

alakins · February 2013

I plan on BF until she self weans. She is almost 9 months now.

SummerOH · February 2013

LucyD1029:
At least one year. We'll take it monthly after that. I want to be done before she turns two.

This. Hopefully I can continue to give him milk in a cup from a freezer stash. We'll see how my supply holds up.

tokenhoser · February 2013

Well, we're at 21 months and now I'm seriously considering tandem nursing. We'll stop when for whatever reason it is no longer mutually beneficial. For now, I've put on the limits that make it work for me (mostly night weaning at 18 months).

angie637 · February 2013

I am EP also. My goal is to go 2 years that Who recommends then see what I feel like. I went for 18 months with DS1 but had to stop when I got pregnant with DS2 and DD1 since it was a high risk pregnancy. After you pump for so long it becomes just a normal part of ur day. Pumping shouldn't hurt. You may want to check ur flanges size.

tjkdlhb · February 2013

For as long as we are both happy with it.

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