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Extended BFers - why do you do it?

babymama619babymama619 member
edited June 2014 in Breastfeeding
DD is getting close to 8 months and I'm thinking about maybe nursing past 12-13 months. Obviously I'll do what works best for us, but I was just wondering what motivates other long term BFers.

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Re: Extended BFers - why do you do it?

  • vvvvvfeevvvvvfee member
    breastfeeding is so much easier (and more rewarding IMO) after 1 year. not needing to pump anymore after 12 months is a huge relief. plus your LO can go far longer between feeds, so you have more flexibility to do things (both with and without your LO) without worrying about stopping constantly to nurse.

    here's a comprehensive list of benefits: https://kellymom.com/ages/older-infant/ebf-benefits/

    personally, i am still BFing at 22 months because:
    • it's a great way to connect with my DS, especially after being away from him at work all day. i enjoy the closeness and bonding time with him.
    • it's comforting for him and important to him
    • it helps him go to sleep
    • it's a food that he will eat even when he doesn't feel well
    • it has immunological benefits
    • it's linked to greater intellectual benefits
    • it is associated with emotional and social benefits for DS
    • the longer you breastfeed, the more your risk of developing breast cancer is reduced

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  • kjsmith9kjsmith9 member
    Agree with all of the other responses - after one, it's so easy!  I stopped pumping at work, so that stressor was gone.  It allows for toddler cuddles, which don't happen often.  And it gets her calm enough to fall asleep by herself when I lay her down.  Plus, it's still giving her extra nutrients/antibodies.  Neither of us are ready to be done yet, but I have a conference to attend in October and I'll be gone for 4-5 days.  If she's still nursing a few weeks before that, I'll try to taper her down at that point because I'm not wanting to take the pump with for this one... She'll be almost 23 months at that point, so I'd be okay to be done then (or so I think right now)!
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  • camedowncrushingcamedowncrushing member
    I nursed DD1 until 21 months because she really enjoyed it.  She loved it, and I loved the connection. 
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  • opheliainwadersopheliainwaders member
    I'm still nursing, though I stopped pumping after her birthday (so. much easier.). Apart from all the other factors that PPs have mentioned, it's just really cozy! It's how we wake up, and how she goes to bed, and neither of us is ready to give it up.
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
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  • babymama619babymama619 member
    thanks for all the responses. I guess we'll see when we get there. Right now she nurses 4-5 times per day and honestly I think she could take it or leave it. She has bottles of BM a few times a week when she is with Grandma or if we are out and about because we are not very good at NIP. She's not really a cuddler and right now since she's getting ready to move she just nurses and punches the boob and then is done with me. Even when she nurses before bed she is wide eyed afterwards and plays in her crib for a good 20 minutes before falling asleep. I usually don't nurse right before naps because that's when she eats solids.

    Right now I'm thinking I'll likely do wake up and before bed until she's done...mostly because I'm lazy and won't want to make bottles!

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  • blush64blush64 member
    I kept nursing past 12 months because it just seemed right. There was no reason to stop. I breastfed my sons and they naturally slowed down and eventually stopped when they were over 2. My daughter is just over 1 and I will nurse as long as she wants.(or until 3, then I would start to help move her along gently)

    If my kids were FF and had a bottle I wouldn't take it away at one year old either.
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  • musicalsilvermusicalsilver member
    A lot of PPs have covered reasons why I'm still BFing.  When I first considered the subject, I mostly decided that since the WHO recommends it until 2, I'll try to at least make it to there (LO is only 12.5 months now, but I don't see us *not* making it until then).  

    Truth be told though, by the time the age of 1 came around and others were talking about weaning, I just couldn't imagine doing it.  LO still nurses at least 4 times a day (that's the minimum on workdays when we're apart from each other for 9 hours of the day), and I still feel like he's getting a significant portion of his nutrition that way.  It definitely puts my mind at ease when he's teething and doesn't want to eat anything that I know he's still getting a significant number of calories from breastmilk.

    I'm also a sucker for the cuddles that come with breastfeeding.  And it does make getting LO to sleep a whole lot easier.  Not to mention the immunological benefits (and links to intellectual benefits for LO as well).  

    And my completely superficial not-really-a-reason-but-a-nice-side-effect- it's still keeping PPAF away!

    BabyFetus Ticker
    DS born 6/2013
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