When do you plan to stop?

dmosquera4 · August 2014

When do you plan to stop breastfeeding? I wanna make it to a year but I wanna see all of your opinions. This are all the options I can think of if there is something else I would love to hear it!

abbeylanecb · August 2014

I put let them wean but I will stop her before 2 if she doesn't. My first one weaned at 12 months and my second at 19 months.

Vjlewis07 · August 2014

My goal from day one has been to make it to 1yr, but I am going to let him tell me he's done or for some reason I become physically incapable of producing milk.

hlm184 · August 2014

My goal is at least a year but I am willing to go longer.

Rogue237 · August 2014

I put SS. The original plan was a year, but my supply has dropped since going back to work and I'm not making enough for her. We've started supplementing. If she takes to formula fine I might consider weaning at 6 months depending on what my supply looks like.

Bluebird2318 · August 2014

If supply allows I'll go until a year and then assess the situation at that point to decide if I want to continue, reduce, or stop completely. A lot of it will depend on his readiness.

janellemj928 · August 2014

I voted 6 months since that is my current goal, but I hope to go longer. I EP and I'm already sick of the pump, so I may break it by then, haha.

MissWhis · August 2014

A year because I don't want to buy formula if I can help it. After that I'll just see where we are at and take it from there - I'd like to be totally done around 18 months, I think.

pineconey · August 2014

I hope to get KU when A is 13-ish months, so that may be a factor in him stopping early, but I plan to let him BF as long as he wants to.

eireyes · August 2014

I want to go for at least a year, and then after that let A decide. DH and I both have (or have had) terrible allergies so anything I can do to help him avoid those I'm going to do.

katiedidthat · August 2014

I put SS. The plan was at least a year, like I did with DS1 (he self weaned at 14 months when I hit about 20 weeks with DS2). But with the NICU stay, severe reflux/dairy allergy, then a failure to thrive diagnosis, and a severe drop in my supply when I got the Mirena- we've been weaned to 1 bottle of pumped milk and the rest formula since early june (4 months).

RedBird11 · August 2014

I wanted to do 6 months but am having health issues so I am in the process of slowly weaning.

Twirple · August 2014

With DS, I nursed full time until 1 year, then twice a day until about 18 months and once a day until 2 years. I plan to do the same with Carlene.

AcaAwkward · August 2014

My goal is a year. Unlike his sister, I think he'll be ready to wean then (she was 19 months but loved to comfort-nurse; DS has no loyalty to his food source).

Manda+panda · August 2014

I'm going until we are ready to stop. I've been blessed with no supply dip since going back to work. We had so many issues in the beginning and still rely on a shield, so I'm lucky we're still going strong

I also went be TTC again until she's weaned. But at least until a year.

Kyllarae · August 2014

I'm really hoping to make it to a year minimum. She comfort nurses a lot and is pretty dependent on nursing to fall asleep even for naps so I don't see her wanting to wean anytime soon.

RedDawnsRevenge · August 2014

DD1 is 27m and still going DD2 is 4m and no end in sight.

spano41 · August 2014

SS I EP so I might lose supply before I really want to stop. My first goal was to make it through LO's first surgery which is in two weeks. My second goal would be to make it through her second surgery at 1yo. I recently had mastitis though and saw a major supply drop so we'll see if I can make it. I Will probably quit if it gets to the point I am only making a few ounces per day because EP it's a big pain in the butt (literally, I had to get a massive shot in the butt to fight the mastitis, I still have a huge bruise from it! )

Rogue237 · August 2014

poru said:

My goal is a year, but like rogue, my supply is not keeping up with her eating schedule now that I am back at work. I have enough in the freezer to help me supplement when necessary and get me to 6 months exclusively on breastmilk (which is my minimum goal). Depending on her bottles once she starts solids, I may or may not have to start supplementing with formula. I will do almost anything to make it to 6 months, but I won't do anything (read wake up in the middle of the night for a pump session) to make it to a year. If we have to supplement with formula, I will do what I did with my son and give up once formula is more than 50% of his daily intake.

@poru - same (about doing anything pre-6 months). I've always been on the edge with her, so I have like 10 oz in the freezer at a time. The problem with us is that she's been up every 2-3 hours over night since birth, so all I could do is pump in between feedings (which wasn't much) to try to get a stash. It sucks! Even the pediatrician was like "Well what have you done to try to increase supply?" And I answered with mommy tea, lactation shake, pumping in between feedings all weekend, fenugreek, etc and she's like "well then, you've tried everything." Sigh.

steph1977 · August 2014

Eireyes said:
I want to go for at least a year, and then after that let A decide. DH and I both have (or have had) terrible allergies so anything I can do to help him avoid those I'm going to do.

Don't feel bad if this doesn't work out. I BFd my DD for 13 mths with the same hope, but she still had bad allergies.

rtv3 · August 2014

I picked let her wean herself but we do want to start TTC again a little after she turns 1 so that might lead to weaning earlier. I'm going back to work in a few weeks though, so I'm getting super nervous about how that'll affect my supply

Edit because affect/effect is hard...

Rogue237 · August 2014

poru said:

Rogue237 said:

poru said:

My goal is a year, but like rogue, my supply is not keeping up with her eating schedule now that I am back at work. I have enough in the freezer to help me supplement when necessary and get me to 6 months exclusively on breastmilk (which is my minimum goal). Depending on her bottles once she starts solids, I may or may not have to start supplementing with formula. I will do almost anything to make it to 6 months, but I won't do anything (read wake up in the middle of the night for a pump session) to make it to a year. If we have to supplement with formula, I will do what I did with my son and give up once formula is more than 50% of his daily intake.

@poru - same (about doing anything pre-6 months). I've always been on the edge with her, so I have like 10 oz in the freezer at a time. The problem with us is that she's been up every 2-3 hours over night since birth, so all I could do is pump in between feedings (which wasn't much) to try to get a stash. It sucks! Even the pediatrician was like "Well what have you done to try to increase supply?" And I answered with mommy tea, lactation shake, pumping in between feedings all weekend, fenugreek, etc and she's like "well then, you've tried everything." Sigh.

That is how I was with my son, no freezer stash so we started supplementing with formula at 4 months when he started daycare. This LO slept through the night early, so I would just go to bed late after her, and pump before bed giving me an OK sized stash (126oz when I started work -- I have to use about 8oz a week so far). I have tried everything to increase my supply. Oddly, I can see results feeding her, but not with the pump. I am finding the mothers milk plus to be better than the tea or fenugreek. And the tried and true oatmeal. I also got pumpin pals, listen to music while pumping, heat, and a ton of fluids. And a little alchol at night to help the letdown

I have the pumpin pals too - it definitely helps. Does the Mother's Milk Plus have fenugreek in it? We had to stop that because it made her super gassy. Heat and fluids help too for sure.

I am definitely with you on the alcohol helping with the night time let down

Dixon813 · August 2014

Said a year, but after being babk at work for a couple days and pumping less than what he's drinking at day care, I'm a little nervous. I'm hoping it's just the nerves of getting back into a routine/the school year and my pumping will increase as I get more comfortable.

Random but lately I can only use pumpin pals, I haven't been responding well to the normal medela flanges. Glad something is working, but still annoying...

thomas930 · August 2014

Some time between 12 and 24 months. DD weaned at 15 months and ODS weaned at 14 months.

hordol · August 2014

My goal was 1 year. I can't keep up with his demand while I'm at work though so he does get a bottle or two of formula while he is there, but he is at least 70-75% bf though. I love nursing so I wouldn't be opposed to doing a nursing session before bed past one year, but who knows--I'm just going to play it by ear.

dmosquera4 · August 2014

Thank you ladies for your input it helps a lot to base a decision on how much longer I would like to do this. my supply it's ok goes up and down let hope we all get to our goal

lokimau · August 2014

Will let baby wean herself. Hoping for 2 years but reducing feeds after she is regularly eating solids and then eventually just nighttime since she nurses to sleep that will probably be the last thing I stop.

LaNorte · August 2014

I think we will stop nursing at every feeding at 6 months, but I may still nurse at bedtime until one year, and/or may continue to pump too.

MamaFantastic · August 2014

definitely beyond one year. i assume she'll wean herself sometime within that second year. kiddo lost interest around 16 months. i'd have BF for longer but he just didn't care at that point, and i was definitely happy to have my evenings totally back to myself without feeling chained to the house at bedtime.

Rrrrrachel · August 2014

My three year old little girl is still nursing. I put I'll let him wean himself but I'm trying to encourage her to wean. At this rate he will probably wean first and then I will for sure cut her off. She's very attached to nursing, more than typical, I think.

baileymama3 · August 2014

I plan on a year if I can, ideally he will wean soon after. Playing it by ear.

Teresa1896 · August 2014

At least a year. I really hope I can keep my supply up for pumping at work- this LO is so different from my dd, who was STTN by now. He is now waking 3-4x/night to eat. I think he's just trying to help keep my supply up. Also, I hope delaying solids will help keep my supply up as well. I nursed my dd till 16 months, when she lost interest. I never had to supplement with formula. Really anything over a year is golden!

chichi589 · August 2014

My goal is 6 months but I honestly can't imagine stopping.. So maybe a year?

ricekez · August 2014

I'll keep going past a year. I voted 2 yrs. DS1 weaned at 20 months, so I imagine DS2 will be similar.

eireyes · August 2014

steph1977 said:

I want to go for at least a year, and then after that let A decide. DH and I both have (or have had) terrible allergies so anything I can do to help him avoid those I'm going to do.
Don't feel bad if this doesn't work out. I BFd my DD for 13 mths with the same hope, but she still had bad allergies.

Yeah, I fully expect A to end up with allergies considering his genetic makeup, but every little bit helps. I was BFd for 14 months and I still ended up with asthma and allergies. I can only imagine what it would have been otherwise! My mom still remembers the Dr. telling her when she asked if she should stop once my milk protein intolerance was discovered "You think a milk allergy is bad now? Go ahead and stop and see how much worse it could be!" Thank gawd I grew out of that one, and mad props to my mom for cutting dairy out of her diet 30 years ago when all the substitutes didn't exist!

Rrrrrachel · August 2014

@loladair I'm just curious what ages your kids have weaned at. I'm despairing a little bit for my daughter and while I know I'm making the right decision for us I feel a little freakish.

J&NL · August 2014

I say a year but I really, really want my body back.

ksulli · August 2014

With dd1 she was all BM for 13 mos, but I quit the pump at 11 mos. I was blessed with a bit of an over supply, so she was on daytime bottles of BM and evening/overnight/morning nursing for a few months in there. Then she stopped wanting the morning, and eventually cut out the bedtime. Hoping for a repeat performance.

Rrrrrachel · August 2014

I am enforcing more rules like only before bed and nap and in her morning. I recently relaxed the rules because she was sick and then it was like a week of cutting her back again because she wanted to do it all the time. I think it's comfort and habit, but she is just one of those kids who is really attached to it. I tried with don't ask don't refuse but she will ask to nurse all. Day. Long. My April baby is way less of a boobaholic than her already.

KarenEliza · August 2014

I planned on a year but I never produced enough. I kept going even when he was only getting about half an ounce from me each feed and the rest from the bottle until he kept refusing the breast entirely. Made to just shy of four months.

Smores730 · August 2014

I haven't put any effort into upping my supply so I currently supplement at a rate of half bm half formula. My goal is to continue this way til 6 months and then see what my supply does. I don't see myself going over 12 months

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