breast feeding at age 1, what's it like for you?

[beautifulboy]

Hi all
I am curious about other BFing moms out there. If you have a 1+year old baby I would really appreciate the share of information. I guess I just don't know any moms who BF past age 1. We're going to do so, but I guess I am in need of a little support.

My DS will turn 1 in two weeks and we have been BFing without issues, pretty much, since he was born. He started solids when he was 8 mos old but still BFs 6-7 times a day/night (down from many more when he was younger). I am a stay at home mom so I don't pump unless I have to, and he has never taken a bottle, he went straight to cups (where he drinks water not milk). Some days DS BFs less because we are busy or he is distracted, so I can really see how weaning begins. Although I don't think DS will ever want to stop nursing at night, I would really like him to continue during the day too. But I am also concerned that he gets good nutrition those times when he BFs less.

Any thoughts or stories would be greatly appreciated!

[Lynn08]

I'm not sure exactly what you're looking for, but 13mo dd is still going strong! :

Like you, I was a sahm (recently got a p/t job) and nursed on demand. We started solids 7-8 months, but didn't really start feeding her (as in several small meals and snacks several times a day) until I went back to work. She does drink pumped milk from a sippy cup when I am gone, but nurses almost nonstop when I'm home. And most of the night, too, for that matter.

We started working on boundaries and personal space issues when she was around 11 months because she would just lift my shirt up or pull it down. So I started insisting that she "ask" to nurse (using the sign for *milk*) - guess what sign she uses for everything now? And for the most part I do nurse when she asks, but there are times when I don't, or she has to wait a few minutes. And she is slowly getting better with it.

We cosleep, which makes nighttime nursing so easy. I have been able to stop nursing her to sleep (mostly because she sucks me dry long before bedtime rolls around ), but she nurses as soon as I come to bed. Then it's nothing until the wee hours of the morning (4? 5?) when she latches and stays latched pretty much until we get out of be between 8 & 9.

So, for the most part, it still really works for us. And we both love the nursing relationship and have no intention of stopping anytime soon.

[alegna]

Also not sure what you're looking for...

Ds is 15 months and nurses probably in the neighborhood of 10-12 times a day. Eats tons usually too...

FWIW dd is 5yrs old and still nurses once a day...

-Angela

[paulamc]

I think I know what you're looking for! I like the topic very much!!

DS is 11.5 months, and recently learned to crawl, pull up on furniture and bring himself to a seated position on his own, all at once. He's far to busy to nurse much during the day. I'll ask if he wants his 'milkie,' he'll give me an emphatic 'yes' (his own language), and once I get him on my lap he immediately pulls away because he wants to get down and play. Still, we usually get a a few good sessions in. I am a SAHM for now, but am finding myself pumping several times a day and giving him the milk in a cup, which he loves. He's not about to wean anytime soon as he still nurses many, many times at night!! I have a feeling that we'll be back to frequent daytime nursing once the novelty of his new skills wears off. He used to nurse frequently.

He's very, very small (weight wise) so he's been eating a lot of solids since 7 months. We did do the purees in order to maximize calories, mixing in olive oil & butter and such - but also began with finger foods as well. In the beginning the solids were definitely on top of the nursing. He didn't reduce nursing until very recently, and even now I believe he's getting as much between nursing and the cup. I've been taking domperidone to increase supply the past couple of months, so he might be drinking even more.

Sometimes it worries me that he wants to play instead of nurse, but generally I'm very happy with things because he's gaining, he's happy, I don't have thrush for a change, and I've got a great supply. I'll be interested in watching this thread to see if any others are having a similar experience, with their LOs too busy playing to nurse during the day.


ETA: Forgot to mention, that DS no longer wants to eat purees or from a spoon much at all, so he's probably taking in fewer calories from solids than before. These days he eats finger foods for the most part. Things he likes include: scrambled eggs w/ cheddar cheese (this he eats from a spoon sometimes), almond & peanut butter (from a spoon or on toast), homemade bread, organic O cereal, strawberries, blueberries, apple, peas, limas (these seem to pass straight through), and he recently started eating bits of cheese. He used to eat spinach, sweet potatoes, peas, cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes and other veggies in purees. Now we're working on getting him to eat these things as finger foods, steamed, with some success. Not sure how to do leafy greens anymore.

[alegna]

Being too busy to nurse is common at that age. IME the best thing to do is to keep offering - in the same places and positions and new ones.

I would actually AVOID pumping and giving milk in other containers. Some babies/toddlers at that age wean easily when given their milk in a container they can take with them

-Angela

[LadyCatherine185]

DS turned one a couple weeks ago, and still nurses quite a bit. Not too interested in solids, though in the last several days I have noticed he has been eating more. Most of his nursing definitely revolves around nap/bedtime though. He does get really distracted, and won't nurse "good" (as in, more than like 5 seconds) unless we are in a dark quiet room. If we are at home he will ask to nurse no less than every 2-3 hours, if we are not at home, he will go 5+ hours. He is still pretty chunky (just shy of 27 lbs) so I am not worried at all about his nutrition. He is very active and curious, and I am so thankful to have this nursing relationship with him, because it is the only quiet/cuddly time that I get with him!

[paulamc]

Originally Posted by alegna

Being too busy to nurse is common at that age. IME the best thing to do is to keep offering - in the same places and positions and new ones.

I would actually AVOID pumping and giving milk in other containers. Some babies/toddlers at that age wean easily when given their milk in a container they can take with them

-Angela

I'll try offering more frequently and in a variety of places. As for positions, now that he can sit up on his own he has just started to try nursing while sitting - he leans over and takes a sip LOL. This is usually when I'm trying to get him to go down for a nap.

He can't actually take the cup with him yet, as I have to hold it for him, otherwise he'd dump the milk out immediately. He never took a bottle and hasn't gotten the hang of a sippy cup. But nonetheless, I do sometimes fear he could develop a 'cup preference.'

I'd be hesitant to stop pumping for the cup, however, given how small he is (11.5 months, 15 pounds 6 ounces as of today). Even before he started nursing less frequently I was pumping for a cup to get extra calories into him. He does seem healthy otherwise, and I was also very small as a babe, but I feel like I have to do whatever I can to maximize (nutritional) calories.

Sorry to hijack the thread!

[Geeka]

My DS is only 9 months today so I can't give you much adivce but I did want to thank you for starting this topic. I just mentioned today to a friend that I am nursing about 5 times a day and twice a night as well as feeding her three meals a day along with water and sometimes a teething cracker. The person I mentioned this to couldn't believe that she is still nursing so much and eating so much. I thought maybe I was doing something wrong and started to doubt whether I should be allowing her to nurse so much. I am not sure how much she weighs, maybe 19lbs and is very active; crawls, pulls up to stand, cruises on furniture and walks while holding onto my hand. I just figured she needs the calories because she is so active and probably still likes to BF. But after reading everyone's responses I think she is perfectly fine and we are doing what works for us.

[KristyDi]

My DD is 18 mos.

She can go for hours w/o nursing if we're out and about. I've noticed we don't NIP much anymore. If she does ask it's usually just a quick latch and a few sips. Then again, if we're at home she still may ask to nurse every couple of hours. She does what I call drive by nursing. I sit sideways on the couch to read so she'll walk up and nurse on the outside boob for a bit before going back to playing.

I started offering solids a bit after 6 mos and she's had fun tasting but hasn't been overly interested in actually ingesting all that much until just recently so she's still been getting the majority of her nutrition at the breast.

[KristyDi]

Originally Posted by Geeka

My DS is only 9 months today so I can't give you much adivce but I did want to thank you for starting this topic. I just mentioned today to a friend that I am nursing about 5 times a day and twice a night as well as feeding her three meals a day along with water and sometimes a teething cracker. The person I mentioned this to couldn't believe that she is still nursing so much and eating so much. I thought maybe I was doing something wrong and started to doubt whether I should be allowing her to nurse so much. I am not sure how much she weighs, maybe 19lbs and is very active; crawls, pulls up to stand, cruises on furniture and walks while holding onto my hand. I just figured she needs the calories because she is so active and probably still likes to BF. But after reading everyone's responses I think she is perfectly fine and we are doing what works for us.

No reason to limit nursing. In fact at 12 months Kellymom says babies should still be getting at least 75% of their nutrition from breast milk.

[Lynn08]

Originally Posted by KristyDi

My DD is 18 mos.

She can go for hours w/o nursing if we're out and about. I've noticed we don't NIP much anymore. If she does ask it's usually just a quick latch and a few sips. Then again, if we're at home she still may ask to nurse every couple of hours. She does what I call drive by nursing. I sit sideways on the couch to read so she'll walk up and nurse on the outside boob for a bit before going back to playing.

I started offering solids a bit after 6 mos and she's had fun tasting but hasn't been overly interested in actually ingesting all that much until just recently so she's still been getting the majority of her nutrition at the breast.

Ahh, yes. The drive-by-nursing is driving me nuts! Gah, if only I could get dd to sit still long enough for a complete nursing session, then maybe she wouldn't want to nurse all.day.long. Oh well, at least the stimulation is helping to keep my supply up.