Pumping Beyond Infancy

[zoe77]

I'm curious if anyone here pumped beyond infancy. My son is 21 months old and I still pump to provide breastmilk for him while he is at daycare. I pump twice a day and am still able to provide anywhere from 10 - 15 oz a day. This is enough to keep him on breastmilk with no supplementation (milk). He also eats 3 meals a day plus snacks.

I always said I would stop pumping when he turned 2, but now I'm not sure. Part of me would love to be done pumping (but it's really not that much of a burden) but another part of me thinks that as long as I am breastfeeding and producing milk I should keep giving him breastmilk and hold off on the cow's milk as long as possible.

I would love to hear from other mom's that pumped this long. I guess just to know I'm not the only one. And to hear about what your experience was.

I'm sure people at work already think I'm "weird" for pumping this long. But I don't really care that much what other people think

Thanks!!

[YvonneC-M]

I just want to congratulate you on pumping this long! My baby is going to turn one later this month, and I have no idea how much longer I'll be pumping, but it's heartening to know that it's possible to keep it up like you have. I agree that the longer you delay cow's milk, the better.

I'm not in a position to offer you my experience or advice, but I did want to express my support!

[haydn'smommy]

WTG, mama!
I pumped until 20mos with my first. I only pumped morning and night after I nursed him, but it was enough to give him 1 cup/day at daycare and that made me happy. I stopped cause I got pg and it caused cramping plus it hurt something awful.
I am working FT and pumping now for my second child. He's almost 8mos and I am still pumping 6 times/day in addition to feeding him 4-5 times/day on the days I work. I will likely continue to pump until at least 18mos. I have a largish freezer stash and it would be enough to get us through another 1-2mos of 8oz/day for daycare.

[calebsmommy25]

I pump for my DS, but he has started to lose interest in having bm out of a bottle or a cup...at his ripe old age of 2 he prefers to wait until he can get it straight from the tap.

I wouldn't worry about giving him cows milk, even if you stop pumping for him at daycare. My DS doesn't like cows milk at all, but loves yogurt and cheese.

If my DS still wanted to drink bm when away from me, I think I would still pump for him. Pumping is tough Mama and I have only had to do it part-time! Congrats on doing it this long! You rock!

[pantrygirl]

Way to go! I have a 22 month old and I still pump but only once a day. I'm lucky if I can get 3-4 ounces. I suppose I could pump more often but the last few times I did I got even less. :-(. The 4 ounces seem perfect for her nap.
I would like to try to continue to pump as long as she wants the milk for her nap.

[zoe77]

Thanks for all the encouragement!!

I don't think I'd continue to pump if I became pregnant, but alas my fertility has still not returned so no chance of that yet.

I'm trying to build up a freezer stash for when I go down to 1 pump a day. I def don't want to quite pumping cold turkey!! I'm thinking maybe I'll transition to 1 pump a day when he turns 2 in August and re-evaluate then.

When I do start him on milk it will be raw milk and I'm just not looking forward to trying to explain that one to his daycare provider. She is very "by the book". I think I'll probably just tell her it's non-homogenized from the health food store Plus as much as I love my raw milk, I still think breastmilk is best for humans and I want to give him that as long as I can. And it's free!!!!!!!

[New_Natural_Mom]

Wow, 10-15 oz a day! You rock! I have pumped for the last time today. It is bittersweet. I have tapered off from pumping 4X a day for a looooonngg time, to twice a day, to 1 time a day. DS is 25 months and has been refusing BM from a bottle/cup at daycare. He nurses when he gets home in the evenings, at night (we co-sleep) and during the weekends. I really hope that I can still nurse until he is ready to wean. I was only getting 1-2 oz each time I pumped, and since he was refusing it I just figured, why bother.

I won't miss carrying the pump around, but I will miss my reading breaks during the day at work!

[zoe77]

Originally Posted by New_Natural_Mom

Wow, 10-15 oz a day! You rock! I have pumped for the last time today. It is bittersweet. I have tapered off from pumping 4X a day for a looooonngg time, to twice a day, to 1 time a day. DS is 25 months and has been refusing BM from a bottle/cup at daycare. He nurses when he gets home in the evenings, at night (we co-sleep) and during the weekends. I really hope that I can still nurse until he is ready to wean. I was only getting 1-2 oz each time I pumped, and since he was refusing it I just figured, why bother.

I won't miss carrying the pump around, but I will miss my reading breaks during the day at work!

I only got 8.5 oz today, so I guess I shouldn't have been bragging I think it all depends on how often he gets up the night (or rather early AM) before.

I think you should be fine continuing to nurse whenever you are together. Remember the kids are a lot better at getting the milk out than the pump.

I will miss the reading breaks also!!

And great job making it to 25 months! Great to know there are others out there pumping for ther 2+ year olds.

[t2009]

Wow. I am so impressed by all you mamas who pump so long! I gave it up soon after DS turned 1. I think if pumping had come easily for me, I'd still be doing it, but from day one of pumping it was a series of ups & downs (in terms of supply) with a lot of frustration, so I was mostly glad to give it up. But I do wish I could give DS my milk when I am away from him, and I think my supply overall has taken a pretty big hit because I stopped.

So, way to go! You rock!

[bronxmom]

My son's only 17 months but I'm still pumping - 2x/day on the 3 days/week he goes to daycare and also at other times for times when I'm away from him. He doesn't always take the breastmilk from the bottle though - in fact less and less at daycare. He will take it from dad and grandma, and I guess others, at night if I'm not there. Sometimes he'll drink a bottle on the car ride home. He hates cow's milk (though loves cheese and yogurt) so I'm not sure stopping is in my immediate future.

If I do pump until he's 2 and he gets plenty of dairy is it necessary for him to ever drink milk?

[zoe77]

Originally Posted by bronxmom

If I do pump until he's 2 and he gets plenty of dairy is it necessary for him to ever drink milk?

If you are pumping he is drinking milk

I love milk and dairy is a big part of my family's diet. But you can get the nutrients found in dairy from other sources also. Calcium from dark green leafy veggies and bone broth. Vitamin D you should supplement anyway because what is in pasteurized milk is added back synthetics and not enough anyway. So no, other than breastmilk, you don't ever NEED milk.

And if he is eating cheese and yogurt then I don't see any reason to force milk, or stress about him not drinking milk (other than breastmilk).

[bronxmom]

Originally Posted by zoe77

If you are pumping he is drinking milk

I love milk and dairy is a big part of my family's diet. But you can get the nutrients found in dairy from other sources also. Calcium from dark green leafy veggies and bone broth. Vitamin D you should supplement anyway because what is in pasteurized milk is added back synthetics and not enough anyway. So no, other than breastmilk, you don't ever NEED milk.

And if he is eating cheese and yogurt then I don't see any reason to force milk, or stress about him not drinking milk (other than breastmilk).

Sorry. I guess I should clarify. I mean when he's away from me and not breastfeeding or after he weans. Eg., if he stops breastfeeding at 2 1/2 years, do I need to transition to cow's milk or can I just skip it as long as he's getting dairy from other sources and the other nutrients?

[zoe77]

Originally Posted by bronxmom

Sorry. I guess I should clarify. I mean when he's away from me and not breastfeeding or after he weans. Eg., if he stops breastfeeding at 2 1/2 years, do I need to transition to cow's milk or can I just skip it as long as he's getting dairy from other sources and the other nutrients?

Dark green leafy vegetables and bone broth are good sources of calcium.