How long did you breastfeed and why did you stop? - Page 2

[katroshka]

#1- about 11 months, I was about 5 months pregnant, my milk dried up, nursing hurt like he**, and was giving me painful contractions. I cried and cried about it, but DD didn't seem nearly as upset!

#2- about 18 months, maybe a bit more. She was a terrible biter, and really annoying about sleep nursing, I finally couldn't take it anymore. When she actually broke the skin I decided enough was enough.

I'm pregnant with #3 and very curious to see how long I will nurse this one, I'm open to nursing much longer if the above scenarios don't repeat, so we will see.

[earthmothergypsy]

I)  8 months--pressure to stop by family

2) 12 months weaned because I had to have surgery and had no idea I could just pump and dump and continue nursing--no support.

3) self weaned at 2yrs

4) self weaned at 6 1/2 yrs (nursed through a pg and tandem nursed)

5) self weaned at 5 1/2 yrs  (nursed through a pg and tandem nursed again)

6) still nursing strong at the age of 3 1/2yrs  

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

DD bfed for 2y7m almost exactly. I had to quit due to my own nervous issue. I was heartbroken that I could no longer nurse her without wanting to hit her if she did the wrong thing. So it was no longer a healthy relationship. I carried guilt up until ds came along and reached the same age as dd when she weaned.

DS also nursed for 2y7m and again the feelings returned where I couldnt contain the rage and I realized that for me that was just my natural limit and I stopped feeling guilty. Though I would still have loved to have been able to nurse until they self weaned it wasnt something I was capable of.

[Friday13th]

DS1 nursed for 26 months and 1 day.  I was 4 months pregnant and my milk dried up so he stopped asking. 

DS2 is going strong at almost 9 months and will be for quite a long time.

[QueenOfTheMeadow]

I love how many stories I'm seeing how with each subsequent child so many people nursed longer! I totally get the rage thing when nursing. I remember trying to nurse when I was pregnant, and sitting there gritting my teeth, feeling like I was going to puke, and trying really hard to convince myself that I was fine. I finally realised this was no longer healthy from a mental health point of view. It was so weird each time it happened, because I truly loved breastfeeding my babies. It is honeslty one of the things I miss the most about having a baby!

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Yep I loved nursing up until that point. I will always miss nursing and the closeness I had with the kids during it. Not to mention being able to "shoot" dh when he got on my nerves

[mother_sunshine]

My daughter self-weaned at 7 1/2 years.  She's on her way to becoming a successful, happy, beautifully-minded & connected young woman.  It was the best start in life that I could give her.

7 may sound old to many but, in the grand scope of our 70-80-year lifetime, 7 is a baby imho and in retrospect.

[k8s-mom]

I'm so delighted to write this somewhere where people understand.  I nursed my only child - my daughter - until one month shy of her sixth birthday.  We stopped because she walked into my office and said "Mom, I think I'm going to wean today".  I said ok and tried not to act shocked, and that was it.  LOL Best six years ever!!

[nikkimcg]

I nursed DS until this past Saturday. He is 16 months old. I'm 23 weeks pregnant and my milk just dried up. He hadn't really been asking to nurse for weeks but I was trying to get him to keep going through flu season. So he's fine, I cried. Maybe he'll start back up when the new baby is here?!  I was really looking forward to tandem nursing :( 

[isabchi]

Nursing a soon to be 6 yo and 2 1/2 yo.

[Nicole730]

#1 - stopped producing majority of my milk at 14 months, I was 7 weeks pregnant.  DS stopped asking to nurse and I stopped nursing him around 18 months.

#2 - still going.  I plan on trying to get pregnant when she is about 18 months, so we'll see what happens then

[frogeagle]

I breastfeed for 13 months.  My son weaned himself, he just became disinterested.  I couldn't get him to drink milk though.  But my peditrician suggested chocolate milk and that did it. 

[Thandiwe]

1)  Self-weaned at about 13.5 months old.  We were kind of doing the don't offer/don't refuse approach to breastfeeding as he was, and still is, an avid eater who really enjoys food.  So, eventually he got to a point where he never reached out to nurse.  I didn't offer/push him, because I needed to take a med he couldn't get anyways.  So I decided to let him go forward with weaning and take the meds.  He never looked back, and I wore a lot of guilt over the situation until I looked back and realized he really did naturally wean.

2)  He is the reason I realized #1 self-weaned.  If #2 could live at my breast, he would.  He's 3.5 yo, and he's showing absolutely no interest in slowing down, let alone weaning.  He nurses many, many times a day.  It's the last thing he talks about at night and the first thing he asks for in the morning.  He made it through my dry up during pg in mid 2009, and then picked up again when baby was born in Feb 2010.  He's been nursing stronger than before now.

3)  Still nursing.  He just turned one.  I am really, really happy I chose to tandem, because I adore the looks the two younger ones give each other when they are nursing at the same time.  I am finding it difficult to nurse my middle child emotionally, because I'm feeling really drained emotionally since both my youngest kids nurse constantly throughout the day.  The baby has very minimal interest in solids, and it seems like every couple of hours my preschooler is asking to nurse. :(

It was funny the other day, though, because someone I just met asked if baby is still taking bottles.  I said, "Well, he never did.  He nurses."  She said, "Still??"  And I said, "Yup."  I felt like saying, 'yeah, well, I wonder what you would say about my 3.5 year old since you're freaked that my 1 year old nurses!' 

[Sustainer]

Four and a half years for each child.  I didn't stop -- my children did.

[blessedwithboys]

Ds1: 24 mos.  We struggled a lot with tongue tie and a sleepy baby, so when he was 17 mos and went almost a week w/out nursing, I made it a point to offer every hour all day long.  He was teeny tiny (17 lbs at 12 mos) and refused most solids, so I thought he needed to stick with the milk for a while.  His strike lasted about 5 or 6 days and then we went back to nursing like a newborn until almost exactly his 2nd b-day.  That's when I stopped offering and it was over rather quickly.

Side-note:  I was 17 when ds was born and had never even seen a mama nursing in real life.  I stuck it out, pain and all, never used a bottle one single time, and even did WIC peer counseling for a while.  My proudest accomplishment, EBFing ds1.  :)

Ds2:  60 mos.  He just loved his boobies.

[starflower1]

My 3 year old daughter still breastfeeds and I am 7.5 months pregnant with my second.  I did night wean her in the first trimester because I had terrible all day sickness and I needed the sleep.  That transition was harder on her than on me, now when she wakes up in the night - which happens less often then when she nursed in the night - we cuddle and she falls back to sleep.  Sometimes she pretends to nurse by cuddling into my shirt.  She loves nursing and I don't imagine her stopping any time soon.  She talks about how she loves my nipples, but  I do not always say yes when she asks anymore.  I get really drained if she nurses a lot during the day.  She lost interest somewhat when my milk dried up, but didn't stop and recently it seems that my supply has come back.  I am not sure if it is milk or colostrum, but her enthusiasm has increased with it.  I kind of liked it when we were down to 3 times a day - morning, nap and bedtime.  That is still what we do most days, but sometimes, especially if something is bothering her or there is not a lot going on, she will ask for it more. 

It will be interesting to see how things go when the little one arrives.  I am excited to tandem nurse, but also a little nervous.  I have a feeling she will want to nurse a lot, and I hope I have the stamina for it, because I do not like denying her something that means so much to her (both of us really).  I I think that breastfeeding may really help all of us with the transition from a family of 3 to a fam of 4. 

We struggled with an undiagnosed tongue tie for the first few months of her life, so I don't want to end something that we both worked so hard for before she is ready.  That being said, I don't know if I would want to go much longer than 5 years old. 

[jsprecourt]

I have been breastfeeding my youngest for 30 months and am wondering if she'll nurse through 3 years. I nursed my son until he was almost 3 (during a rough pregnancy and eventually he weaned during then), and my older boys until 13 months each (at that time I only knew other mothers and doctors that recommended 1st year only.) We have amazing support- I think by now family and friends know this is just how we do things and it's so natural and normal, it doesn't seem odd that she is of any age that breastfeeding wouldn't be appropriate. It's been a wonderful relationship for us both,

Stephanie

adventuresinbabywearing.com

[Bensmommy]

With DS- 6 months, then was told to wean by his gastroenterologist because he was "allergic" to my milk-- HUGE mistake-- don't ever fall for that one!

With DD- almost 4 years.  She self weaned in a very gentle and lovely manner over many, many months.  She's happy and very healthy even now at 5 years old.  Best decision I ever made!  Best foundation any child can receive!

[Earthmama97]

With my first it was only 6 months as we were using formula and I didn't know any better :).  My second was about 2 years when he lost interest.  My third was about 2.5 years and she just slowly lost interest and we slightly encouraged weanings as we felt it had been long enough.  WIth my fourth we are still nursing at 35 months with no plans of weaning soon!  I have seen first hand the amazing benifits from nursing and have come to accept it as something so natural and wonderful.  I can't imagine not doing it!

[Baughface]

We breast fed for only 7 months, sadly.  My intent was to nurse till at least a year, if not two.  We stopped because my son had/has dysphagia (swallowing problem), and despite weekly therapy sessions and multiple lactation appts, we could never get him to suck correctly and maintain my milk supply.  I used a hospital grade pump right up until the week before we stopped nursing, but the pump, his therapy sessions, herbs and even medication, couldn't keep my milk supply going.  So I simply dried up.   Nursing for us definitely had it's fair share of ups and downs.  I am so hoping and praying that baby #2 (whenever that happens), will be an excellent nurser.

Jamie

crunchymamalife.blogspot.com