did your mama nurse you? - Page 2

[flowerpower]

In 1967, my mother did not nurse her first child.

In 1972, she nursed me for 5 months, but has always regretted weaning me at that time.

In 1977, she nursed my sister for 13 months, until my father and grandmother bullied her into stopping.

In 1998, I nursed my first son for 1 year (as recommended by my doctor)

Presently, I am nursing my 20 month old toddler, and am leaning towards self-weaning.

[Dana]

My mom tried to nurse my sister (1963) against the advice of just about everyone including her own mother, but it didn't work. So she didn't even try to nurse my brother (67) or me (70). This spring she was thumbing through Sears' Baby Book and figured out that she'd had inverted nipples.

MIL nurse dh for 3 months, but he was too skinny so they switched to formula. Another victim of lack of support.

I plan to let dd self wean.

[VioletPearl]

I, 1981, was nursed for almost 2 years until mom got preg w/my brother. He was nursed for about 18 mo. My older sister, 1979, was nursed for 2 years, against the doctor's rec. and MIL. MIL even called Child Welfare on her to try to get her to stop. My oldest sister, 1974, I'm not sure because she was born in the hospital w/mom all drugged-then the father tried taking her away when she was only a few mo old. I've never seen any pics w/bottles so I think she must have been BF too.
VioletPearl

[Pom]

1968

My mother for years insisted that I "refused" to take her milk.

Onlu recently have I been able to show her that it was probably lack of support that caused us to have feeding problems, and it was not a blatant rejection of her on my part!

She loves that I am breastfeeding and is "awed" at how much effort and commitment it takes. She's become quite the advocate.

But who knew? She was 21, and no one would help her through it.

[the_mombat]

I was born in 68, my mother nursed me for about a week, I think. Then she had cracked and bleeding nipples, no support, and switched to formula. My SO was not nursed at all.

I'm planning to let my 8 month old daughter self-wean, regardless of who in my family thinks I'm crazy

[Julie]

I was nursed for 3 months. I am one of the >1% That is genuinly allergic to breastmilk, My poor Mom did a compleatly elimination diet and could not find anything in her diet causeing me to be allergic, It was so bad that if BM got on my skin I would react I was raised on goats milk and Karo syrup cause it was the Only thing I could tolerate.

Both my Kids ended up having sever Dairy allergies and DD is Dairy/soy allergic so Im very lucky that we figgered out the BFing thing DS was Fed Soy formula From a lack of support/stupid advice from a Dr/Mean LLL lady...Long story...But he was BF for 6 weeks at least (wish it was longer!)

*Edited to add i was born in '77, My sister born in '74 was BF for 6 weeks untill she hit a growth spirt and the Drs told my Mom she was eatting so much cause mom had no milk...If my Mom had gotten the support she needed both my sister and i would have been BF*

[3girls1boy]

My mom nursed us all for about 9 mos. and then weaned us right to cow's milk. Oldest brother was born in 1958 in a Navy hospital. No one would show her how to nurse until in the middle of the night and old, old nurse knew how to show her what to do.

Her next child was born in 1960, me in 1962, and my younger brother in 1964. She hooked up with some of the LLL founders in Chicago when she was pg for the 3rd time, but she ended up miscarrying that time, and moving away so she never got involved with LLL.

I always knew that she was proud of going against the norm and that greatly influenced me when I had my kids.

Jeanne (been pregnant and/or nursing since 1991)

[busymom]

The docs convinced my mom that formula was better than breastmilk in 1966 so I was never nursed, neither was my sister born in 1968. My dad revealed to me that that is the angriest he has ever been with my mom. I always new I would nurse my baby (hopefully babies) she is now 3 and still nursing once a day, in the morning. My grandmother and I now have a bond --we are the only living women in our family who have nursed a child. Grandma even told me about pumping milk so she could go out once in a while when my mom was a baby in 1940!

[queencarr]

I was born in 1974 and was nursed about 10-11m, when I self weaned. When I was a few months old, my Dad was a SAHD while my Mom worked because she made more money, so she hand expressed for bottles of bm for me. I started weaning when my family encouraged my Mom to give me water at around 6m because it was Florida and summer, no air conditioning, and they were convinced I needed it to not have heat stroke. I got solids fairly early, mainly because I was interested and liked them. My Mom looked and acted very conservative, but was very natural living, whole foods, type stuff. My grandmother (Mom's side) attempted to nurse, but didn't have "good milk" (probably didn't--she smoked at the time and worked many hours at a family grocery), and they were fed cow's milk (fresh/raw I think) after a few weeks. My Dad's Mom bottle fed her older kids, but nursed my Dad. Everyone in my family is very supportive of me nursing, even at almost 4yo. Shortly before he died, my Grandaddy told me he thought I should nurse "as long as Jimmy was willing and I was able", and if there were any doubts, that settled it for the rest of my family. My Grandaddy was very much the patriarch of our family.

Carrie

Edited for clarity and spelling errors.

[jempd]

I was breastfed for 3 months, my 3 sisters for a year each. I was abruptly weaned because my mother got sick and was hospitilized and didn't have the support or means to pump and keep me on breastmilk. This was in 1959. My mother said she had no problems except for that.

[grisletine]

i wasnt nnursed at all.. neither was my older siblings.. i was born in 80.. my siblings 78 and 76. my mother wasnt nursed either or an of her siblings... my father was. and my little brother born in 90 was nursed for 3 months and then she stopped becasue of fsmily pressure.. it seems we all wanted to hold his bottle. a few of my aunts nursed so im not teh only one... but my little girl is the first grandchild.

[rsps]

born in 1970
my mom nursed me for 11 months
but supplemented with bottles in public.

[Elphaba]

.

[laurajean]

My Mom nursed all of her 5 kids. She nursed all of us until we had teeth. The first 4 for 8 months each and the last one for 4 months. She had her first kid in 1968 and her last in 1975.

She decided to breastfeed after giving birth to my oldest sister. Apparently the nurse came in and asked her what she wanted to do, how she wanted to feed her baby... And, she said she didn't know. So, the nurse and her room mate (in the hospital) persuaded her that breast was best - her room mate even gave her a book about breastfeeding. According to my mother, she never had a problem with latch-on and soreness... imagine that?

~Laura

[cottonwood]

My mom nursed me for 14 months (I was born in 1966.) Her doctor said it was the best thing she could do for me. She says she's the only mother she knew at the time who was nursing her baby, and that everyone thought it was weird. She weaned me at 14 months, because it was just unheard of to be still nursing a baby at that age, and she was embarrassed.

[mama joy]

My mom tried nursing me in the hospital. She was struggling and asked a nurse for help. The nurse told her she wasn't trying hard enough. I was on formula by the time I left the hospital.
1970

[Millie Ivy]

1981 I was nursed 13 months. My mom just figured that it wasn't necesary past a year. In fact she wasn't convinced of that until I started educating her on extended bfing. 83 she nursed my lil sis for 11 months and 85 nursed my brother for 10 months.
She tells me how proud of me she is for listening to my intuition and not general consensus.

[Sarah_Elizabeth]

My mom was a NICU nurse and I was nursed for about 10 months. I was started on solids I think at a mere 8 weeks of age though. I was born in 1972. Actually, she said the only people she knew who nursed were some of the other nurses and DOCTOR'S WIVES. Apparently, they knew breast was best (at least many of them did) after all. My grandma (mom's mom) nursed all but one of her 4 for 9 months in the 40's and 50's and the one she did FF was her 3rd because he had to have surgery at 2 months and without good pumps or support back then, so she lost her milk supply. She always said what a nuisance formula was. My mom had to go back to work full time when my younger brother was 6 months, so he was pretty much weaned then (also due to lack of good pumps back then). She always told me how bad she felt to be put in that position (because my dad was fired and wouldn't look for work again for over a year).
I come from a long line of breastfeeders, but I was the first one to do it past a year though. I can't say I got much flack for it though. As screwy as my mom is (and don't get me started), that's one thing she did pretty well for me at least.

[Bekka]

born 1973--I was bf until around 9 months, when switched to a bottle.

I'm the eldest of 9 kids, all other kids nursed between 16 and 22 months. My mom said she weaned either when she was pregnant or when the kids could take her clothes off. She didn't mean to stop nursing me--it was just easy to give a bottle with powdered milk and then her milk dried up. She said "much I knew." Dh was nursed 4 months--him mum was a MW and had problems with oversupply. Been pg and/or nursing since 1997.

[bluemoon]

Iwas born in 1974. My mom was 18 years old and with out asking her they gave her that shot that dried up her milk. my grandmother used a bottle with all of her 6 children. so no one believed me when i said i would nurse my dd. When i had problems I got," the give her a bottle and it will all be fine." but at 20 months we are still nursing!!!