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How long did you EBF

  • 6 months or less

    Votes: 29 16.0%
  • 6-12 months

    Votes: 83 45.9%
  • 12 - 15 months

    Votes: 13 7.2%
  • 15 + months

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How long did you EBF (Question in thread that EBF for 12months+)

3K views 45 replies 39 participants last post by  dex_millie 
#1 ·
I was wondering how many people EBF for 12 months+ and why. Was the child just not interested in solids or you just felt it was not necessary.

I feel solids are not necessary until 12months or so. I also believe/think that just because my DS is grabbing for food doesn't mean he really wants to eat it as we think, because he acts the same way around paper bags, laptops, ect...

Also were your DC anemic anytime.
 
#3 ·
We started DS with solids at 6 mo but have never pushed them. I agree that they aren't necessary, but he showed interest and seems to enjoy them.

There are still (14 mo) plenty of days where almost all the food he gets ends up on the floor and I'm ok with that. I don't worry or push solids b/c as you said they aren't necessary. However there are days when he wants them.

Also I get to eat if he is in a highchair "eating", which if he wasn't might not happen.

BTW DS has had low iron (it's up since we've been supplamenting him.) I consider the 2 most likely contributing factors to that are
  1. He received small amounts of formula at the hospital shortly after birth b/c I had GD and wasn't up to fighting the nurses.
  2. I've had low iron myself due to health reasons off and on for years, and may not be able to put as much in my milk as most mommies.
 
#4 ·
My dd did not want solids and showed no reason for needing solids (as in she cried in hunger after having nursed 20 minutes earlier, or she reached for food, or she made chewing motions, whatever. In fact, she was walking at 8 1/2 months old and could of reached up and grabbed and ate any variety of food off the end tables in the living room and never even tried, she had no interest in food)... I tried to get her to take them at 6 months, and 9 months and she wouldn't...at 12 months I was stressed out about it cause I was worried about my milk supply (I was newly pregnant) but still nothing...at 15 months my milk supply dropped dramatically and she started eating tiny amounts of solids...like one meal a day... she didn't start eating 2 solid meals a day till she was 2 and she didn't move to 3 meals a day till she was 3. She didn't wean untill 4.

My ds on the other hand really seemed ready for solids at 3 months and we gave in at 4 months and trust me, it was the best thing we ever did...we were starving the poor kid it seems...I don't know if it was a co-incidence or not, but both my kids were 17lbs when they started eating solid food... Kincaid would nurse and the scream hysterically 15 minutes later...also he would scream untill I letdown then he would nurse happily, then scream again while finishing nursing...we had him tested for reflux (which dd had) and he was clear...finally at 4 months I told dh we would give him one spoonfull of cereal and see what happened...he chewed and swallowed with no tongue reflux what so ever and opened his mouth for more...after that he went back to nursing once an hour instead of every 15 minutes, and he started nursing happily.

I will not be giving this kid solid food untill he shows the readiness signs for solids, but I am open to them showing up anytime between 4 and 18 months...I think kids know when they need to eat.

Ohh, for what it's worth, my dd has never been anemic, my ds is always anemic, even on iron and vitamin c supplements...they are now 4 1/2 and 3 years old and still the same issues. I'm also always anemic and have the same skin colouring and such as DS, so I think it's genetic.
 
#5 ·
DD was EBF until about 8 months when we slowly slowly introduced foods. Now that DD is 22 months it is only recently (about 18 months) that she started regularly eating food. And when she is sick in any way she goes right back to EBFing. For me it just didn't seem necessary for her to jump into foods in a big hurry. And while she was interested and had fun at meal times she just liked BFing frequently. At the time I worried that I was doing something bad for her by not pushing solids more. But the more I read the more I realize it is ok to EBF for longer than the standard 6 months.

And no, DD never showed any signs of being anemic.
 
#6 ·
I voted that I started at 6 months because we started offering DS food at 5.5 months because he was grabbing it. But he didn't actually eat much of it. At 8 months he started eating a bit more..but still mostly for fun, (he grabbed and shoved a whole brownie in his mouth at a party) and it wasn't until he was 11.5 months that he started taking in any significant amount of calories in solids, and 14 months before he was seriously eating. Interestingly he learned to walk at 11.5 months so I think that's why he started eating more.

He was anemic, but it was discovered after he was a year old, I think because he really refused all the foods that typically have iron...he hated mushy food and would only eat harder foods and it was hard to find stuff that had iron in it that he would eat. My iron tends to be on the lower side too though, so it may just be genetics.
 
#7 ·
DD loves her solids, from 6 months she ravenously devoured anything differnt tasting. By eight months she nursed only 6-9 times a day...her chioce. By 12 months she mostly nursed 4-6 times a day. 12 months on she nurses 1-4 times a day and only for a few minutes kinda like a two to six mintue snack or wake up call (like coffee??) she has weaned on and off for a few weeks but a bump on the head, or teething, or her shots, or whatever and she pops back into the nurseing mode but stops after a day.

She likes it, it is healthy for her, I do not want to push her...she is cosy and secure...helps to let her sleep at night and relaxes her.
 
#8 ·
My ds is almost 16 months old and is still ebf. He is not interested in solids yet. I offer solids to him regularlly and have for months. He has had lots of testing due to foods I am having to avoid because his allergies. He has never been anemic and is thriving. He started walking at 9 mos and is talking up a storm now.

He has seen a GI specialist and 2 allergists that all say he is perfectly healthy just nursing.

My ds will touch foods to his mouth to taste them now but is still not eating any. As long as he is still growing, meeting milestones and happy I am not concerned about solids. I have kind of enjoyed the fact that since we cloth diaperthat his poop is still like newborn poop
 
#9 ·
DDs (twins) were ebf for 7m, then started tasting avocado and sweet potato. They ddin't actually start getting anything down until about 8.5m, and it was very gradual for the first 12-15m. More for the exploration and sensation, certainly not for nutrition or calories... they bf first before any offer of table food, and would also bf after. Like other pps's, when they were sick, they would ebf, which was fine with me.


They nursed just shy of their 3rd bday. They didn't want to wean, but I was pretty much ready, and wanted to start thinking about having baby #3. I wanted to nurse them long enough for them to have a memory of nursing, and now that I'm nursing DS (baby #3), they are so involved, it's so special. I plan to go at least 2 years with DS, and then as long as he and I both can keep going.

btw - DS is 6m old, and hasn't had any solids yet. no high chair. no baby food. he's gaining weight like crazy, is incredibly curious and mobile, so he's thriving on what mother nature intends... and it's superior to anything out there!

susan
 
#11 ·
With my first child, I started at about 6 months because she was grabbing at my spoon and really desperately wanting to get at my food. It was a HUGE mistake, the ramifications of which I did not realize for several sleepless months.

With my second child, we started slowly at 9.5 months. Much better.
 
#12 ·
DS we tried at 6 months like dd but he refused until about nine months. Then took only 1 small meal per day until about 15 months. Around 18months my milk supply dropped r/t pregnancy and he began eating 6 small meals per day and decreasing nursing by his own choice. Today at 27 months he nurses2-3 times per day and eats like a hound!!!!!
 
#14 ·
I started my ds on solids at around 6 months and he took to them quite readily. I also continued to nurse him until he was 3 years old.

My dd showed a little bit of interest in solids at around 9 months but even now at 23 months her diet is probably still at least 50% breastmilk.

I think most dc's will show when they are interested in solids. We did a lot of "baby" foods with ds but with dd we really let her take the lead and she started on table foods.

I love ebf because I feel like I get this safety net regarding my dd's nutrition. If I eat healthy and nurse her regularly I don't really worry about her solid intake.

Both of my dc's are not anemic. They haven't been tested but they don't seem anemic and it's not one of my concerns.
 
#15 ·
Thanks for the Replies.

Keep it coming. I guess I want to see the varieties out there. And if my ds doesn't eat solids when everyone expects I can at least tell them "I know" people who also delayed and that it is also normal.

My family on my side thinks I should have started around 4 months (even though they see he was thriving very well - in the 95% for weight and height). They were even shocked when I told them I am not given him any formula(as long as everything is medically fine w/ me/breast supply) and tried to encourage it. My DH family said 6months and have started questioning me about it - but they are not as persistant in talking me into it as my family.

I really like EBF and I hope DS doesn't get interested for a long time.
 
#16 ·
First DD was 4.5 months--started her on solids when she grabbed my mother's spoon and shoved in her own mouth. Second DD was around 8 months, third about 8.5 months. Interestingly, this all roughly correllates with when they got their first teeth.
It is probably teething and that overpowering urge to gnaw on something that piqued their interest. For all of them, in the early going, it was more about getting the textures/flavors than actually eating anything. Almost anything got chewed on and then spit out.

FWIW, DD#1 nursed until a week shy of her third birthday (I told her 'no more' when I found out I was pregnant with DD#3; I couldn't take the idea of tandem nursing throughout pregnancy), DD#2 is going strong at 3yrs 3 mos, & of course the 18-month-old is still nursing often.
 
#17 ·
My ds is 5 months and shows no interest in solids. He is content with just breast milk for now and I'm more than happy to oblige! My dd who is 28 months started trying out a few things around 5 months but only occasionally did she actually eat meals. Maybe it was just when I had a dip in my milk supply. Even now I'd say she gets more than half her nutrition from me and just snacks on and off during the day. She's very healthy. She does get low blood sugar which I think is part of why she prefers to nurse primarily because it stabilizes her much faster than eating something solid. No anemia though.
 
#18 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Hokulele View Post
And when she is sick in any way she goes right back to EBFing.

My dd did this as well, teething, colds, whatever she'd go back to exclusive breast feeding for a week or so all the way up till she was 3 years old. Also when DS was born and my milk came back in abundance she went a few weeks with no solids at all.

She was sick last week with high fevers and headaches and didn't eat anything, I would of done anything to get her to nurse again...but I have less than no milk now since she weaned almost 8 months ago now and I'm 23 weeks pregnant...not to mention she didn't even want to try.
 
#19 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by mhr1406 View Post
My ds is almost 16 months old and is still ebf. He is not interested in solids yet. I offer solids to him regularlly and have for months. He has had lots of testing due to foods I am having to avoid because his allergies. He has never been anemic and is thriving. He started walking at 9 mos and is talking up a storm now.

He has seen a GI specialist and 2 allergists that all say he is perfectly healthy just nursing.

My ds will touch foods to his mouth to taste them now but is still not eating any. As long as he is still growing, meeting milestones and happy I am not concerned about solids. I have kind of enjoyed the fact that since we cloth diaperthat his poop is still like newborn poop

I wonder how common it is for kids with food allergies to naturally not want solids for a long time. My dd had a lot of food allergies in her first 3 years, all of which she has outgrown now, but yea...
 
#20 ·
DD refused them. The first thing she really ate and didn't spit out was her birthday cake at a year old. When she did start eating we had a huge battle with constipation so I wish I had waited longer. I don't know if she has ever been anemic I have never tested her iron.
 
#21 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Cinder View Post
I wonder how common it is for kids with food allergies to naturally not want solids for a long time. My dd had a lot of food allergies in her first 3 years, all of which she has outgrown now, but yea...
From what I understand very common. If the gut isn't sealed they will spit food out which is why spoon feeding isn't a good idea it will force food down their throat they shouldn't be eating. I remember watching people feed their 4 month olds; spoon, spit, wipe off mouth with spoon and re-feed until basically they had force fed the entire spoonful into the mouth.
 
#23 ·
Its been different with each babe. My first started a little after 6months and was a sweetpotato/avacodo eating machine! I would nurse first and he would still hog down. He is a very light eater now at age four though.

My second didnt even attempt solids to about 8 months and did not really get into them for along time. Now hes a non-stop eater. Go figure


My dd is 6 months old and I dont think shes ready at all. Im curious about the allergy connection and ebfing though. My second babe (late to solids) is also my one with food allergies. Interesting.
 
#25 ·
i bf'd my girls for 15 months & 25 months. i weaned dd1 (with a little guilt & regret involved) but dd2 self-weaned. btw, i was 5 months pregnant at each weaning.

i didn't really notice a correlation with starting solids & weaning. even after they started eating they continued to bf with vigor! i think dd1 would still be bf'ing....she loved it so much, day & night!!! (poor thing...i have to get over the fact that i weaned her unwillingly).
 
#26 ·
DD EBF for 7 months. DS was EBF until 10 months (we did try solids earlier but he wasn't interested). He is still BFing and since my milk has come in again he is now EBF again--even back to the BF poo at 30 months!
 
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