Breastfeeding after 6 months
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Anonymous
| For me, I enjoyed the bond I had with my baby after six months old. The breast milk changes as the baby grows so I believe there are still benefits. But, you could give formula on the days you are not available ( I hated pumping) and breast feed on the days you are around. Or you can stop by graduating going over to formula. It is up to you |
Anonymous
You may need to check the ratio with your doctor. It may not be 50/50 right away. |
Anonymous
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Science can’t answer this for you right now. All these women on here claiming it leads to this or that are not being truthful; there are no proven, definite benefits.
For me, the reasons to keep going were, in order, 1. Sleep. Will your baby fall asleep easily any other way? Mine wouldn’t. 2. Convenience. Bottles: filling, prepping and cleaning them sucks. Breastfeeding is so easy and convenient. 3. Weight loss. This wasn’t a consideration for me but looking back I could eat literally anything I wanted and still unintentionally lost weight. |
Anonymous
You are being misleading. There really hasn't been that much studied on breastmilk. Why? Because women do it and it is difficult to be scientific when there are so many different variables. Everything I said ( bonding with baby and that the breastmilk changes as the baby ages is true) If op wants to wean she should wean. It isn't my baby! Not my business! |
Anonymous
OP here, wish this was the case for me but it definitely isn't. I'm wondering if this is just my new set point which is upsetting. I am almost 40 pounds over my weight before I got pregnant. I was eating a lot postpartum (PPD plus extreme breastfeeding hunger) to the point that I actually gained weight while baby was constantly nursing. For the past few months I have been working out (only 30 minutes 6 times per week so I could do more but it's hard with the baby) eating healthier with much smaller portions but I haven't even lost a pound. Maybe I need to start another thread about weight loss while breastfeeding! |
Anonymous
I breast both my kids until about 15 months. For me the benefits were: 1. Sleep — I nursed them to sleep until I weaned and I was terrified to try to get them down without a boob 2. Dishes/fuss — I hate washing bottles and didn’t want to worry about buying/preparing formula 3. Ease — I’d been breastfeeding and knew how to do it and didn’t want to switch things up These are extremely personal and trivial benefits so if you want to switch, I think you should start trying formulas. I will also note that I hung onto pregnancy weight while breastfeeding; once I stopped I immediately started going down again (still about 10 pounds above pregnancy weight because I’m neither nor exercising terribly well but definitely slimmer while I was nursing) even after I weaned my oldest when I was pregnant again. So I hope that works for you too! |
Anonymous
| OP here. Thinking I just won’t worry about pumping beyond the days I’m in the office and building up a bit of a freezer stash for daycare illness. She can have formula when I’m not available for whatever reason. |
Anonymous
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https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/15274-benefits-of-breastfeeding
Benefits of extended breastfeeding Breastfeeding beyond one year and up to two years continues to benefit your baby’s development and growth. But it can also benefit the breastfeeding parent. Research shows breastfeeding beyond one year can help lower your risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes. In addition, extended breastfeeding can help soothe your baby and provide comfort in times of upset. https://www.medela.com/en-au/breastfeeding-pumping/blog/power-of-breast-milk/5-powerful-reasons-to-continue-breastfeeding-after-6-months |
Anonymous
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9906265/ https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article-abstract/126/1/e18/68272/Prolonged-and-Exclusive-Breastfeeding-Reduces-the?redirectedFrom=fulltext https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/481276 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6040730/ https://www.nature.com/articles/s41430-020-00764-7 |
Anonymous
Show me actual research stating the benefits of extended breastfeeding in a first world country. Not just vibes. |
Anonymous
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The health benefits drop off around that time, plus you'll start solids. If you aren't enjoying it, and especially if you'll need to pump to keep it up (I loathed pumping), you should stop. I don't think anyone should martyr themselves to breastfeeding. There are great alternatives, it's fine.
I breastfed for a year but it was really for me. I liked it, I liked that time with my baby. It forced me to slow down and be still with her -- I have fond memories of sitting in the rocker nursing her and just looking out a window at the leaves fluttering in the wind. It was like meditation (and I'm not a meditation person). I think it's just what I needed at that time in my life. I loathed pumping though. I only had to do it occasionally though because I worked from home and could just nurse directly on our schedule. So I only pumped once or twice a week so I could go out for longer or have milk for a sitter or for my DH to give. If I did it again now, I'd probably pump less and just supplement with formula. At the time I was told this would undermine BFing but I think that's BS. |
Anonymous
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29084835/ |
Anonymous
Do you have your period back? |
Anonymous
| I nursed until each kid was 1.5-2. Unsure of the health benefits but it was relaxing and bonding. I wouldn’t sweat it if you want to wean though, at this point it’s about what’s convenient/comfortable for you. |
Anonymous
With my first I hadn’t intentionally weaned but I didn’t have much success breastfeeding so eventually I just slowly weaned. And for weeks I was crying all the time and just depressed. It felt like the end of the world. It then occurred to me it was related to weaning. It was probably a good two months. |