Poll- when did you wean from breastfeeding? (If you EBF)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why does your MIL think six months is normal? If it’s going well and both mom and baby are happy, breastfeeding is just so much easier than bottles and formula. If you’re going back to work, pumping is a pain and you have to deal with bottles but if you’re with your baby the next months/year are golden!

Maybe the MIL wants her to get pregnant again soon

[Anonymous]

With my first, I just kept setting goals. 3 months. At 3 months, everything was going great so reset goal to 6 months. At 6 months, things were still going great so reset to 1 year, and so forth. I was finally over it at 2.5 and weaned. He could have kept going forever I think, super attached to it but I saw no need to wean before I did.

Baby #2 is currently a little over 11 months and going strong. I will just let her do what she wants and wean when I'm over it, probably around 2.5 again at the latest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why does your MIL think six months is normal? If it’s going well and both mom and baby are happy, breastfeeding is just so much easier than bottles and formula. If you’re going back to work, pumping is a pain and you have to deal with bottles but if you’re with your baby the next months/year are golden!

Maybe the MIL wants her to get pregnant again soon

I got pregnant nursing my first.

[Anonymous]

It is so great seeing the variety of responses and non-judgmental attitudes on this thread!

Mine weaned herself at 13 months, which felt "early" since most of the EBF moms in my moms group went significantly longer. It's nice to see how many people had kids who did the same. I remember feeling a little rejected when it happened, even though it was nice to be more free and also allowed my husband to take on a more central parenting role.

Did your MIL breastfeed, or was it common when/where she had kids? Mine did not and it was discouraged at the time (I think they told her that formula was *better* than breastfeeding?). She didn't judge me for breastfeeding but she was super clueless about it. I vaguely remember her being very confused that I was still nursing at 8 or 9 months, like it was something I was forcing on my kid and not something that just worked for us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These answers are not typical, OP. https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/data/facts.html

But you should do what’s right for you and your baby.

These numbers are survey data, i.e., what women end up doing IRL, not a reflection of what they should or should not be doing based on evidence.

The AAP policy on breastfeeding

reaffirms its recommendation of exclusive breastfeeding for about 6 months, followed by continued breastfeeding as complementary foods are introduced, with continuation of breastfeeding for 1 year or longer as mutually desired by mother and infant.

Note that this is not a recommendation that breastfeeding stop at 1 year, but that it be continued for at least a year and thereafter as long as it's working for both mom and baby (no mention of MIL preferences, LOL, or anyone else's for that matter).

https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/129/3/e827.full#content-block

If your MIL gives you a hard time and you feel like talking to her about it (which obviously you don't have to do to justify yourself), you could mention that each year of breastfeeding decreases your risk of diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and breast and ovarian cancer.

My kids each nursed past two years old, but I was able to take enough leave from work that when I went back to work, they'd nurse in the mornings and evenings and I didn't pump. But it's always about whatever works for each mom and baby, and there's certainly no rule that says you can't combination feed with some nursing, some formula, solid foods, whatever. There's never a time when breastmilk doesn't benefit your baby or toddler with antibodies, nutrition, comfort, etc. And you can always change it up.

That's why I said OP should do what is right for her and her baby. But what OP asked is how long people breastfed. All these people nursing toddlers are not typical.

No one on this site is “typical” nationally in terms of anything.

Sure, but I bet OP's MIL was not talking about DCUM when she said the average was around 6 months. 58% of infants are still breastfed at 6 months, 25% EBF. So yeah, a lot of women stop around the 6 month mark. Doesn't mean OP needs to, but it's not like her MIL is just making stuff up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC1 self weaned at 18 months, was down to twice a day from about 14 months on. He loved his milk bottle until we took it away around age 3, and then just wouldn't touch milk after that.

DC2 is 14 months now and LOVES nursing. She nurses 5-6 times a day. I don't even know where to start, but I think I'll let her nurse until about age 2 or so. I know it's a big comfort thing for her right now. She'll go off to play with her brother happily for an hour then come for some nursing and cuddles for 10 minutes, and go off again.

My little girl was like your second child. While there’s is nothing wrong with nursing a toddler, if you want to cut down the sessions give warned cow’s milk in a straw cup and always have water at the offer. With my DD at around 16 months, when she came to me to nurse I would hold her and cuddle her - make her laugh and give her undivided attention. If she wanted to nurse after that I never refused but about six out of ten times all she really wanted was my attention and to connect with me. Since she was eating and drinking well, and liked cows milk, she just wanted the quiet cuddle. She self weaned completely at two and very easily. Just an FYI

This was my concern when nursing my toddler. Was I missing cues that he just wanted to cuddle and offering “food” instead? I was uncomfortable watching a friend stuff her breast into her toddlers mouth every time he cried or got hurt. Full disclosure: my side of the family has issues with morbid obesity so a lot of my worries might be my issue.

My DS weaned naturally at around 15 months by me just cuddling and talking to him when he got hurt or needed attention. He much preferred a fast straw with cows milk after 13 months before bed. I hope DD weans as easily (she’s just 4.5 months).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why does your MIL think six months is normal? If it’s going well and both mom and baby are happy, breastfeeding is just so much easier than bottles and formula. If you’re going back to work, pumping is a pain and you have to deal with bottles but if you’re with your baby the next months/year are golden!

Maybe the MIL wants her to get pregnant again soon

I got pregnant nursing my first.

Sure, it's possible for some women, but for many women, it won't happen until you wean. Maybe MIL wants to improve her chances of having another grandkid soon.

[Anonymous]

At 9 months. Managing work and pumping was tough for me. My supply could not keep up and it became increasingly hard to carve out time to pump enough during the day. We supplemented with formula for a few weeks then switched to formula altogether. My daughter did not care at all. As long as she got some milk she was fine and she never asked to nurse again.

[Anonymous]

EBF/pumped until 10+ months. Starting at 10 months, began to wean off pumping sessions during the work day and started to use up my frozen BM stash. Introduced a few ounces of formula per day to make up the gap by 11 months. Completely done with nursing by 12 months.

My goal was to make it a year with at least some amount of breastmilk. My last nursing session was on my DD's first birthday

[Anonymous]

I aimed for 2 years for the first and then stopped when I couldn’t stand it anymore. I hated BFing.

DC 1: 25 months
DC 2: 23 months
DC 3: 21 months

[Anonymous]

2.5

[Anonymous]

I have a somewhat related question - did anyone wean from breastfeeding and not introduce cow’s milk? Is it possible to wean from breastfeeding or formula and just move them to solid food + water? I’m not in any way opposed to cow’s milk or formula, just curious if anyone did this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a somewhat related question - did anyone wean from breastfeeding and not introduce cow’s milk? Is it possible to wean from breastfeeding or formula and just move them to solid food + water? I’m not in any way opposed to cow’s milk or formula, just curious if anyone did this.

Doesn’t completely answer but we only did cows milk 2cr a day when I weaned around 13 months. Once at wake up and once after nap. And then by 18 month only at wake up and still do that at 4.5 since she gets up at 6:30 hungry and I’m not ready to get up and do breakfast and so she has milk in a cup and we snuggle some more. But it’s certainly doable without cows milk if you’re good at getting food up and ready when they’re hungry in the am.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a somewhat related question - did anyone wean from breastfeeding and not introduce cow’s milk? Is it possible to wean from breastfeeding or formula and just move them to solid food + water? I’m not in any way opposed to cow’s milk or formula, just curious if anyone did this.

I did not, but this came up at a La Leche League meeting I attended last week. No, t's not required to give your kid cows milk at all. They do need calcium and Vitamin D though so some of the moms talked about giving their kids milk alternatives, calcium-rich foods and/or vitamin D drops.

[Anonymous]

EBF'd until 6 months when we started supplementing with formula so I wouldn't have to wake in the middle of the night to pump. Kept nursing until 15 months. I had planned to stop at 12 months but the pandemic hit and I got paranoid about there not being milk available to feed her. Got over that and then weaned. What a relief. I wish I had weaned totally at 6 months. But if you are enjoying it, keep it up as long as you want. The piece of advice I got from my pediatrician at 12 months was to limit it to waking and bedtime.