Extended breastfeeding Puns

I'd like to start this post with saying that I am currently still pregnant, but I plan to breast feed exclusively once the baby is here.

I've had comments from a few people saying "you don't even know if you can" or "its harder than you think" etc

Neither my mom or MIL breastfed.

With that being said anytime I bring up that WHO recommends at least 2 yrs if not 4 for breast feeding and benefits my husband gets weirded out and says that our baby will have memories by then and that he thinks it's weird.

So I mentioned it to my mom, and she completely ignored that they recommend it and said anything after 12 months isn't necessary. I'm floored at this response by the way.

I guess what im looking for is some support and stories of whether you extended BF or why you chose to wean early?

Does anyone have recommendations for good info sources (websites, books, etc.) about breastfeeding beyond a year? I feel like everything I've seen is really focused on getting breastfeeding established initially, and then after that you're on your own.

Edit: Thank you so much to everyone who responded! You were super helpful!

If I could go back, I would have stopped around the 18-20 month mark. I saw that time work well for a lot of fellow moms, and saw that window myself. Don’t get me wrong, i have been thankful for a lot. The extra hour laying in bed in the mornings, easy naps, extra bonding, ect. His father lived across country until recently, and felt it gave him feelings of stability and comfort, when at times life was not. I won’t get into having to deal with family that thinks it’s getting weirder, the fact I have to state right now to not message me about pictures you pervs, and just the pain. I’m pretty sure he has been dry nursing for six months plus now, and is only tolerable when he is sleepy. Again, respect the concept of extending breastfeeding, but I feel like you stop at around 18months or it’s going to be a while. And, it’s, tough. Thanks ladies.

Hi breastfeeding folks,

My kiddo has been refusing to breastfeed during the day for about a month now. She'll breastfeed overnight and occasionally if she's sleepy enough during the day, but outside of that I'm pumping and bottle feeding. I'm just barely keeping up with her consumption and have tried supplementing with formula but she doesn't like the formula I have and I haven't been able to pick up different formulas for her to try yet. I really, really want to get her back on the boob, but that seems unlikely given how long this has been going on. When I offer the breast during the day she purses her lips, shakes her head, and cries. Pumping is stressful and not knowing if I'll get enough to satisfy her is even more stressful. If I can't get her back to breastfeeding, I'd like to find a formula that she'll accept, increase my supply as much as possible, and encourage her to spend time at the breast even if she's not eating. I work from home and have some flexibility with working with her, but I do still need to get work done. Anyone else dealt with something similar and have any suggestions?

For you ladies who breastfed for an extended time (over 1 year) , how soon did you get your first period after completely weaning? And how did it start.

I just weaned a month ago with a few sporadic sessions after on and off and haven’t gotten period yet.

Thanks

EDIT: this question is only for moms who got their period back after weaning.

I’m really interested in pursuing it. We are almost 4 months in of EBF. I love it, even despite the recurrent clogged ducts. I have read online what the benefits are if breastfeeding of course, but I want to hear some personal experiences. This includes physical, emotional, toddler development, etc

Disclaimer: this post is about extended breastfeeding of toddlers; I am not up to debate the merits or science of that. Please be respectful in your responses. Thank you

My child has been breastfed since the start and is now 21 months old--I was aiming for 2 years to start weening her off but yesterday she started getting sick and has thrown up several times over the course of the day. We took her to emergency care, and they tested fot covid & RSV (thankfully she hasnt spiked a fever, had diarrhea, or any other concerns and doctor thinks it's just a stomach virus that will work its way out)

She is exhausted and keeps asking for "susu" (Bahasa word for milk) and I explain we can have it when her tummy feels better, but seeing her want the only major comfort she's known since birth and be denied is just heart wrenching. She is being truly amazing about it (sad but accepting) but I feel awful. It's so much change and discomfort all at once.

I am hopeful that one of 2 scenarios will play out: either her tummy will feel better and we can reintroduce breastfeeding after 24 hours on clear liquids, OR she realizes and accepts that she doesn't need susu to fall asleep or feel comforted and we stop for good.

Im feeling sad & hormonal either way.

Has anyone else had an abrupt end to their EBF journey? How did you and your child handle it?

Edited to add: thank you all so much for the advice! We are going to try breastfeeding to see how she tolerates it and hopefully she keeps it down. I am very relieved to see that nursing was still tolerable for your little ones when sick, that gives me hope! Fingers crossed here, cuz milk throw up is the worst smell ever😂

I never really had a plan to stop breastfeeding. I always envisioned my son would just one day say no.

He is now 1.5, I am back to work full time since his first birthday... and still breastfeed him before bed, when he is sick, and before his afternoon nap (luckily working from home).

I'm very happy with this and so is he as it has kept our bond strong and is a break for both of us. Lately, I've noticed a few people asking when I'll be weaning him off. More and more, I've felt pressure to stop breastfeeding an older baby.

My mother in law ended up asking when I'll stop as a way to gage when I want to have another baby. I didnt realize this and laughed it off... but she told me my chances of conceiving while breastfeeding are incredibly low.

I am starting to think about trying for another, and wonder if this is true? My cycles have been normal for over 6 months. Anyone find it difficult to conceive while breastfeeding ?

Hello, everyone!

If you are nursing a 2-3 year old (or did in the past and remember what it was like), how often did your toddler nurse? Did you gradually wean or let them lead?

My daughter just turned two and still nurses frequently throughout the day. We’ve been doing don’t ask don’t refuse, and she nurses maybe 6 or 7 times a day, 5-10 minutes each time.

I’m not chomping at the bit to wean her; I enjoy the closeness of nursing and I know it’s good for her. But. I don’t love how quickly she jumps to nursing as a solution when she’s upset or suffers a small bump. Intuitively, it seems like she should be learning to process those feelings in other ways.

On top of that, I’m feeling less and less support for breastfeeding the older she gets. I’m getting a lot more “you’re STILL nursing??” It just makes me feel weird about nursing her when other people are around, or even mentioning it in conversation.

If anyone has any advice to share on any of this, I would love to hear it.

Tonight at bedtime my just over 2 year old said "Gonna eat it all up. One boob. Don't bite. Be gentle. Eat it all up one boob! Yay!"

I was cracking up. I don't know how to wean her with that enthusiasm.

I gave birth to my baby 5 months ago. As my baby was a preemie, we spent the first couple weeks in the NICU where i pumped and brought in milk. We got into a pretty good routine pumping, and as such im a nearly exclusive pumper; sometimes at night a breastfeed so i dont have to make a bottle or pump when im half sleep.

That being said, ive noticed that every time i breastfeed, within 6 hours i have vaginal bleeding. This weekend has been almost exclusively breast due to my fridge breaking, and the bleeding is to a point of being day one of my cycle… as soon as i go back to pumping the bleeding stops so its not my period.

I know that in the first month or so, its normal to still bleed as the uterus is shrinking back down to size, but its been nearly half a year and it only happens when baby is on my boob. What is going on?

Let me preface this with "We've been married 16 years, had one loss at 39w5d that was super traumatic, and in general my husband is supportive".

Our son, B, will be 3 in September. When we had him, I didn't think I'd be able to breastfeed at all, then suddenly, BOOM! Away he went, like a little champ, latching and all. Fast forward 6 months and I was thinking "we'll soon wean, he'll be on solids", then another year, and now another. I love the bond I have with B, and don't dislike nursing him, even if it means I don't have much time for myself. We nurse when he wakes around 6AM, then off to daycare at 6:30, home around 4:30 with more nursing until 5 or so, then playing and dinner and bath followed by nursing and books until bed around 8:30. We cosleep so he wakes a few times a night (1-2 on average but up to 4) to nurse back to sleep.

My husband says that B only wants "the boob" and doesn't want anything to do with him because he doesn't have "the mom-nums" and it's time to wean, before B turns 3. Am I wrong thinking that if we wean that it won't magically fix the relationship with DH? I mean, I'm the one who changes diapers, cooks dinner, plays games and toys and sings songs. DH will rough house once in a while, and tickle spider on B's toes, but otherwise he's usually on the couch or working on one of his many projects (computer stuff, 3d printing, cnc machining etc. currently an iron man costume on the 3d printer with functioning LED's for halloween).

I don't know how to tell DH that if I wean B and it doesn't fix the problem, that it's one less comfort B will have when he gets hurt, or stressed, or angry or whatever, and I want B to self wean when he's ready...

What would you do?

Hey guys! I love this sub, and I've loved seeing so many women proudly breastfeeding as long as they can.

I won't lie, I was never planning on breastfeeding past a year. But with the delta variant hitting kids, and being a paramedic, breastfeeding is literally the only way I can protect my baby with antibodies for the time being (especially after that booster shot fuck yeah!)

So my question is, for older kiddos, how often are you breastfeeding? Do you drop it down to just one or two a day? Or are you still feeding on demand? If you're working/pumping as well, how are you doing that after the year of "reasonable accommodation" has expired? How do you keep your milk supply up if your baby prefers solid foods sometimes?

Any advice or hell is appreciated. Thanks y'all!

Anyone else have any experience breastfeeding past 2 years? My oldest is 4.5 and still loves his boobie milk. My youngest is 9 months, but I never stopped producing milk between kids. I don’t know of any other moms who discuss this, but I know it’s often done in secret due to stigma.

I never expected when I began this journey to be still breastfeeding my 2 year old and sometimes I worry if I should start weaning her.

But then we come in from the cold and she says, “milk in bed?” and we snuggle underneath the covers together and she says that she loves me.

So I’m just wondering for those of you who’ve breastfed past the year mark does your LO actually get most of their nutrition from food? We’re coming up in the year mark and I feel like she certainly eats but I’m not sure I’d say most of her nutrition comes from solids. She still nurses pretty frequently. I offer her food and she definitely first refuse food but the ratios I keep getting have me worried. My gut says this is normal but I’m just looking for other opinions/thoughts. Thanks!

So I’m on my second son and he’s going to be 3 in a month. He is still night nursing and I am sooo beyond ready to stop breastfeeding but he seeks it for comfort. If anyone has gone through this, I need tips on how to get him to stop. I’ve tried a lot of different methods but he screams bloody murder and I end up giving in. He still gets up multiple times a night to nurse just like a one year old. It’s to the point where his teeth aren’t healthy and neither is my patience. Please any info helps!

My psychiatrist mentioned in passing that breastfeeding up to age 2 is really beneficial for a child but that after 2 one should wean as it becomes detrimental. I was confused and wondered if anyone knows of any science that backs up this claim?

I had always intended, when I had children, to breastfeed them for as long as they wanted. Alas, I had my first baby in March and my supply is low. So we combo feed and she is prefectly happy and thriving. But I am feeling anxious and sad for what I assume with be an early end to our breastfeeding relationship. I assume that the bigger she gets, the less interested she will be in my ounce or two from the boob. I have heard one story that after the introduction of solids at 6 months, baby was much more satified by moms low supply, and by 11 months was off formula entirely (breast milk only.) Does anyone have a story to share about extended breastfeeding but with low supply? I'd love to hear it.

So we’re coming up on 1 year of breastfeeding and I know that past 1 year at least in the states is considered extended. What do you do if your away from babe? I’m a SAHM so I’m pretty much always with her. But I’m also DYING for some nights away from her. I just can’t seem to find a lot of info and I’m lost 😂 can you tell this is my first one?

My daughter’s pediatrician suggested I need to supplement her meals with oat or almond milk (she may be sensitive to dairy) because my breastmilk is “more like a snack” at this point and “nutritionally incomplete.” I realize my milk has changed after 14 months, but my daughter eats a varied diet- lots of fruits and veggies + meats, but no dairy. I can’t imagine that oat or almond milk is more nutritious than breast milk?! She nurses on demand still about every 2 hrs during the day and still nurses throughout the night.

Is this bogus or what?

Thank you!

I’ve had several women in my friend group who decided to breastfeed their kiddos all born around the same time as my daughter. One stopped at 8 months, and 2 stopped prior to 3 months. The ones who stopped prior to 3 months make it seem like it’s so natural to only breastfeed for 2 Months.

My daughter is 7 months and we’re still going strong! I have no intentions of ever giving her formula. Obviously that could change but I am working hard to keep up a good supply and take care of myself so I can take care of her.

Im not judging those other women who stopped. But it feels good to know that I am able to provide everything my daughter needs. It’s also crazy to think how rare it is to make it longer than a few months breastfeeding with 0 formula supplementation (albeit I have a small sample size)

I've spoken to my husband a bit about extended breastfeeding. I have told him that the WHO reccomends at least 2 years of breastfeeding, and that I am personally in favour of kids weaning themselves off (as long as it is a mutual breastfeedig relationship!) He has expressed unease about nursing past 1 year because he feels like it is strange. I've told him that nursing is much less frequent when more nutrition is coming from solids - and a toddler can understand to wait for the right time and place to nurse, while a newborn can't. When I told him this he lightened up a bit! I do believe that his unease comes from not knowing what extended breastfeeding can look like and not knowing the full benefits. I'm not certain that I will be breastfeeding our kiddos beyond 2 years of age depending on pur circumstances but I would like to if we can make it that far! What was it like for those who practice extended breastfeeding? How did you get your partner on board, and how did you respond to discomfort of others who don't understand the benefits of it? Thanks in advance! :)

https://preview.redd.it/5wsti4kay8b51.png?width=439&format=png&auto=webp&s=0ac24ef79e23612e6f3907aa047447d4418641a6

FTP LTL, on mobile all that Jazz. This is mostly BEC, but I have to put the WTF somewhere.

My jnmom has always been excessively interested in my reproductive capacity. To the point of giving sexual health advice to mere slip of a MacFeegle at age 6. Did you know you should always wear use a condom because otherwise you’ll catch AIDS and die? Even if you’re married because your husband will cheat on you and catch it from his side piece? This knowledge was imparted to me before I reached second grade.

I could tell a thousand similarly cringe causing tales, but today I want to share Jnmom’s attitude towards breastfeeding. She was always 200% For. It. I cannot count the number of times she’d (pretty much unprompted) tell me that when I had kids I should breastfeed as long as I could. She’d breastfed me with no issues, but bemoaned not having been able to breastfeed youngest sibling due to a medical emergency soon after his birth. I heard this ish all the time and guys, from age 13 onward the most I saw her was alternate weekends. I have been NC give or take a few “gotcha!” moments since I was 28. She went outta her way to drive home just how important it was to breastfeed for an unspecified but lengthy period.

This afternoon I was idly looking through my childhood medical records for unrelated reasons, and I thought it would be interesting to look at the first year visits and see where I was compared to my LO (currently 8 mo).

Y’all. This bitch didn’t even make it to the 2 mo mark before I was transitioned on to formula.

I don’t care how I was fed, but what the fuck was up with her obsession with how I chose to feed my as-of-then-unconcieved child?

I never heard of Blepharitis before the Dr told my SO that's what is on her eyelid. The Dr said that because she's "extended breastfeeding" that she has a hormone imbalance and it's causing Blepharitis and in turn chalazia. Dr also said that sleep apnea could be a cause as well. My SO is up often from the baby waking her (they co sleep) during the night. I'm not reading anything about blepharitis and breastfeeding anywhere. Has anyone dealt with blepharitis and chalazia from extended breastfeeding? What was your treatment like for it? Did you end up stopping breastfeeding?

Alright this is long. Tl;dr: My husband says extended breastfeeding makes weak kids.

So I have a 13 month old son whom I have breastfed exclusively since birth. We've struggled with the addition of solid foods due to a pretty intense gag reflex and a semi-failed attempt at baby-led weaning...but we're getting there. Right when he turned 1, I wasn't comfortable weaning down yet bc his solid intake just wasn't there. I'd say still probably 30-40% of his calories come from nursing, but he eats a decent amount of solid foods now. He just recently decided to sleep through the night (hallelujah 🙌) so we don't nurse through the night anymore (hallelujah 🙌 again). All that to say...he's already nursing somewhat less than he was even a month ago. Probably 6ish times throughout the day. He also still does the comfort nursing thing for bumped noggins or whatever else.

So now. My husband and I are talking about some disagreements we've been having, and he brings up that I completely disregard his view about weaning. (That's odd, you've never brought that up before, but okay 🙄)

Let me start that by saying I'm not sure how long I'll nurse my son. I'm a first time mom and I honestly love nursing my kiddo. My kiddo also loves it, so weaning is probably going to go a lot better if it's my son's idea first.

Based on this conversation we had, my husband truly believes in his heart that I will be nursing my son until he is 6 years old. I told him that this wouldn't be the case, that I will probably stop when we get pregnant with our next one...or that our son will choose to stop before that.

And then (THIS IS THE PART THAT REALLY GOT ME) he tells me that nursing for a long time like that MAKES WEAK CHILDREN. 😳 Like I'm sorry, hold the goddamn phone...WHAT?! Yea. That happened. He says that a child who "always has a boob in his mouth" (okay, 6-7x/day is "always", you're right 🙄🙄🙄) never learns how to properly respond to adversity. He's using the fact that I nurse my son when he bonks his head to say that I'm making our child weak. I attempted to reason with him, saying that our son is 13 MONTHS old, and that breastfeeding beyond a year has countless benefits and very few downsides...but no. Because I cannot give him a firm "wean the kid" date, I will be, by default, nursing him until he is 6, and therefore making him weak.

I don't even know what I'm really looking for when posting this, but I just needed to vent a little I think... So like...help? Or agree

I started watching Tidying Up with Marie Kondo on Netflix and in the first episode a toddler asks for boobies and the mom nurses her (with out a cover) on camera. How awesome is that!

Hello all,

I am wondering if anyone has any insight on what kinds of effects extended frequent breastfeeding has on the body?

Context: my 1 year-old breastfeeds around the clock still. I'm talking at least 5-8 times a night (we co-sleep) as well as at least 5-6 times during the day (still nurses to sleep). In the last few months my periods are starting to become nightmarish, heavy bleeding, prolonged bleeding, mood swings from hell, weight gain, acne, anxiety and depression (both present before, but agitated more lately). This last cycle, my period ended and I'm still spotting lightly. It's been 3 weeks since it started. No history of PCOS or other bad-enough-to-be-diagnosed hormone problems. I was doing some googling (cue internet eyerolls), and I briefly came across extended breastfeeding causing issues with estrogen dominance-like symptoms. Previously, I hadn't thought of this being an issue; my mom said that our family were early menopausers, so I figured that the change of life was coming for me (I'm 32....).

Anyone have any experience with this or could point me in the right direction? Would it help to wean some of his feedings to get the hormones back in check?

Hi, I’m breastfeeding my 2.5 yr old still. Lately he eats 3 meals a day but honestly still eats breastmilk in the morning when he wakes up, an hour later, lunch time, an hour later, dinner, before bed, middle of the night and sometimes in between those times randomly... so a lot. I’m on a diet and watching my calories, but because of his age I’m not really sure how much OZ he’s eating to keep track... everyone I see online says their toddler at this age doesn’t breastfeed too often and so they only count about ~200 calories for them, but I feel like my son might eat more than that. Is there any way I can find out or is there an estimate you guys would roughly guess with the information I provided? Could he be eating 30oz or more or does that seem too high?

ShadowMom is my nMom. She has strongly held opinions on child care, but smoked throughout both her pregnancies.

I have a DD who is 4 months old. She’s fed 99% pumped milk with rare nursing sessions mixed in. I have a very low pain tolerance and her latch is bad, making breastfeeding a struggle for us.

ShadowMom was telling me how she exclusively breastfed both me and GC sister for the first eight weeks or so. Since she keeps trying to give DD foods like gravy and mashed potatoes, I assume she switched to formula and solids at that point.

She asked me how long I plan to breastfeed DD (meaning give her pumped milk) and I said my goal was six months but ideally a year.

ShadowMom’s response: “Well just make sure you stop before she’s old enough to ask for it. That’s creepy!”

This from the woman who graciously switched from cocaine to weed when she was pregnant with me in the 80s.

Sorry ShadowMom, I’m going to breastfeed/pump as long as I can in order to reap those sweet, sweet health benefits for both DD and myself. You can keep your opinion to yourself.

Edit to add: I understand nipple shields work wonders for many moms. I have one inverted nipple and the shield helped a little when we were still trying to breastfeed. But the pain of my daughter’s latch never went away. My nipples never toughened up. And even now, four and a half months later, my letdown is so slow my daughter gets frustrated and pulls and scratches at me, bruising my skin and drawing blood if I haven’t trimmed her nails in the past 48 hours. (LO has some crazy fast-growing fingernails!)

I appreciate the advice but it didn’t work for us. My boobs just suck at being low-maintenance boobs.

I need some advice. I’m currently breastfeeding my 15 month old, and my husband thinks it’s gross because he’s so big.

I personally never planned to breastfeed past a year but my little guy isn’t ready to stop yet, and I definitely don’t think it’s “gross.” 😤

No one in his family breastfeeds to I guess that affects his point of view?? He had no issues until our son turned one though...especially now that he can lift up my shirt and sign or milk.

Idk where I’m going with this lol but I need advice. What do I do? (Besides throwing away the husband lmao)

I'm at work and really missing my kid today, so here's a list of things I love about breastfeeding at 18 months:

1. She waves at me while nursing, and pulls off to say "Hi!".
2. She can sign "more" and switch sides.
3. I'm not pumping any more, so nursing is a much more casual thing we do when we're together, instead of an imperative I have to schedule around.
4. She runs to me when I get home and burries her face in my shirt, making me feel very needed and loved.
5. If she's sick or sad or teething, it's easy to comfort her.
6. We co-sleep, and most nights she nurses once. I LOVE SLEEP and it's so rad to half wake up and point a boob in her direction, and go back to sleep.
7. She's such a big toddler now, but scrunches up small like she's still trying to curl into my tummy, and for a few minutes she's my baby again.
8. Once in a while she pulls off, crawls up, and gives me a big spitty kiss.

Hello all. For those of you who continue(d) to breastfeed past the first year, how have you handled comments like, "When are you gonna wean that kid already?" (my mother) or "You're not gonna be one of those moms whose kid runs around and then comes up to you and asks for milk, are you?" (best friend)? (Umm... He already does that cuz he uses sign language to say "milk" when he wants it.) We're coming up on 16 months and are down to 4 nursing sessions a day, which is totally manageable for us. I would like to wean soon for other reasons, but these unsupportive comments really get under my skin. I brought up to my friend that the WHO suggests nursing for 2 years, but she said we have to think about who those guidelines were written for (like people in third world countries whose kids might not otherwise get all the nutrition they need). We also discussed the immune system benefits but she said we're keeping our kids "too clean" these days. I said he went to daycare and we have a cat... He'll be fine in terms of exposure to germs. How can I get people to support me? Thanks in advance!

Heya!

Another update about my son's teeth.

A quick recap: Our first visit to a pediatric dentist was a horror show.

The dentist didn't even bother to introduce herself before going on a rant against frequent breastfeeding and was especially against night nursing.

She claimed my son's teeth were eroding.

I was devastated at the thought I've been hurting my son.

As we left, she actually had a rant against fluoride. That made me question her ability as a dentist.

But I was an extremely anxious person in those days and I said goodbye to night noshies in a post here in this sub.

Thank you again. Every one who supported me and told me to get a second opinion.

The second pediatric dentist was amazing. She listened to my concerns. She was calm and gentle. The office was beautiful and every person amazingly friendly.

She said his teeth were perfect and I can go ahead night nursing. Just be sure to brush his teeth in the morning.

That was about when my son was two years old.

My son is nearly four now and night weaned on his own a few months past.

We just visited his dentist again. He's much more mature now and let them actually take a good long look this time.

Absolutely perfect teeth. No stains. So problems!

So please, don't let someone scare you out of nursing your child. If you and your child want to nurse at night. Go right ahead.

I attribute how healthy his teeth to our dental care routine.

We brush with a kids fluoride tooth paste. A small rice grain amount. We also try to get him to let there dentist put the strong paste on at the end of his visit.

We brush in the morning and at night. We do the brushing for him and have him brush for himself afterwards.

The dentist told me that's the way to do it until he's a much older child.

We also use a flosser for his teeth at night.

The dentist said it establishes familiarity and flossing habits for when he's older.

We don't give him juice to drink. He drinks water, A yogurt drink, or milk.

I never did wipe his teeth after nursing because he was an absolutely terrible sleeper and I'm not that big a masochist.

I'm looking into getting him his first electric toothbrush. The dentist recommend the Sonic care for children.

He's on the spectrum and new things take time for him to get used to. He didn't let them use the polisher in his mouth and we think an electric toothbrush might help him get into it.

Good luck and may your nights be filled with great sleep!

Hi mamas! I’m curious what challenges and difficulties you faced while breastfeeding past a year or longer. I want to prepare myself for the long haul. Thanks in advance!

If your child asks to nurse in front of their friends, but you’re not willing to or wanting to. What is something you can tell your child?

Also- how do you tell your child it’s not socially acceptable to talk about breastfeeding with their friends?

Thanks in advance!!