How long have you been breastfeeding? 25.5 mo Best part of breastfeeding for you, right now? the snuggles! DS is not a cuddly kid so I enjoy the closeness when I BF. Worst part of breastfeeding for you, right now? I'm feeling all the feels about weaning Do you have plans to wean? Yes, starting to wean now Questions for the rest of us? If you weaned once you were down to 1 session away, did you experience any fullness after weaning?
Just because it's been a while, and I'm coming up on four years of lactating.
I started to write this as an "extended" breastfeeding check-in, then realized all the questions really apply to everyone. So feel free to answer if you've been at it for years or days or if you combo feed.
How long have you been breastfeeding? 1 year(does that make me in the extended BFing camp now?) Best part of breastfeeding for you, right now? It is down to twice a day! I still enjoy the cuddles, but no more pumping or MOTN feed. She gets so excited Worst part of breastfeeding for you, right now? Getting butted in the face while DD does her nursing acrobatics...The fact that DD gets almost agressive if I don't let her nurse the right side first. Full on temper tantrums! I cannot let her nurse only the right side because it gets disproportionately larger than poor leftie. Do you have plans to wean? Not right now. If she does it herself, sure why not.I think she would possibly forget to nurse sometimes if I didn't remind her...so it is possible that she could be ready. Questions for the rest of us? If your child refuses to drink milk out of a cup or bottle, what age did you wean without worrying about the loss of milk in the diet? Did your kid start drinking milk once they were weaned? DD drinks water without a problem from a cup or sippy cup, but shows 0 interest in milk from anywhere but me (since she was 9.5 months, before that she took a bottle of milk every day for more than 4 months at daycare). Sorry if this has already been discussed here, I haven't had a chance to read the replies yet!
Post by bananapancakes on Apr 23, 2015 6:03:05 GMT -5
I've been breast feeding for just over a year. In fact, I think yesterday was my "anniversary" as I wasn't allowed to nurse L until he was 8 days old.
I love the closeness, the snuggles, the way he looks at me, and smiles at me when he's nursing. It's the only time he slows down for a few minutes.
I don't love the biting. I think we're over the worst of it but I'm still a bit on edge and can't truly relax just yet.
I guess we're kind of weaning but not completely. I no longer nurse MOTN and we're down to 4 times during the day (wake up, nap, nap, before bed). I'd like to eliminate the prenap sessions but am waiting to do that until he's down to one nap so it'll be half as difficult! I'm happy to continue the wake up and before bed sessions as long as he still wants them or until we start TTC, whichever comes first. I don't really have any interest in tandem nursing so I'd like to wean him before I get pregnant.
For those EBFers, are you able to get away for a night? How does that work for everyone? I'd really like to go away overnight with some friends at the end of May (L would stay with H) and then with H at the end of July (hoping the grandparents would take L). He doesn't nurse to sleep before bed, can put himself to sleep, and he's night weaned so I'm hopeful we'll be able to make it work somehow.
Post by curbsideprophet on Apr 23, 2015 6:03:44 GMT -5
I have been breastfeeding since Aug 2011. Nursing DS has been easy compared to DD. My least favorite thing right now is pumping at work. I plan to stop that around June. I do not plan to stop nursing though.
For those EBFers, are you able to get away for a night? How does that work for everyone? I'd really like to go away overnight with some friends at the end of May (L would stay with H) and then with H at the end of July (hoping the grandparents would take L). He doesn't nurse to sleep before bed, can put himself to sleep, and he's night weaned so I'm hopeful we'll be able to make it work somehow.
We are going away for a night next month!!! I'm so excited No idea how it works, but I don't think DD will miss nursing too much for one day. We will drop her off on a friday morning and be back on Saturday evening. This will be my first time having a full 24 hours away from her. I feel better about it since she only nurses twice a day and no longer MOTN. I'm all nervous and excited...It feels like a first date or something with H or like the first day of school or a new job. Then I feel a bit lame because I know she will be fine and that I'm nervous for nothing.
For those EBFers, are you able to get away for a night? How does that work for everyone? I'd really like to go away overnight with some friends at the end of May (L would stay with H) and then with H at the end of July (hoping the grandparents would take L). He doesn't nurse to sleep before bed, can put himself to sleep, and he's night weaned so I'm hopeful we'll be able to make it work somehow.
We are going away for a night next month!!! I'm so excited No idea how it works, but I don't think DD will miss nursing too much for one day. We will drop her off on a friday morning and be back on Saturday evening. This will be my first time having a full 24 hours away from her. I feel better about it since she only nurses twice a day and no longer MOTN. I'm all nervous and excited...It feels like a first date or something with H or like the first day of school or a new job. Then I feel a bit lame because I know she will be fine and that I'm nervous for nothing.
Good for you guys! Please let us know how it goes.
bananapancakes - I mentioned in my response above - I just got back from a two day business trip. I also went away for 6 nights in Jan but am still ebf. What we found was that the first day or so dd was a bit out of sorts and refusing the bottle but then she clues in that I'm not here and readily accepts the frozen milk. She slept just the same as she always does which was good.
The worst thing about going away is having to pump. Even doing 30 minutes doesn't seem to empty my boobs and I was sore and lumpy this werk(like I couldn't even run without it hurting).
bananapancakes - I mentioned in my response above - I just got back from a two day business trip. I also went away for 6 nights in Jan but am still ebf. What we found was that the first day or so dd was a bit out of sorts and refusing the bottle but then she clues in that I'm not here and readily accepts the frozen milk. She slept just the same as she always does which was good.
The worst thing about going away is having to pump. Even doing 30 minutes doesn't seem to empty my boobs and I was sore and lumpy this werk(like I couldn't even run without it hurting).
Hmmm, he never did take a bottle and as of right now doesn't really drink any cow's milk either. I have no frozen milk and when I tried pumping the week I was working, I only got about an ounce. I don't respond well to the pump anymore (probably since I do it so rarely). Hopefully by the time I go away, he'll be okay with cow's milk in a cup.
How long have you been breastfeeding? With this baby I have been for 7 months. Best part of breastfeeding for you, right now? Not having to plan ahead to leave the house with baby (ie packing bottles/formula/etc) since I know I can feed him on the go. Nighttime snuggles as we usually end up bedsharing in his room when he wakes up during the night. He is my snuggle buddy. Worst part of breastfeeding for you, right now? Not sleeping through the night. Pumping. Do you have plans to wean? No, not for a while. Aiming for a year. We'll see. Questions for the rest of us?
Post by bananapancakes on Apr 23, 2015 8:13:47 GMT -5
See, and the one day I was away from him for 10 hours, I brought my pump just in case but I didn't use it. I felt a bit full but not really uncomfortable. I nursed him at about 7:00am and not again til almost 7:00pm. I don't think I even have that much milk left. I'm thinking that the WW is hurting my supply. He doesn't seem to mind or notice though as he eats a ton of solids and drinks about 20 ounces of water a day. Only about an ounce of WCM though.
How long have you been breastfeeding? almost 1 year. I breastfed my daughter for 14 months then weaned her and got pregnant immediately.
Best part of breastfeeding for you, right now? Easy bed time. Snuggles. He falls asleep on my chest and I just stare at his sweet face. Pretty easy to get him for a nap by nursing. MOTN wakeups usually quick because of boobs.
Worst part of breastfeeding for you, right now? All the middle of the night wakings. Him biting me. Pumping (but that ends next week, hooray)
Do you have plans to wean? Not yet. My plan is to stop pumping at 1 then wean over the following months, so around the same as with my daughter. THough after a bad night sometimes I want to give up
Questions for the rest of us? magical solution to stop 1 year old waking multiple times motn to nurse, screams bloody murder if my husband goes in (like shrieking as if he's being stabbed), shares a room with his sister who's almost 3 so sleep training is difficult/impossible?... lol
How long after we start solids can I avoid carrying around snacks? I'm really going to miss not needing to worry about making/packing food for her when we are together.
DS is almost 9 months old and I still don't carry around snacks for him. If we're going out to a restaurant for a meal, I usually order him some steamed veggies or, worst case scenario, let him munch/suck on a piece of bread.
I don't remember when I started carrying around snacks for my older child. Maybe at around a year?
@myblue, I stopped pumping at some point shortly after a year and by 15 months, DD was done with BM in bottles. She's lactose intolerant and never loved goat's milk or any alternatives, so after that, we just made sure she got her calcium from sources like cheese and yogurt. I used to know the equivalent ounces of yogurt to fill her daily calcium req's as a toddler, but cannot remember at all right now.
For bedtime, if I wasn't going to be around, she drank a liquid yogurt or kefir out of a straw cup.
bananapancakes - I mentioned in my response above - I just got back from a two day business trip. I also went away for 6 nights in Jan but am still ebf. What we found was that the first day or so dd was a bit out of sorts and refusing the bottle but then she clues in that I'm not here and readily accepts the frozen milk. She slept just the same as she always does which was good.
The worst thing about going away is having to pump. Even doing 30 minutes doesn't seem to empty my boobs and I was sore and lumpy this werk(like I couldn't even run without it hurting).
Hmmm, he never did take a bottle and as of right now doesn't really drink any cow's milk either. I have no frozen milk and when I tried pumping the week I was working, I only got about an ounce. I don't respond well to the pump anymore (probably since I do it so rarely). Hopefully by the time I go away, he'll be okay with cow's milk in a cup.
If you are only going away for a night or two, I'm sure he will be fine even if he doesn't like cows milk as you said he eats solids. You'll have to let us know how it goes! I girls night out sounds fun
Questions for the rest of us? If you nursed a different length with a different child, do you feel guilty? Every once in a while I think I'd like to wean at a year, then I feel guilty as it would be less than I nursed DS1. Or sometimes I think I might like to let him self-wean and I feel guilty because I did parent-led weaning with DS1 due to being pregnant with DS2. And sometimes I think I am just over thinking this.
I don't even go here since I weaned DD back in June (love reading the stories here though!) and my second baby isn't even here yet, but I am starting to come to grips with the fact that I may not be able to make 1 year my goal this time around ("only" made it 8.5 months last time due to a sudden dramatic loss in my supply). But the circumstances this time are different, namely that I have a higher-demand job that may prevent me from consistently pumping during the day with minimal interruptions like I was able to do last time. So while I can't help but feel some guilt about adjusting my goal to (likely) 6 months with this baby, I like what the pp said above about every baby and every situation being different. What does help assuage my guilt a bit is that I had to start supplementing with formula at 5 months so I have no qualms with formula and enjoyed the freedom of EFFing those few months before her birthday, or else I might have more feelings of guilt about intentionally or even unintentionally weaning #2 earlier.
I say do what works for you and try not to feel guilty if you choose to wean earlier than your DS1 weaned (easier said than done, I know!).
How long have you been breastfeeding? 9.5 months. He is combo fed while I'm at work (2.5 days a week) or away from him, and I nurse when we're together.
Best part of breastfeeding for you, right now? The snuggles. And the calories burned.
Worst part of breastfeeding for you, right now? Ugh pumping. And then waking up in the middle of the night.
Do you have plans to wean? I think I will taper off around a year.
Post by purplecow0206 on Apr 23, 2015 20:09:36 GMT -5
How long have you been breastfeeding? A little over 15 months.
Best part of breastfeeding for you, right now? It's the ultimate "feel better" thing I can offer her.
Worst part of breastfeeding for you, right now? The toddler yoga!
Do you have plans to wean? I'm torn. H is sort of pushing me to wean before my week-long work trip at the end of June, but I don't know. I don't know if I'll be ready or if she will be.
Questions for the rest of us? What do I do to wean, and should I do it?
Best at parts were/are the snuggles, the convenience, and being able to eat all the extra calories.
The worst parts were trying to figure it out at the beginning, teething, pumping, and constantly worrying about my supply. Once I got to 12 months I stopped pumping and stopped worrying entirely about supply. It was *amaaaaazing*!
I don't want to wean, but Dd does. We were down to twice a day, but this week she has refused in the evening. I'm not sure how I feel about it. I'm glad it's been a gradual drop-off over time, and part of me is over her crazy antics (acrobatic toddler nursing these days), but I've loved our nursing relationship so much. It's obvious to me that she's grown out of it though. I will miss the routine and the closeness. Also, I've put on seven pounds since I stopped pumping. I'll keep up with our morning session until she drops it.
Stepping in as a breastfeeding failure, so far, who has a bead of hope, with a question.
Just curious if anyone couldn't make it work until several weeks after their baby was born?
My baby is 3 weeks old and I didn't get any lactation support in the hospital due to him being in the NICU and it being a holiday weekend. He was bottle fed - and is lazy. Has a great latch (did see a lactation consultant last week) but won't stay there and work for it. Have tried a nipple shield. Should I even keep trying, see another LC, or give up? I feel terrible about it. I'm pumping but it's pretty tiring - don't think I can keep it up beyond my maternity leave, if that long even..
Stepping in as a breastfeeding failure, so far, who has a bead of hope, with a question.
Just curious if anyone couldn't make it work until several weeks after their baby was born?
My baby is 3 weeks old and I didn't get any lactation support in the hospital due to him being in the NICU and it being a holiday weekend. He was bottle fed - and is lazy. Has a great latch (did see a lactation consultant last week) but won't stay there and work for it. Have tried a nipple shield. Should I even keep trying, see another LC, or give up? I feel terrible about it. I'm pumping but it's pretty tiring - don't think I can keep it up beyond my maternity leave, if that long even..
We started successfully breastfeeding around 13 weeks.
I wrote about it a bit earlier in the thread. I got no good professional help, and that was after seeing a number of LCs, a feeding specialist, pediatricians, my OB, midwife, and probably others.
PS - Pumping SUCKS. I hated it. I felt like it really put a damper on my maternity leave, and the first few months as a mom. I know I would have been much happier at the beginning, if I wasn't tied to the damn pump, and always worried about all of details of it.
How long have you been breastfeeding? 7.5 months Best part of breastfeeding for you, right now? the calorie burn and convenience Worst part of breastfeeding for you, right now? She has started biting. Oh, and she has a strong preference for the right breast so I am SO lopsided. I have to make a huge effort to get her to nurse on the left. She screams and arches her back. :/ I need to pump on the left more often. Do you have plans to wean? Yes, at a year. maybe a little sooner. I'm already combo feeding. Questions for the rest of us? Did anyone have success evening out supply later on in their BF relationship?
best - how relaxed he is while nursing. it's clearly his safe space and he just melts into me. i love being his person.
worst - nothing today, i feel like we're in this super sweet spot, but biting while teething is awful. being the go to parent for all motn wake-ups took it's toll. worrying if he was getting enough volume/calories when breast milk was his main source of nutrition was stressful.
no plans to wean. we have travel planned in June and September and i'm hoping to still be nursing then because he'll be a lap baby on those flights and it's the easiest way to get him to sit still. and if i'm nursing in September i suppose i should aim to nurse through another cold/flu season, no? i'm really enjoying this stress free season and i'm willing to let R lead for now.
How long have you been breastfeeding? DS is just over 11 months and he has been EBF.
Best part of breastfeeding for you, right now? Being able to soothe him easily & the snuggles.
Worst part of breastfeeding for you, right now? Biting!! He has had teeth for months, but has recently been chomping down at the end of sessions. I don't know how to stop this behavior.
Do you have plans to wean? I am going to stop pumping at 1 year and then keep doing nursing morning/nights/weekends as long as he wants.
Questions for the rest of us? What helps stop the biting? I am pretty sure he is doing it on purpose. He clamps down with his teeth at the end of the session and then pulls off the breast - pulling my nipples through his razor teeth. It is really painful and causing bleeding
How long have you been breastfeeding? Almost 5 months. It's been a rough journey from inducing prematurely, mag, preeclampsia, postpartum preeclampsia, PPD, a lazy baby, nipple shield, switching to EP, working full time, and introducing nursing again. I'm honestly a little surprised, looking back, that we've made it this far.
Best part of breastfeeding for you, right now? The cuddles and seeing how comforted he is when he nurses, especially while being sick.
Worst part of breastfeeding for you, right now? Finding time to pump at work. I went 16.5 hours without pumping yesterday and it was insanely painful.
Do you have plans to wean? My initial goal was 1 year and then was changed to 6 months in order to make it seem more reachable during the first couple of months. My goal is still 6 months but I'm hoping I can extend it at that time.
Post by bananapancakes on Apr 24, 2015 5:27:55 GMT -5
panicfoot, could your H deal with MOTN wakings for awhile? That's what worked for us. I tried comforting without nursing a few times before we had H take over and it did not go well. H was able to soothe him back to sleep though. The first night it took 16 minutes and it killed me listening to him cry (even though he was with H) but each night got quicker after that. H can get him back to sleep in 2 minutes now. I am now able to soothe without nursing too although he doesn't settle as quickly for me. We've also just had three nights in a row of STTN and I credit the night weaning for that. A month ago, I never thought we'd get there.