BF Moms- If you breast fed to a year!

I was just wondering if anyone that breast fed to a year recalled how often they were nursing at 9 months? My DD eats three meals a day, but I still nurse on demand about 6 times a day, sometimes 4, sometimes 7.

My mom who's a big supporter of BF made me feel like I'm nursing too much if I plan on quitting at a year. I want to slowly wean her by no more than 13 months, We plan on trying for a second in July and I really want my body to myself for a few months. Any suggestions on how often I should be nursing? Am I ok still nursing on demand or should I start to cut out some sessions?

Any advice you have would be greatly appreciated!!

Re: BF Moms- If you breast fed to a year!

I stopped nursing on demand around 8 months and was down to 4 times a day; wakeup, before nap 1, before nap 2, before bedtime. I went back to work when she was 11 months but continued to bf twice a day till 13 mo, then stopped around 14.5 months. With my dd, if I let her nurse on demand any later she never would have stopped! Good luck!

Re: BF Moms- If you breast fed to a year!

I *think* it was 3 or 4 sessions by then. We were definitely more on a schedule though. If you do less sessions they will just get more milk per session. Once I had a schedule down by the time I wanted to wean it was easy. I dropped one session at a time until we were finished. We weaned at 14 months.

Re: BF Moms- If you breast fed to a year!

My DD pretty much put herself on a schedule by that point. She was nursing every 3 hours during the day, which equaled out to 5 feedings (plus she was still waking at night to nurse). Around 10 months she spaced it out to every 4 hours, which was 4 feedings a day, and we cut out the night feedings (I had DH go in with a bottle for a few nights and she stopped taking it and started sleeping. Thankfully.).

If nursing on demand works for you, keep it up. If you feel the need to be more scheduled that's fine, too.

Keep up the great work, mama!

Re: BF Moms- If you breast fed to a year!

Thanks everyone!! I think I'm going to try and cut back on the evening feedings.

I say on demand but it's pretty much on a schedule. She nurses when she wakes up at 6, before her morning nap at 930, before her afternoon nap at 3, again at 4 when she wakes up, an hour before dinner at 6, and then right before bath at 7. I say on demand only because if at any point during the day she wants more I feed her. I think I should maybe give some snacks in there (puffs etc) instead. The reason I nurse her when she wants is because she's pretty tiny (only in the 12th percentile) so I figure a little more calories can't hurt her.

It's really the evening that it seems she nurses constantly!!It drives me a bit batty when I'm trying to do dinner. I'm not sure if she's loading up for bed (she sleeps through the night) or if its just the part of the day where she is the crankiest and that soothes her.

Thanks!! Keep the tips coming :)

Re: BF Moms- If you breast fed to a year!

Declan is 9.5 months and nurses about every hour or two that he is awake. If we are out and about he can last up to 3 hours without nursing though. I don't plan on stopping anytime soon so I am not trying to take away any nursing sessions. At this age breast milk is still the most important thing and should still come first before solids.

I let him nurse every time he comes to me and asks for it.

Message edited 1/14/2012 8:20:06 PM.

Re: BF Moms- If you breast fed to a year!

I was at 4x at 8&9 mos. then dropped to 3x at 10 mos. with both dds.

Re: BF Moms- If you breast fed to a year!

At 9 months I was still nursing 3-4x/day and he was getting 1 bottle of formula.

BF- Wakeup
BF- Before am nap
Afternoon Bottle or BF
BF- Before bed

Re: BF Moms- If you breast fed to a year!

At nine months, I was still nursing 6-7x a day. Morning, before and after naps, and before bed... and an occasional snack here and there. She wasn't ready to cut out sessions yet.

At 11 months, I cut out the post-nap sessions and BF "snacks". At 12 months, DH put DD to bed (b/c if I did it she'd want to BF). The past two weeks I've been cutting out the pre-nap BF, and it's just in the mornings. DD is 13.5 months old, and she'll be weaned by the end of the month.

Re: BF Moms- If you breast fed to a year!

It has been a long time but I know I was BF'ing in the morning and before DS went to sleep at night and definitely "topping him off" with breast milk after lunch when he was 9 months old. I started weaning 1 feeding per week when he was 11 months and I stopped totally when DS was 13 months old. Congrats on going this long!

Re: BF Moms- If you breast fed to a year!

Thanks everyone, I decided to try to cut out the two feedings before dinner. I feel like I've been relying on them to calm her down during her cranky times. We'll see how it goes. If she starts waking up in the middle of the night, then I'll likely add them back in until she's eating more solids!! I really appreciate the tips!

Re: BF Moms- If you breast fed to a year!

DD is a year and I'm almost done BFing. She's BFing once a day. She gets milk in a sippy with lunch, in the late afternoon, and then a little bit after dinner.
At 9 months, we were still nursing 4 times a day. By 11 months, it was 3-4 (mostly 4), but because I fed her on a schedule, I didn't realize that some of those feedings were just out of habit, not necessarily hunger. Around 11 months, I started giving her whole milk (with ped's ok) in the late afternoon. A week or two later, I decided to not offer BF after her first nap. She didn't "ask" for it. So I ended up cutting it out and she seemed fine with it.

Re: BF Moms- If you breast fed to a year!

At 9m DS was nursing 3-4 time a day.

Re: BF Moms- If you breast fed to a year!

Re: BF Moms- If you breast fed to a year!

I was at 4 times a day and dropped to 3 times a day at 10 months. I bet you'd be surprised how easy it is to cut back. I know I was when I cut out feedings for my son. He did so good!

Re: BF Moms- If you breast fed to a year!

Mine's 9 mos & I give her 2 meals/day (will prob increase to 3/day soon), & I still nurse on demand...maybe 6x/day, give or take.