any BF moms find it emotionally hard to wean their babies?

DD turned 1 january 2nd.
i always said my goal was to BF till the 1 year mark and then anything further was a bonus...

well here we are, i reached the 1 year mark and i cant imagine stopping anytime soon!
i love it so much and i know she loves it too
i feel like that i wouldn't want to go further than 4-6 months but what happens if i get there and cant do it then either? i know for sure i do not want to go further than 1.5-2 years

she only just turned 1 and i already get the weird vibe from people when they hear i still bf.

Re: any BF moms find it emotionally hard to wean their babies?

DS turns one Mid Feb. My plan was to BF for a year....now that the year is coming up I just don't see stopping. At the very least as long as I'm still a SAHM. When I go back to work I will wean him definitely as I do not want to pump especially after it's no longer necessary for him to have BM (sure it would be a bonus) but I don't know when that will be. But as long as I'm home, I'm happy and he's sure as hell happy......but I also don't want to deal with the and the and the looks that people will give if/when they see I'm still BFing. I don't know what to do to be honest....I still haven't figured out whether I will continue or not....

Re: any BF moms find it emotionally hard to wean their babies?

so why wean???

If you love BFing and your daughter enjoys it as well there is no reason why you have to stop NOW.... keep BFing in the am and pm..

There are WONDERFUL emotional and physical benefits for both mother and toddlers when nursing..

I'm letting Alexa self wean... whether she does it at a year or 2.... I'm not going to be the one to stop her.

Who says you have to tell anyone you are still nursing??? If they ask.. tell them its none of their buisness or better yet that the World Health Organization suggests BFing until 2 years of age for optimal benefits.

I know there are quite a few moms on here that nursed for longer than 1 year.

WHy don't you give it until 18 months and then re-evaluate???

YOu can always FM me for support!

Great job going this far!!

Re: any BF moms find it emotionally hard to wean their babies?

I stopped pumping shortly after a year. I was happy to give that up. I still nurse DS in the morning and usually at night. I'm not ready to give it up and he isn't either.

Re: any BF moms find it emotionally hard to wean their babies?

My DD didnt fully wean until she turned 3 and she is the most independent healthy child you could imagine. I did get some strange looks when she was 2 1/2 and still nursing but I didnt really care as she is my child.

I say if you are both still enjoying BF then there is no reason to stop at all. Its healthy for you both and there are no downsides except for the fact that you might run into one or two narrow minded people.

good luck

Re: any BF moms find it emotionally hard to wean their babies?

I went to 18 mos.

he was a nut who still bothered me for it all day long...we were seriously still up to 12 times a day at 14 mos old.

One morning i woke up and was over it. We fell apart! For the first time ever, he was sick...ended up in the hospital! taken out in an ambulance from ped's office! talk about some guilt.

I never had baby blues or anything...it hit me then. For about 6 weeks, i was one big anxious mess. OB said totally normal.

weird, talking to my sister last night who just weaned, she's had her first 3 panic attacks ever this week.

i started getting comments, i worried since he was a boy that people would think our relationship was weird. people are so ignorant though.

do what you want to do, its a wonderful thing you are doing.

Re: any BF moms find it emotionally hard to wean their babies?

My original plan was to BF for 6 months. They turned 1 on 12/30, and I am still nursing them. I never thought I'd get attached to it like I did.

I nurse them once a day now, in the morning.

Re: any BF moms find it emotionally hard to wean their babies?

I am feeling the same way right now. I love nursing, I know my son loves it. I had been decreasing my nursing sessions because I felt like I was getting "those looks" and I have been starting to here "oh, you're still nursing" with a sideways glance. I hate the pressure and now feel uncomfortable nursing in public when I have always been comfortable nursing anywhere.

At DSs 1 year visit he slipped off the weight chart, he had been in the 5th percentile all along, so the Dr. wasn't too concerned BUT my step son had the same issues and now at 13 he is still very underweight. DS nurses very well and isn't a huge fan of soy milk (he is allergic to dairy), he also is picky about proteins - so now I nurse as much as possible.

I am nervous about the comments that I am sure will be increasing from certain family members over the next few months, but I have decided I can't let their discomfort dictate what is right for me. I want to allow DS to self wean, if at some point I want to stop before he is ready, I'll have to figure that out then.

It is crazy how so suddenly at a year it seems the world starts looking at you as a freak for nursing

Keep it up as long as it is what YOU want

Message edited 1/11/2010 3:56:49 PM.

Re: any BF moms find it emotionally hard to wean their babies?

Re: any BF moms find it emotionally hard to wean their babies?

Honestly? I was a LITTLE upset the first day that she refused to nurse (she self-weaned at 10 mos.)...but that first day that I switched her all to formula and frozen BM was a happy day for me...my first day of freedom since the day she was born!

I do intend to BF our next baby as well, and I do enjoy it, but I enjoy NOT having to nurse just as well.

Re: any BF moms find it emotionally hard to wean their babies?

I BF til 26 months and I don't regret it. Some days I do still miss it. If you like it so much, keep it up. It has wonderful benefits and your child will love the time you spend and cherish it.

Re: any BF moms find it emotionally hard to wean their babies?

I BF Kayleigh until she was 26 months. I could not imagine stopping at 1 year. I always dreaded that 2 year mark. When it finally came, it was sad to let it go, but in a way, it was easier than I thought. By the time she turned 2, she was only nursing once or twice a day. We went on our honeymoon & I was wondering the whole plane ride home if she'd ever ask to nurse again after going 5 days without me. Well, she did ask one more time the night we came home. I nursed her & cried & remember saying to DH "This is going to be the last time I ever do this. I can feel it." It was. She didn't ask again after that for days & I was easily able to distract her by saying "Not right now..." It was just mutually time for us to stop. I always wondered when she was a year or so old how I'd ever get her to sleep or calm her down or cuddle with her if she wasn't nursing. Well, when she did wean, it turned out none of that was a problem. She still wanted to cuddle. I found other ways of soothing her. That part wasn't as difficult as I imagined it would be. It made me sad to not have that special bond any longer, but it still did feel like the right time.

If you really feel you aren't ready, continue for a little longer & see what happens in a few months

Re: any BF moms find it emotionally hard to wean their babies?

I feel the same way as you! Frankie will be one in less than a month and I have no plans of weaning him (I think I'm going to let him self wean). I also get comments (a lot of them from my DH ), but I really don't care! I love it and so does Frankie- thats all that matters!

Re: any BF moms find it emotionally hard to wean their babies?

Absolutely - I was upset over it. But Ryan was fine so I got over it.

I weaned him at 14 months. I was 4 months PG with Colin and I wanted there to be some time in between for Ryan to adjust to not nursing, and my supply was pretty low - and I was sick most of my pregnancy with Colin, so it was a lot.

I did it slowly. When I was down to just nursing one session, one day he just didn't seem to remember it was time to nurse - so I went with it and that was it. I was upset b/c I didn't know the time before that was the last time - so I didn't get to savor it - but I thought it best to take the opportunity to walk away without making it a big deal for Ryan.

Re: any BF moms find it emotionally hard to wean their babies?

Posted by Blissful

so why wean???

If you love BFing and your daughter enjoys it as well there is no reason why you have to stop NOW.... keep BFing in the am and pm..

There are WONDERFUL emotional and physical benefits for both mother and toddlers when nursing..

I'm letting Alexa self wean... whether she does it at a year or 2.... I'm not going to be the one to stop her.

Who says you have to tell anyone you are still nursing??? If they ask.. tell them its none of their buisness or better yet that the World Health Organization suggests BFing until 2 years of age for optimal benefits.

I know there are quite a few moms on here that nursed for longer than 1 year.

WHy don't you give it until 18 months and then re-evaluate???

YOu can always FM me for support!

Great job going this far!!

Re: any BF moms find it emotionally hard to wean their babies?

thankyou ladies for sharing your advice and thoughts!!!

Re: any BF moms find it emotionally hard to wean their babies?

I'd cut the pumping session and just nurse in the am, when you come home from work and before bed...

Your supply will be fine

I nurse ALexa anywhere from 3-4 X a day

Some days she nurses a lot 6+ times and there are days when I'm out shooting a wedding that she only nurses in the am and I can go 18+ hours without nursing her and she's fine and my milk supply is fine!

Re: any BF moms find it emotionally hard to wean their babies?

I'm only at 16 weeks and I can never imagine stopping breastfeeding! I love it so much and so does he and I'm sure they only get more attached and used to being fed like that. The only reason I will stop at around a year or so is if we decide to ttc again, if not I will do it for as long as I want. Don't worry about what other people think, it is the best thing you can do for your beautiful dd and I think it is great that you love it and want to continue.

Re: any BF moms find it emotionally hard to wean their babies?

Posted by Dani922

I BF Kayleigh until she was 26 months. I could not imagine stopping at 1 year. I always dreaded that 2 year mark. When it finally came, it was sad to let it go, but in a way, it was easier than I thought. By the time she turned 2, she was only nursing once or twice a day. We went on our honeymoon & I was wondering the whole plane ride home if she'd ever ask to nurse again after going 5 days without me. Well, she did ask one more time the night we came home. I nursed her & cried & remember saying to DH "This is going to be the last time I ever do this. I can feel it." It was. She didn't ask again after that for days & I was easily able to distract her by saying "Not right now..." It was just mutually time for us to stop. I always wondered when she was a year or so old how I'd ever get her to sleep or calm her down or cuddle with her if she wasn't nursing. Well, when she did wean, it turned out none of that was a problem. She still wanted to cuddle. I found other ways of soothing her. That part wasn't as difficult as I imagined it would be. It made me sad to not have that special bond any longer, but it still did feel like the right time.

If you really feel you aren't ready, continue for a little longer & see what happens in a few months

Re: any BF moms find it emotionally hard to wean their babies?

I think I am going to continue as well... just maybe in the AM and at bedtime. We'll see how it goes and then figure it out from there. I do want her on regular bottles during the day-- but, I think I can probably continue with what I am doing til she is 13 or 14 months... I'll just take it day by day after her birthday.

Re: any BF moms find it emotionally hard to wean their babies?

The World Health Organization recommends BFing until 2 years old. Don't worry about the looks or comments...tell any naysayers that you are following physician instructions. : )

Re: any BF moms find it emotionally hard to wean their babies?

DD turns one next month and I am definitely going to continue with the morning and night sessions as long as I can (or as long as she wants). I am, however, throwing a celebration of my own on her first bday that involves unshackling myself from the pump - glory hallelujah!!

Seriously, though, I know exactly how you feel. I'm definitely not ready to stop.

Re: any BF moms find it emotionally hard to wean their babies?

I BF DS till he self weaned at 22 months. DD I weaned off at 27 months. Both times I was very sad. I see nothing wrong with continuing if you don't want to stop yet.

Re: any BF moms find it emotionally hard to wean their babies?

I was very upset b/c I was having supply problems and knew I would have to stop soon b/c I couldnt keep up w/ working/pumping etc. I ended up weaning her and weaning myself at the same time by only feeding her in the am and pm so it made it a lot easier to stop. I thought I'd miss it so much but its really not as hard as I thought it would be!

Re: any BF moms find it emotionally hard to wean their babies?

Chloe is 11 months and we both love breastfeeding. I will be returning to work in 2 weeks, so I have stopped one mid-day feeding (around 12) and have been giving her a sippy cup with milk. I still BF in the morning, afternoon and before bed. My supply seems to be fine (probably because it's gradual). I plan to continue like this for a while and then I will probably drop the afternoon feeding in a few months and stick with the morning and night time for a few more months.

Chloe doesn't "look" for me and she doesn't seem to care that she gets a sippy during the day. She will not have anything to do with a bottle though

I think you will be fine doing 3 feedings a day and not pumping for that one feeding.