Comments

  1. Ann @ Such a Mama! says

    Great post! I nursed both my kids well beyond their first birthdays. The second one is still at it well over two. It is nice to know we are not alone! Yes, it is hard and yes we might get disapproving glances, but that snuggle time is still wonderful!

  2. Sarah Nenni Daher says

    Brittany,
    Congratulations for your open support of extended breastfeeding. For the life of me, I don’t understand why it’s such an ‘issue’ still for so many. Like you, I never thought I’d be THAT mom, but it turned out I was.

    I love the points you made and went through every, single one of the m as well. My daughter nursed until she was 29 months old and I don’t regret it one bit. I stopped feeding her in public, doing what you did or just waiting until we got home, after she turned a year.

    As you mentioned, it was much more about the comfort and connection than for the nutrition. I hope you have the ability (and the little one is willing) to continue as long as you and your family feel is necessary.

    What a wonderfully written article, Brittany. Thank you for sharing!

  3. Amy says

    Great article and resources. I’m impressed with the nutrition info, Britt 😉 Into the toddler months, nursing definitely becomes more after comfort than nutrition, but there’s also the benefit of antibodies and probiotics from mom’s milk.

    After maybe two and a half years (we were done at 32 months), my son became a 10-second nurser: play, nurse a few seconds, run away to play again, nurse a minute more… That’s when I was done. As I reflected on the time of weaning recently, I realized our relationship really changed afterward, like we weren’t as close anymore. I wonder if he would have better behavior now if that method of bonding continued until he was ready and I just set a few boundaries to maintain my sanity! It was not a difficult weaning though, since it was only a few times a day, gradually less and less at his will. He requested to nurse several times after I decided to stop, and I just told him milk is all gone. He got over it pretty quickly and easily.

    I don’t remember when we stopped nursing in public, but it was more because he was busy, not because I would be embarrassed by the stares or whatever. If my daughter nurses til she’s three years and wants to do so in public, I welcome the stares. God designed us to nurse that long, and it’s unfortunate that our culture is so blind to that. I’ve only had a male doctor criticize the fact that I was ‘still breastfeeding’ after a year, and I simply told him the WHO recommends at least two years.

  4. LeAnn says

    Great article, Brittany! Of my five babies, I have done extended breastfeeding with three of them. My first baby was born too fast and had fluid in his lungs, was taken to the special care nursery and given bottles by the nurses before I had much sense of what was happening. We gave up on nursing/pumping after two weeks.

    With my second, I was determined to make it work so I educated myself on how to make breastfeeding a successful experience for my baby boy and me. Because of a lack in insurance and feeding issues with solids as he grew older I decided to keep breastfeeding him in the hopes that he would get as much antibody protection and nutrition through the breast as possible. I breastfed him until 18 months.

    My third child had “silent reflux” which led to many problems with food as she grew from an infant. I breastfed her until she was 21 months because, until we could find the right medication to help the reflux, she wouldn’t eat anything. I kept her at the breast until I was comfortable with the weight she had finally gained.

    Number four child did not have any of the other problems but I didn’t want to deny her all the benefits I offered the other breastfeeders so I also breastfed her until she was about 21 months.

    Now I am on month nine of breastfeeding my little guy. I have no plans for stopping anytime soon. I would like to say that he enjoys the cuddles with mommy but he really is only using me for my boobs! I feel like I’m nursing a tornado these days as he spins and sits up and latches back on, only to sit up and turn and grab the closest thing he can get his hands on (usually a TV remote or my cell phone, and occasionally his big sisters’ hair) and then climb up over my shoulder then lie back down and latch back on for a few more gulps. It makes me tired wrestling him all day but he’s happy and that makes me happy. <3

  5. Amy @ Oh So Savvy Mom says

    I’m nursing my third child right now, but this is my first time ever nursing longer than 6 months. My “baby” and are at month 19 our our breastfeeding journey! It was really refreshing and encouraging to read your experiences because I don’t really know many people who have nursed this long. So many of the things you mentioned: the wanting only mommy, the acrobatic nursing (my son thinks it is funny to stick his fingers up my nose when he is nursing–grrr), the pinching…oh the pinching! actually were encouraging to hear. Extended nursing isn’t always easy, but it is a far cry easier than the experience I had nursing each of my boys when they were infants. I am so grateful that I was able to make it through the rough first 9 months (yeah, it was rough for a while, LOL) and keep nursing!

    • Katelyn Fagan says

      Good job to you! That is so great, well except for the nursing nightmares. And extended nursing is certainly different than those first few months, and not as many people do it, let alone write about what it’s really like, other than, perhaps, to share why you should do it. Thanks for your comment!

  6. Courtney says

    Like many others, I never thought I’d do extended nursing, but my daughter and I have had a perfect nursing relationship right from the start. Well, as perfect as one could ask for. Others’ comments have taken a bit of a toll on me (her grandmother in particular keeps asking if we’re done yet, or worse, occasionally directly tells her she’s too old for nursing) and sometimes I wonder if others at work notice I still bring a pump and use the lactation room. And I’m certainly not immune to our cultural pressures – she’s turning three this October and even here on this reasonably anonymous comment I hesitated to type that. But it’s so wonderful to be able to come home and connect with her in such a special way. Nursing is very important to her, so I’m planning on letting her lead our eventual weaning. It’s such a treasure.

  7. sabrina says

    Great article. I breastfed my daughter until she was 1 1\2 years old. There were great advantages because she was a healthy baby, we had a close bond,and you burn hundreds of calories every time you breastfeed. I went from a size 18-20 to a 9-10. I only fed her breastmilk and that was a disadvantage because she cried a lot when I was not with her. My breast sag now and before they were perky. I would definitely do it again but I would offer regular milk., and do exercises to keep breast from sagging though.

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