my doc said that 6 mths of breastfeeding is plenty for the baby to get all the special nutrients that their body needs but i hear alot of moms weaning a lot later, does anyone know any facts on this? ↓
I am living in Swithzerland and everything (in my experience) is about using homeopathic ways first, no medication during pregnancy, homemade foods, etc. I saw both a doctor and midwife during my 2 pregnancies here. And BOTH pushed for 6 months. THey were pretty strict about it and made me feel like I had to make it at least 6 months. But, the minute I hit 6 months no one said a word or cared when I chose to ween my kids. my first was weened completely around 8 months and my 2nd at 6 months. Do what feels right for you and your child. ↑
I think you should wean when it feels right for you & the baby NOT when the doctor or well meaning friends & family think you should (whether it be 6mths or 3yrs). Doctors mainly push for at least 6mths so that hopefully the baby's digestive system will have the benefits of bf, so when they start solids they won't have allergic reactions (hopefully). Depending on what country you live in most doctors try to get mothers to bf till at least 12mths, as babies immune systems are very immature in their first year & bf helps to prevent alot of colds & when they do get them helps prevent it from becoming more severe. WHO (the world health organisation) recommends bf til at least 2yrs. I bf my now 3yr dd til 5mths only because she refused to take it NOT because I wanted to wean her. I have only just weaned my 13mth ds as I am 15wks preg with #3 & it was taking too much out of me, otherwise I honestly don't know when I would have weaned him. If you want to keep bf please don't listen to anyone tell you that you should wean, especially as your baby is only 6mths, & trust me if you give up before you feel ready you will regret it. Goodluck & I hope you feel good about whatever your decision is. ↑
I concur with the other responses. Don't let anyone pressure you either way. I know a lot of docs in the US recommend bf-ing for 12 months. I have an aunt who bf-ed her ds til 4 years. I stopped at 6 weeks but not by choice. Go with your gut feel. ↑
I also agree, I see it as the longer your both comfortable and happy breastfeeding then do it. I weaned at just over 12 months, as I was 20 weeks pregnant and she weaned herself. Its true the first year they're immune systems are immature. The less sick and ER visits the better, your little one I'm sure would agree with that. ↑
thx so much guys! for E586467 & britt_m, how is it being pregnant again? DH & I are on the fence whether to go ahead & try for # 2. I see the benefits of them being close in age but of course more work for me, but then again if we wait 2 or 3 years then it will be just as much work to start over w/ a newborn. Did you both get pregnant again by choice? ↑
Hey Evae, wow is your baby really 6 months already? Time sure does fly. My dd is almost a year and i still let her nurse from time to time but she is mostly weaned. Actually i'm not even sure i'm really producing much anymore but i think she likes the comfort of it. Anyway for us weaning has been a fairly natural process. I started to introduce food around 6 months, when most doctors recomend, and the more i introduced the less i breastfed, i never tried to push anything adn like i said i still do bf a little. I know for some women they do need to wean quickly for some reason or another, but for the most part i think babies will wean themselves, it just takes time. As far as facts, i'm not sure. I mean the longer you can bf the better but as far as how much of an impact it has in the long run i have no clue. But good luck to you in whatever you decide. ↑
There is really no added benefit, healthwise, to nursing after 6 months. But it's up to you and your baby. I really enjoyed nursing and my lo enjoyed it too, when it got to the point where I wasn't enjoying it anymore and my dd was at the age where weaning wasn't going to be a problem I went ahead and weaned her at about 8 months. ↑
No we didn't plan on having #3 so soon but as we had talked about having another later down the track, we were happy about it. It was VERY hard in the beginning as I was soooo tired & sick, but I honestly believe that the breastfeeding helped with the morning sickness, as I had it very bad with the other 2 & it was more manageable this time. ds cut back his breast feeds heaps which is what made me take a preg test (also my 3yr dd kept asking if I had a baby in my tummy - weird how she knew). It's good now that the morning sickness has gone & my energy is back, I am looking forward to having another one around the house. For the bf Q, Crystal83's comment is WRONG, I don't know why she would say there is no health benefits feeding after 6mths when it is proven that there is, but whatever you decide make sure it is right for you & your baby & don't let anyone pressure either way. ↑
I agree with E586467, if you've done your research you'll clearly see the added benefit of going as long as possible. I actually found out I was pregnant b/c I noticed changes in my belly button, yes seriously before I could even test positive on a stick! It rounded out more. Now I'm very tiny for being pregnant, much smaller than with my daughter, and defianately considered small for the "average" pregnant folks. Its going great so far, no morning sickness, finally starting to gain weight after we stopped bf I'm at 5lbs now. I don't even feel pregnant sometimes, tho he don't let me forget, he's quite the kicker. We had actually been talking about birth control as she was on solids and slowing bfing a little, DH is military so he was gone for a few weeks and came back and I missed my period. I was schedualed to get checked out for the mirena IUD after my period, haha! I ended up going to the midwife clinic instead of my doc. ↑
E586467- I'm sorry you may have misread my post. I said there are no ADDED health benefits to feeding your baby after 6 months. Although there is some benefit to the mother, the longer she nurses the more she decreases her risk of breast, ovarian, and cervical cancers. The first 6 months are crucial for building up antibodies and breastmilk is the best for that, it also has the perfect mix of sugar, water and nutrients for the baby and human breastmilk is always sterile. If a baby has been exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months then they are going to get all the benefits of that, but after 6 months there is nothing to add to it, you've already given your baby the best start in life. ↑
My ds is almost 7 1/2 months old and I'm about 10 weeks pregnant. He's getting really fussy when it's time to nurse and doesn't act content. CRYSTAL, you said you weaned your dd at 8 months...did you give her formula until she was a year? I'm just a bit confused as my ds's pedi told me that bm should be his main food and introduce solids as I see fit, but if I just cut out more milk won't that be bad for him? Any of you other ladies have advice? KRISSY, did your dd have a hard time with more solids than liquids? ↑
My lo is 10.5 mos.now , but when she was about 8 mos. I sitched her over to the Good Start formula, but I had already been supplementing for about 2 months. I gave her that as her main source of food and also gave her solids. She is eating mostly table food now and I have been introducing more and more dairy to her diet this past month and a couple of days ago I started to introduce whole milk, which she is handling very well. So by one year she'll be taking in all regular foods and milk. ↑
Oh, ok. Thanks. I have an appointment for ds next week so we'll discuss it then but I was just trying to figure out what I ought to be doing. He hasn't had any interest in drinking the formula I have on hand, and I hate to spend big $ trying to find one he does like...there're so many! Thanks for your input. ↑
KIERSTEN, no my dd did very well with solids, but i also started very slow with everything. I started feeding her rice cereal first, like once a day and after a few weeks slowly added veggies and i always waited 4-5 days before starting a new veggie to make sure she didn't have a reaction. She is a great eater now, i can feed her almost anything and she will eat it, she isn't picky. As far as needing less milk, i'm not entirly sure. I always started, and still do, her moning with rice cereal mixed with formula. (I had lots of samples) And i give her oatmeal cereal mixed the same way for lunch, and my dr gave me the ok to start introducing whole milk at 9 months. Just a little here and there. ↑
