How Long Did You Other Working Moms Breastfeed?

My oldest was breastfed for a a year and my youngest for almost 15 mo. while working. I think it is great you would like to continue longer. I don't think it was harder for me to wean later. Good Luck.

I breastfed my daughter until she was 15 months old. I wish that I would have gone longer, but actually she was also weaning herself, and she never asked for it, so I knew she was ready. Of my friends, I have breastfed the longest, so I don't know if it's harder to wean if they are older.

I have been reading a lot of the forums in the parenting section of www.thebabywearer.com and moms talk about weaning quite a bit on there. Quite a few moms there tandem feed their toddler and new baby, or breastfeed until their little ones are two or even three. I think that it would be fairly easy to wean him since you are only doing two feedings a day.

And I just want to say congratulations for wanting to continue! The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding for two years. Here is the article about it: http://www.who.int/child-adolescent-health/NUTRITION/infa...

I am a full-time working mom too and a full-time student. I breastfed my son for 1 year. He is 2 years now. It was a little diffult weaning him because he got so used to breastfeeding that he never even did formula. At the end,I had to let him cry a little. It took about a week to competely wean him. Good Luck S.

S.

I agree, I loved the time my little guy and I had and I just dreaded quitting at a year, but I got some great advice from the mama's here, I was only quitting because I thought that was the standard. I did quit pumping at work at a year but I kept the morning and evening feedings.
My little guy about 16 months just weaned himself, I found it a lot easier than when I stopped my daughter at 9 months.
Best of luck to you.
Do what's best for you.

Like you, I had assumed I would just BF til my first son was one. Like others, I did stop pumping at around that time and we just nursed in the morning, at lunchtime (his daycare was near work) and in the evening. He weaned on his own when I was four months pregnant with his younger brother - he was over two at the time and he went to nurse one day and he said "No more milk" and that was it. I nursed my younger son even longer (no pregnancy to get in the way of that milk supply). I never did pump for him as he refused a bottle. As others mention, if you follow their lead, they'll let you know when they're ready to stop. For my second son, we had reached the point of only nursing at bedtime, but it got so that he wanted to read after nursing (he was 3 at the time) and so we just started reading instead. He nursed a few more times after that when he got boo-boos. And, there are clear health advantages to the extensive nursing for both mother and baby. My kids were in daycare and were rarely sick. Some of the teachers there decided to BF based on seeing how healthy my kids were. Even the pediatrician was amazed at how rarely my kids were sick. Folks might think I just got lucky and had extra-healthy kids, but we learned when they were 8 and 11 that they had celiac disease (an autoimmune reaction to the protein in wheat, rye, oats and barley). Research shows that BF delays the onset and severity of the disease.

So, in short, keep on nursing as long as it works for both you and your son - there really are no negatives and there are lots of positives.

With my son, I was able to nurse until 7 months when his teething became an issue and then feed him on frozen breastmilk until he was 9months. With my daughter (currently 3 months) I would like to continue as long as possible however my weekly travel schedule (2 days a week) may make it tough. I'm sorry if this isn't very helpful. I wish you the best!

I breast fed until my son was 10 months old. I stopped because he liked to bite.

Hi S. -

What a bond breastfeeding is. I breastfeed my son until he was about 21 months old. After he turned a year and he started whole milk I began cutting down on pumping while at work. Eventually I stopped pumping altogether and only nursed mornings and evenings. I breastfed a lot longer than I expected and I eventually expected him to wean himself but he never did. Finally went out of town for a long weekend he stayed with my mom and that is how I weaned him, cold turkey I guess, but by then he was nursing for comfort mainly. Good Luck with your decision.

I breastfed my oldest til 14 months and my younger one til 11 months....I stopped when they wanted to stop.

I breastfed for a year - pumping at work and nursing mornings/nights/weekends. My milk supply was never 'abundant', so weaning was not that hard as far as discomfort. I had a work convention right around my daughter's first birthday, so being away from her for 5-6 days helped her wean and get used to not nursing, plus pumping exclusively for that long diminished my supply quite a bit.

Hi,
I worked full time and weaned my now 4.5 yo son at 18 months. I stopped pumping at about 14 months because he wasn't really taking a bottle anymore and it was just to cumbersome to give to him in a cup. I did the morning and evening feedings and pumped at 10, 1 and 4.

When my dd came along, we stayed at home and now work at home. I still pumped so I'd have "reserves". Ironically, my milk started to drop off at about 10 months and she ended up weaning around 13 because she was just so busy! I expected to nurse longer with my stay home baby - but that wasn't the case. I think it is indicative of her strong-willed, independent personality!

Best of luck to you!

I breastfed till my son was 14 months and he just got more interested in eating real food and drinking regular milk. I also have a almost 9 month baby girl and I still continually breastfeed her and pump. Hopefully she will continue to do that for a while. Good luck on everything!!

i felt the exact same way you did. loved bfeeding and my son did too. well he started biting alot and did not care what i did about it. i would take the breast away and that did not do anything. he ended up weaning himself a week before his first bday. we were down to just morning feedings and he started just nursing a few min on each side until one morning he would not take it at all. i was quite upset. i loved that time. the fact that only i could give that to him. but the next time he teethed which was about 13 months he wanted to nurse and i had dried up. i felt bad.
just a warning about what could happen. good luck.

I was like you , I planned on breastfeeding for the first year, but when that time came I also thought there was no reason to stop. I nursed my son until he was 2. When I decided to wean him, I told him that it was "all-gone". I was surprised but he was pretty cool about it. I think only once did he actually try to throw a tantrum over it and he was tired as well at the time. I loved being able to have that relationship with him. He is 4 now and starting school this year, making me sad.

I breast fed (and pumped while at work) until my son was a year, then we cut down to just morning and night feedings. Eventually he got to the point where he just wanted to cuddle instead of breastfeeding so in a way, he weaned himself. We still cuddle everynight. If you and your son are both still wanting to breastfeed, there really is no reason to quit. No such thing as too much breastmilk if you ask me! :)

I nursed my son until he was 14 months old. I started to wean him around 10 months. I just cut a feeding out here and there and gave him a cup instead. He was sonsistantly waking up between 3-4 am to nurse and then would go back to sleep until 9. It happened very gradually and he just started sleeping thru the feeding. It was a wonderful experience for me to have nursed him that long. You have to do what feels right for you and your child. Congrats on being able to nurse and work! GOOD LUCK!

Hi S.. I'm also the working mom of an IVF miracle boy who is now almost 15 months. I pumped at work and breastfed until he was 10 months. At that point, my milk decreased and he had really lost interest so it just didn't feel right anymore. I think that between you and your child, you will both know when the time is right to stop nursing. I honestly can't imagine still nursing my boy at 14 months as active as he is with as many teeth as he has! I loved nursing but I'm glad we're done!

I only breastfed for about 2 months after returning to work. There are no private places to do it in our office, so I had to sit in a restroom stall. It was just too much for me at the time. In hindsight, I would have tried to keep at it until my daughter was one.

Kuddos to you S.!! I think in the US we don't breastfeed long enough becuase so many out there discurage it. It is only beneficail to our precious ones. Keep up the great work! I went past a year. I always made sure I had snacks on hand so my little ones didn't pull at my shirt in public after a year, and nursed them in private at that point. Also after a year it wasn't as often so it was easier to do it at home. L.

Hi S.,

Congratulations on breastfeeding your son while working full-time!! I did it, too, and I know that it can be a hectic schedule, but if you're like me, you wouldn't have it any other way. :)

I breastfed my daughter until she was 12 months old and only quit because she was ready. I could tell she was losing interest in breastfeeding, mainly because she would bite me and then start playing. After a few times of her latching down on me was good impetus to start weaning quickly!

Like many other moms have said, do what's best for you and your son. And enjoy your time together!!

Best of luck,

A.

I BF until DD was 15 months. I returned to work when she was 10 weeks old, so I pumped while at work. However her 1st day care was onsite at the office, so I was able to nurse her at lunch a majority of days.

Around 10 or 11 months, she was simply not taking many mid morning or mid afternoon bottles at day care. With that, and knowing I had a stash in the freezer, I choose to stop pumping at work BUT continued to BF mornings, evenings, nights and all weekend. If it turned out she wanted something during those times at day care, they could give her juice or water in a sippy.

I LOVED BF - and was completely surprised to feel that way about it. No one in my family BF, not my mom, not my sister. And the only friend I knew that BF took a year off of work to stay home with her baby. I was sort of the trailbailzer in my circle of friends to work and BF.

When DD was 13 months, she was still nursing 3 times a day. I decided to reduce nursing sessions down to just nights b/c I was ready for a bit more flexibility. I was really worried about weaning from that last single before bed feeding. I knew that it was a turning point - my DD was no longer a baby; and that we would never go back to that stage. Sort of sad. However, I simply put her to bed on night without nursing and it was no big deal to her. I think at that point, she was more interested in other things and it was really more of me holding on to the bonding during BF.

Good luck to you!

I love how many positive responses you have received. I will add my two cents as well. I was willing to breast feed my son for as long as we could both enjoy it. He weaned himself really, at about 15 months. At about one year I gradually stopped offering him the breast. And I started sending fewer bottles of breast milk to day care with him each week. Then one night for his usual bed-time nursing he just didn't ask for it and I didn't offer. Occasionally he would look for it if he didn't feel good. But after 15 months he has just never looked for it again. Good luck!

my son is almost 8 months old and we still nurse when together and i pump while at work and i plan on continuing as long as we are both comfortable. Carrson has dairy allergies so if the introduction of dairy doesnt come easily we will continue longer...after all what could it hurt to keep nursing? not a thing :)

What a beautiful attitude you have toward your nursing relationship!
The early mornign feedign is often the last one to go. One reason could be that moms milk is usually more abundnat in the morning. It's the baby's morning cup of coffee! If you are concerned about the weaning process being difficult, note that children will naturally wean themselves, albeit at different ages. If the time comes and you dont' want to nurse any longer, I would think that with only 2 nursings per day it wouldn't be too h*** o* your or your son. You can start with one specific nursing and when that one is dropped, you can move to the final nursing.
The precious times with our babies and toddlers are so short in the big picture, it is so refreshign when we dont' feel rushed ahead. Enjoy this time with your miracle baby.
It is not uncommon to nurse a child through toddlerhood, through the 2nd or 3rd birthday. That may not be your goal, but know that you are well within the range of "normal"!!!

Congratulations & good job! I know it can be really tough to continue breastfeeding while working. Around a year old I stopped pumping and just nursed at night & mornings. When our son was about 16-18 months (my memory is gone sorry!) we stopped the night feedings. He had gotten to the point where he just wanted to play & was more attached to the morning nursing than the night so we just cut down to one in the morning. When he was 22 months old we found out that we are expecting our second so we started to talk about weaning him, at that time we also moved into our first real house. Our very first morning in the new home I sat down to nurse and he just looked at me and said "Outside?" because he wanted to go play in his yard. He had no more interest in nursing at all and never asked for it again. I know this was probably way to easy but that was our experience so I thought I would share. Have fun & enjoy your time with them while they are little!

I bf'ed until my son was 7.5 months old. I tried to stop pumping at work and only bf in the morning and evening and my body stopped itself. I wasn't all that sad though because I learned that me stopping had absolutely NO bearing on the cuddles and hugs that my son and I share in the mornings and evenings. We STILL bond and cuddle in the mornings and he's 2.5 years old. I'm also the preferred 'night night' giver and now that he's in a twin bed, we cuddle in bed together while I read his books. GREAT bonding, even without breastfeeding.

S.,

My son is 16 months, and I still nurse him. I do not pump at work anymore, however. He gets no breastmilk when I am away from him. I'm not sure when we are going to wean completely. I may let him wean himself. At this point, he shows no signs of being ready, and I have no problem continuing to nurse him. As long as both you and your son are comfortable and enjoying breastfeeding, there is no need to stop.

I worked full time with my first and breastfeed him until he was 15 months...he weaned himself pretty much. My other two I wasn't working and I nursed them until 22 months and 24 months. The one that was 22 months was at my inititive, but none of them were hard at all. The 22 month was only nursing once a day and the 24 month old actually stop on her own a week before she turned 2.