Breastfeeding & Lactation

I had to stop when my little boy was 4 months old. I had not produced enough milk from the start because he was in NICU for 20 days after he was born and had only started to breast feed him not long after he was to be released. He was also a snacker and I think he dried me out a little early because of it. By 2 1/2 months we were mixing breast and formula to help him gain weight anyways.
Good Luck

My son is 10 months and I still breastfeed him. My doctor says that I need to cut down on how many times a day he eats because he doesn't sleep through the night. I plan on doing it until he is about 1 because I will be going back to work full-time

Congratulations on your successs!!! It is great that you have decided to breastfeed your baby. You are giving him a great start. I have two daughters,3 years old and 16 months. I told myself that i was just going to make it work when i had my first.i too am i sahm and didn't want the expense of formula. It was tough going a first but everything worked out great. She bf for 19 months. She was down to once or twice a day. We just stopped one day and she never asked for it again. But i can tell that my baby will be different. If i let her she would nurse all day. She is a picky eater so nursing is just easier for her. She asks for it. I'm not sure how long i will bf her but it may be til she's 2. No matter when you decide to give it up make it a easy time for you amd your baby. It is great to have the breastfeeding under your belt, you can encourge and help others.

A.,
I wanted to breastfeed, but was unable to get my daughter to latch on, so I pumped and filled the bottles with breast milk. I also supplemented with formula. I pumped for about six weeks and then switched entirely to formula. My daughter, who is 4 1/2 now is very healthy and happy. Breast milk is wonderful and I commend those mothers who do it, but it doesn't always work out for everyone. Don't feel guilty if you decide to stop. The formulas out there are very good and provide children with everything they need. Try different ones till you find the one that you and your baby like best.

J.

Hi A.:
I got 8 weeks in with my daughter and 4 and 1/2 weeks with my son. I quit when I went back to work with her as I work in the restaurant business where you don't know when you'll get a break and trying to keep up was impossible. I quit with him because I was making too much milk and was going into my 3rd bout of mastitis. Whatever you choose to do, you made the best decision to do it at all. Feel proud of that decision. From there just do what you need to do. If that means you continue until age 2, good for you. If it means you need to stop sooner, good for you for giving your baby the best start possible. Good luck. Also, if you decide to stop and the child is still of formula age, Nestle Good Start is the closest in taste. We tried all of them. I mean that I did too. Both babies took to it fine. They also digested it easiest of them all. Love them best you can!

K.

I stopped breastfeeding at 6 months because my son and I had a somewhat difficult time. I did not feel guilty because my son and I were both less stressed out when we switched to formula. He has been perfectly healthy. I am sure you know what is best for you and your little one.

I breastfed for 4 months. I too stopped after going back to work because it was taking up too much time during the day and I wanted to sleep through the night without getting up to pump because my son was already sleeping so well. I can't even begin to tell you how horribly guilty I felt. I packed up my breastpump feeling like the world's WORST mother. How could I do this to him, what is going to happen??? Well, he loved it. He took to the formula right away and actually prefered it to the frozen breastmilk I continued to give him. The AAP wants you to exclusivly breastfeed for 6 months and continue with supplementing as long as you wish. I don't see any reason to go past a year, but some people do. I will tell you that my son has never had and ear infection and has rarely been sick and he goes to daycare. He has no food alleries and he is so bonded with me, I can't imagine we could be closer. So by all means, do it as long as it doesn't stress you out or become unenjoyable. Of course it is best, but I now know that life can be great without it too! I will breastfeed my next child, but I won't stress over when to stop next time. Good luck!

I nursed both of my boys: one for 9 mos; one for 18 mos. The child I nursed for longer has way less allergies (now they say that allergies has nothing to do with nursing...it's always different) than the one that didn't nurse for as long. I think determining when to stop is up to you. A woman endures a lot of different feelings and changes (mentally and physically) while they nurse. With my first child I literally had to stop b/c he's nurse through my gown at night. I was exhausted frustrated and annoyed. You can't go in with the attitude that you're going to feel guilty. Don't let others help in your decision b/c only you know when it's right for your body to stop. And trust me, you'll know. So if you want to stop now...it's your decision. Personally, I never experienced any guilt for stopping when I did. PS My children are happy and healthy (and they don't care or love me any less for when I stopped..ha ha). Good luck and God Bless!

Hi there! My sister breastfed both of her kids until they were a year old, and they were both sick all the time as babies. As for me, I was determined to breastfeed. When my son was born he weighed 10lbs 7oz and in the hospital I was trying to nurse but his blood sugar was dropping so they made me give him formula. I kept trying for 2 1/2 months but he refused to nurse more than 5 minutes and then he would scream and scream until I'd give him a bottle. When I stopped nursing I bawled for a month because I felt like I had failed him. With my second son I decided to try again. He was completely different, he wanted to nurse ALL the time. I breastfed him soley for the first month and when we went for a check-up found he'd lost more than a pound. I saw specialists, tried herbal teas, pumping, everything, but I was barely producing any milk. So we supplemented with formula. I nursed him until he was 5 months and then gave up. Bawled some more. I felt like a failure. But, my kids are both healthy and doing great now! I think any time you give them is beneficial, but if you want to stop don't feel guilty about it. Good luck...take it easy

A.,

I breastfed my daughter for a little over a year. Actually, she was more okay with stopping than I was. When I was pregnant with her, I said I would give myself 3 months, to see how it would go, and then decide whether I would continue, or not. I loved it. When I had my son, I was never able to get him to nurse correctly. I pumped for a while, and then my pediatrician told me that it was okay if he had to be on formula and not to stress myself out over not being able to breastfeed him. I REALLY felt guilty for a while about "quitting" but he is healthy and happy - and that is what matters. If you have been successful at it for over four months - congrats!! You should never feel guilty about stopping. You have to do what is best for you - which in turn will be what is best for your son. I hope that helps!!

S.

I nursed my boys for 17 months, 14 months and the third one is still nursing at 18 months. He only nurses once per day or once every other day. I felt guilty with the first one, but not the second and won't when I totally stop the third. Hope this helps!

Hi A.,

I am the mother of 3 children that range from age 6 to age 25. I nursed all three and am proud to have had that opportunity.

Each child was different. The first I nursed for less than a year. I only had 4 weeks at home with him and had to return to work. I tried pumping while at work and freezing the milk. This was hard work for me and I was only 23 at the time. I finally gave up but felt he had gotten plenty of breast milk to serve him some good.

The second child was a breeze. I was a stay at home mom then and had had the expierence of the first. I joined the "Leche League" and met with other nursing mothers. It was a wonderful expierence for me and the child. I nursed him for two years. I had to wheen us both. This child is very close to me and I believe the nursing had something to do with it.

My third child who is 6 now only nursed for 5 months. I stayed home for 3 months before I had to go to work. At work I pumped my breast and refrigerated the milk so that her caregiver could give her breast milk when I was gone. The woman that cared for her made it very difficult for my daughter to want breastmilk. She would offer her formula before I got home and the baby would not want to nurse. After 5 months I gave up.

I truely believe in breast milk. I am a laboratory technologist I have analyzed breast milk under the microscope and it is mostly white cells. That is how our body fights infections. There is no way possible that the formula manufacturers could duplicate white cells. If you can stick to it try. If you are having issues call La Leche League they will help you.

Good Luck.

A.

A.,

Its okay to stop when you want to stop...But it will be harder for your baby to go from breastmilk to formula.

Do you feel guilty? Its normal...I felt guilty even when I had NO CHOICE but to stop. I got sick and had to go on some pretty potent medication that would have transferred over to my daughter through my breast milk so I had no choice but to stop breastfeeding. Its okay this does not make you a bad mom or anything less than a mother!

Introduce him gradually to the formula (because it tastes terrible next to breastmilk). Maybe water it down by an ounce or two to the consistency of breast milk. You might be surprised if he takes to you better than you thought he would.

But if you're going to stay at home...then just do it half/half so to speak! LOL

take care

I breastfed until she was 11 months old but only first and last feedings of the day by then. My daughter got sick and she weaned herself! I was TOTALLY taken by surprise by it and sad that it was over! :) I was tired of doing it honestly, though and it freed me up completely so I got used to it very quickly, I was just sad we didn't have our automatic "us" close time every day anymore.

I pumped until she was about 8 1/2 mths and then supplemented with formula during the day with her sitter (I am a full time working mom). I was SO glad to be done pumping that even though I felt a little guilt, it didn't last long.

Breastfeeding, pumping and lifestyle are such personal issues, please don't feel bad by doing what's right for you... Your son will learn to take care of himself this way!

Good luck,
K.

Hi A. I am a mother of a 10 month old little girl and I stopped breast feeding at 3 1/2 months. I had to go back to work and was unable to pump. I felt guilty at first beacuse of what the doctor's say but she is happy and healthy and growing just fine. I use the nestle good start with dha and ara. That seemed to be the only kind she wouldn't turn away so I went with it.

Hi A.,

We are nursing about 4/5x a day, and baby is just over one year. She's much less needy of it now, except at nighttime. We plan to continue as long as we are both happy to... I have a feeling it'll be less & less needed over the next year. Personally you just have to figure out what you're happy doing. You are lucky to stay at home full time, and breastmilk is superior to formula, so I'd continue doing it in your shoes.

Enjoy your new little one!

I breastfed my first for 18 months and my second for 19 months, I probably would have continued until 2 years, which is what the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends, but I became pregnant and really needed to stop ; )

A.,
I have a almost 5 month old. I had planned to breastfeed as lon as I could but that changed before he was 4 months old. I sloweddown the breastfeeding because I wasn't producing enough milk. This was because he was sleeping for more than 7 hours at night. So now what I have found that works for me until my body completly says no is I breastfeed first thing in the morning and last thing at night. My body is about finished with that, because now I have to ive him a bottle after the breast due to there not being enough! I initially felt bad, but when the lactation woman explained why my supply was diminishing, I understood that it wasn't my fault.

It is a comfort thing and dont feel guilty! You could try to pump your milk and freeze it. This will still allow your baby to get the antibodies he needs to help his little body!

Good luck and hope it all works out!

I am still breastfeeding my almost two year old (The World Health Organization recommends a minimum of two years of breastfeeding). My original goal was 1 year, I broke that goal into several smaller goals (get through the first two weeks, then six, then make it to six months when I introduced solids, then a year, after that we just kept going). There were plenty of times when I wanted to quit, but I just took it one day at a time. It is hard work, isn't it? In the end you have to do what is best for you and your family.

I am a pediatrician. I would love to tell you that I sucessfully fed my daughter for 1 year, that would be false however. The breast is best, it just wasnt physicially possible for us. I felt terrible, like a failure and a fraud. But my daugter is 10m old now, thriving, intelligent, and despite my long hours and her exposure to multiple cold and bugs, has only been ill one time. I am not advocating formula, I just thought that you might want to know that even we arent perfect!

I breastfed my second baby for 7 months. I wanted to nurse longer, but I started drying up and couldn't. At first, I felt like I failed him, but I know he really got some good benefits from it. He's now a health (but somewhat small) 15 month old. I miss nursing him sometimes though just because that was our quiet time together, but he still lets me rock him for a few minutes at bed time.