at what age did your child stop breastfeeding?

[Tigger&Belle]

Well, It's not that great at 3am! LOL!

Which isn't that great at 3AM?

 

[Jenn Lynn]

Solid genetics beat any breastmilk.

True. My Sister and I are examples. DD rarely sick and gets over things quickly with a mild case. Niece and Nephew sick a lot, although not more than average according to her Ped. The parents are like the kids.

I think I would want to give my kid the best possible for 6 months at least. JMO.

 

[justhat]

I'd have purely selfish reasons in the opposite direction. Hypothetically, after all those years of nursing, I think I'd have to tuck my "ladies" into my belt. I mean it. They'd be like metronomes. They could probably swing to music. That's a little bit over the saggage line in my mind.

I think I'm a formula type of gal. I was formula fed, and the brain seems to have turned out OK.

Dana, all the damage was done to me during pregnancy too, not nursing, so you might have that metronome effect anyway! The stretch marks on them-from late pregnancy and right after Madison was born when my milk came in, which will happen whether you breastfeed or not. After 21 months of breastfeeding though, they're actually smaller than they were pre-pregnancy (I was never large anyway, other than while pregnant and the early part of breastfeeding). They haven't started to grow again yet with this pregnancy, so I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens. And I did all that cocoa butter, pregnancy lotions, everything I saw that said 'prevents stretch marks'. But guess whatt? Didn't help at all. Some things you just can't avoid, like the incredible water retention I had after I delivered that gave me stretch marks on my legs (thighs and calves) even though I made it through 38 weeks of pregnancy with none of that.

Oh, and I was formula fed too and I think I turned out fine also, but after reading about all of the nutritional and health benefits of breastmilk, I knew I wanted to at least try breastfeeding. I hoped to make it a year, but really had a lot of trouble in the beginning and just wanted to go as long as I could. Turned out after I got past the double mastitis I was fine and obviously continuted well past a year.

 

[Jenn Lynn]

Which isn't that great at 3AM?

Neither when I am trying to sleep!

 

[Briarmom]

Solid genetics beat any breastmilk.

Possibly, but apparently you can get an education at one of the best schools in the world and STILL not be intelligent enough to know that breastmilk is best.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I wonder if there's any way to avoid it, really. I like my chest and I will be very sad to see it damaged. Maybe slathering up with cocoa butter? Oh well, it's probably a no-win situation for the "ladies".

After having 4 children, I was glad that I was bigger than the skimpy A that I used to be, however, anything that I achieved in size was now hanging down. Think of the kids song, "Do your ears hang low, do they wobble to and fro, can you tie them in a knot, can you tie them in a bow...".

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Neither when I am trying to sleep!

Hey, there are worse things to do at 3am!

 

[AnaheimGirl]

No, not really. It says that this kid/mom is doing something out of the normal socially accepted practices of our country and if someone says something to them about it, it doesn't make them a bad person. You seem to have no problems coming up with opinions that differ from others, why is that ok and some kid saying "your mom still breastfeeds a 1st grader?" not ok?

There's quite a difference between saying "your mom still breastfeeds a 1st grader?", and "ridicule" and "picking on", as mentioned in the posts to which I responded.

Well, I suppose that your sentence could be said in a ridiculing (is that a word?) tone, but since this is the internet, and I can't hear the tone, I'll assume that it was well-meant out of curiosity and discussion.

 

[FroggyinArk]

hmmm i can honestly say that i have never breast fed any of our children, nor would i feel it was ever acceptable.

 

[golfgal]

No health benefit? That is completely false as backed up by the medical community! What is 'normal'? Oh yeah, a bottle fed baby by society's standards! Just b/c everyone does something doesn't make it 'normal'. .

Past age 2, it is completly true. Breast milk is designed for INFANTS. The nutritional needs of a 3+ year old are completly different then one under 3. THAT is medical fact. But, I forgot the Le Leche League is the expert opinion on medical information and NOT the medical community.

As far as what normal is, it IS normal when most people do that, that is pretty much the definition of "normal".

 

[Disney_1derland]

8 years or months?

Uh...months, sorry guess I should have specified

 

[flminivanmama]

well there you go! I'm a gross & icky child abuser! woo hoo!


(I love being called names )

 

[cardaway]

So when these kiddies decide that 10th grade is the end of school for them, naturally, on their own, in their own time, is that OK? Is there some magic age when school should stop, or does it also "end when it ends?"

Sarcastic, but true.

Still going over 3 years old... wow.

 

[Mom2be]

I wonder if there's any way to avoid it, really. I like my chest and I will be very sad to see it damaged. Maybe slathering up with cocoa butter? Oh well, it's probably a no-win situation for the "ladies".

Dana, I'm 4 months pregnant - there is nothing you can do. Right now I look like a freaking porn star! I went from a large D to an E (totally skipped the DD's) My DH loves it - however all I can think about is the stretching going on in my breast will never recover.

~Amanda

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Past age 2, it is completly true. Breast milk is designed for INFANTS. The nutritional needs of a 3+ year old are completly different then one under 3. THAT is medical fact.

Actually, one really neat thing about breastmilk is that it does change as the child ages and in different weather conditions. In hot weather the breastmilk is actually more watery, which quenches the baby's thirst more.

 

[kidshop]

Past age 2, it is completly true. Breast milk is designed for INFANTS. The nutritional needs of a 3+ year old are completly different then one under 3. THAT is medical fact. But, I forgot the Le Leche League is the expert opinion on medical information and NOT the medical community.

As far as what normal is, it IS normal when most people do that, that is pretty much the definition of "normal".

That is a myth. Look it up yourself. Breastmilk does not turn to kool-aid at 3 years of age! I base my info on the AAP. It is not normal for the majority of US infants to be fed cow's milk or soymilk (based formulas) rather than human milk. It is common, but it is not 'normal'. Bfing and human milk is normal for human infants/children. Their bodies are born expecting to recieve the nutrients and antibodies it contains. They are not born expecting to receive bovine proteins.

If everyone jumped off a bridge, does that make it normal...?

 

[grlpwrd]

Threads like these always spiral down towards ugliness, there's always some folks who who are anti-breastfeeding anyway, there's always some people who have issues with it (ie why bring up your issues or the fetishes some folks have - breastfeeding is not sexual), and those who disperse inaccurate information. Actually, breast milk is not only designed for infants as there is medical evidence that extended breastfeeding has its virtues, especially for toddlers and beyond.

I also notice lots of posts saying how grossed out they are and how shocking extended breastfeeding is. Extended breastfeeding is not about perversion and it's not about being a bad parent. My goodness, I'd rather see an older child be breastfeeding rather than the true abuse that runs rampant in our country.

Scientific research by Katherine A. Dettwyler, PhD, shows that 2.5 to 7.0 years of nursing is what our children have been designed [for] (Dettwyler 1995) and many countries have women who still practice extended breastfeeding. These are from scientific, professional, anthropological studies. Sorry, but discussions and opinions on internet forums regarding "hating on" breastfeeding shouldn't supercede legitimate, proven evidence on the virtues of breastfeeding and especially extended nursing.

I'm not going to debate - just wanted to interject. For accurate information please refer to supportive sites like breastfeeding.com or kellymom.com and the many legitimate studies and professionals proving that extended nursing is beneficial. Really, though, for those who are planning to breastfeed or who currently breastfeed their child (infant and older) do what is best for you and your child.

ETA: what's up with all the hating on women on this board? Hating on Mariah Carey, Hillary Duff, and others... and perpetually on breastfeeding moms. Like I always say, what happened to the Sisterhood??

 

[monkeyboy]

I was over my moms for dinner just the other night

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I was over my moms for dinner just the other night

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I was wondering where Pop Daddy is...seems to me this would be a thread that he's be reading. Maybe it's too long for him.