Breastfeeding beyond 12 months-experiences and opinions please!?

Question

My son will be 12 months old in a couple of weeks and i'm still breastfeeding. I never intended to do it for this long and always said i wouldn't do it beyond 12 months, but now i can't see myself stopping in a couple of weeks! I don't know if i'm doing the right thing if i continue beyond 12 months. Any experiences/opinions/advice welcomed!

Answer 1

its sick

Answer 2

Here is my opinion about breastfeeding beyond 12mo. Don't do what this woman did - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqTDigYgy...

Answer 3

I think it's down to you sweet.  If you want to keep breastfeeding then there's nothing at all wrong with it (and please don't believe the people that says there is) but if you don't then that's fine too.

I also don't see any problem with breastfeeding wherever you want to....in public or in private.  If people look, let them, it's their problem!

Answer 4

I have to give you alot of credit........ that you are still doing it at this point, i can't give you much advice because i wasn't able to breastfeed...... HOWEVER, i would think that its time to stop.... get him used to eating normally. i dont believe it would be healthy to do this for very long, it keeps that attachment to you there and the longer you wait the harder its gong to be.

Answer 5

One of my sons nursed until he was 2 1/2 and I'm nursing my 22-month-old.  It's completely normal and natural!  

And for those of you who saying she should get her son started on solids and a sippy cup, do you think she's an idiot?  Just because you're breastfeeding doesn't mean you don't feed your baby solids!  You're so ignorant!

Answer 6

Breastfeeding after twelve months is perfectly normal and healthy for both you and your baby!  I breastfed my daughter for 14 months and had the same misgivings as you.  What would people think of me?  My husband supported it wholeheartedly which gave me the courage to let her self wean.  I had intended to nurse until 2 years as this is what is recommended by many health care providers for maximum benefits, however, she weaned herself by 14 months.

Your doing a great job mom!

Answer 7

Perfectly healthy and fine to go past 12 months.  Many moms do it, and in many countries moms breastfeed an average of 3-4 years.  

I have seen both ends of things with my kids because I want to do it until they are ready to stop.  My daughter quit when she was 11 1/2 months old.  She just preferred table food, so i never really got to go longer since she just refused to nurse anymore.  Though she has tried it a couple times again since my son was born :)

My son is now 16 months old.  He is still breastfeeding 4-5 times a day, more if he's teething.  He is very active all day long, so it's nice that we still have our time to sit quietly nursing, especially since the day can be so crazy otherwise.  It certainly does have its challenges though.  At this age there is biting, squirming, being distracted by everything, and public (not subtle at all!) shirt lifting to deal with, so it does take patience to breastfeed a toddler.  I'm pretty sure he's going to be breastfeeding for many more months, probably past his 2nd birthday  :)

Answer 8

There are still considerable health benefits to nursing beyond 12 months. And there is no medical organization that I know of that would recommend against continuing. I have a two-year old who still nurses....he is healthy and well-adjusted. Provided that you and baby are still interested in keeping it going, then there is absolutely nothing wrong with it.

On a sidenote, I find it so incredibly strange that some people put such a crazy emphasis on making children "independent" that they start worrying about it before their children are barely walking. It is a GOOD thing if your baby still seeks that comfort and closeness from you; it certainly isn't something to discourage!

Answer 9

The current recommendationss from major health organizations are to extend breastfeeding beyond a year, most nowrecommendd nursing until 2 years of age.  This is because the benefits ofbreast milkk and nursing continue far beyond what north american society views as "normal".  The milk you produce for your child changes as your child grows and develops, unlike formula or cows milk.  continued nursing will mean that your child will get exactly the nutrition he needs from milk.

Keep up the good work! you are doing a great job!

Answer 10

The benefits of breastmilk do not stop magically once they hit 12 months.  My little one turned 1 on the 6th and he's showing no signs of wanting to quit.  There's nothing wrong with nursing past 12 months.  Besides, trust me when I say there will be days that your child eats next to nothing and you'll worry-  but if you're still nursing you can rest easy on the fact that you know your child is getting nutrition from breastmilk.

The World Health Orgnanization recommends nursing to 2 years.

I've never understood why people think it's odd to nurse past 6 months, 12 months, etc.  If you don't see any reason to stop- there's no need to.  It's not like your child will ONLY be eating breastmilk all day every day.

Aside from that- why is it "normal" for us to eat cow's milk (made for baby cows), but "odd" for us to eat breastmilk (made for baby humans)?

Answer 11

I knew a woman who breastfed a child until he was three years old and only stopped because she got pregnant again. The World Health Organization says it should be done for two years, the American Academy of Pediatrics says one.  

You're as attached to it as he is; you like the closeness the act brings you to your son, so it's really your choice. I'm hoping he's not only on breastmilk, because by now he should be eating solid food.  It's really up to you. It could be that you're realizing how much he's grown in a year and you want to keep the innocence and the joy of feeding an infant alive.  If you do it in public, you will get a lot of looks.  Perhaps you can try it just in the privacy of your own home, but you need to figure out why you want to do it, apart from the health benefits of it.