Breastfeeding Beyond 12 Months

Kudos to you PRMG - you've met your goal and given both your DDs the wonderful gift of breastfeeding them. You've also had the challenge of feeding a Hip Dysplasia baby in a cast and brace - not easy, I take my hat off to you!

We are close to weaning too, sometimes we go a day or so without a feed, when DD does search for one, its often short, its just for comfort and then she snuggles in for sleep. I thought she was weaning a few months ago, then she hit a wonder week and became booby obsessed again. I'm just letting her feed as she wants it, I'm reluctant to let go, no more babies, I know the last feed is soon, her interest is going, with each feed I wonder if its the last......

Not sure if this is the right thread, but here goes :)

I've night weaned DS (almost 14 months) and he's breastfeeding around 4 or 5 times a day but still no sign of my cycle returning. Anyone got any tips to boost fertility while breastfeeding?

Double post.

Hey LN! Most mums find that night-weaning is the best way to encourage your cycle to return, apart from weaning all together, there isn't much more you can do I think, on the breastfeeding side anyway.

Have you considered some acupuncture? I found that seemed to kick start my cycle after DS1 was born and still feeding.

Think this is my first post in here. I wrote out a post a few weeks ago but didn't post.

I bf DS until he was 2 and a bit. By then we were both ready to wean and that was that.

DD's journey started a little differently but I was still hopeful. First goal was just getting through the hospital stay, day by day. Got through that and then it was just like I remembered :) DD will be 14 months next week and although some days I'm a bit over the pulling at my shirt, neither of us are really ready to wean.

Don't know what to do with her during the night though, she'll wake up feed for 30 seconds then be back asleep. Obviously not really feeding to feed but because she's fed to sleep.. I've tried other ways of getting her to sleep, sometimes rocking will work but if she's put back down she wakes straight back up. Patting etc just doesn't work, she just gets worked up. It's not really a big deal but I would like her to be able to self settle rather than rely on feeding back to sleep whenever she rolls over.

we are in the same boat No.5. DD3 wakes for a quick feed and is generally halfway to sleep as i pick her up...but leave her, OR get DH in there and she goes cray cray and then it takes ages to settle her. so instead i sit there for the 5 minutes or so and feed her.

i mean, it is easy in one sense but i am finding myself really tired with the wake-ups and the feeding.

Me three ladies :(

I got my first "You look really tired today OP. everything ok?" From a well-meaning friend. I just about burst into tears.

DS2 is 13 months. I was so hoping it'd be better by now.

Edit: I think it's worse because I just grab him and go back to bed. Maybe if I sit instead... I dunno.

Saaame. I've only just broken that feeding cycle, it was exhausting! I still bring DS into bed though, the thought of putting him back to sleep without boob is frightening. I followed Dr Jay Gordon's advice, if you Google it, it should come up.

Hmm might try the acupuncture, I do love it :D

We are now only a few weeks off 4.5. Every time I think it's over she starts feeding again. I don't know if it's coincidence but every time she cuts right back she gets a damn cold! We are down to couple of feeds a week. Nothing major, but still feeding.

OP: we (I) i have the same thoughts...do i sit and feed or bring her back to bed. i find that if i can hold out and sit and feed then i get a better nights rest, but there are nights where that just doesnt cut it with her and she keeps waking...or, I am so so tired that i prefer to feed her in bed with me and not sleep well, but at least get some rest ITMS.

TBH, the whole feeding at night thing is the one thing that really wrecks me. I can do pretty much everything else with bravado etc, but that is my achilles heel. i am just soooo tired!

Wow BG 4.5 years is awesome!!!!

Cassius and OP yes night feeds can be really draining. Both mine were easy to night-wean after 17 months. Not sure if that helps yet, but it's not long until they understand more and their tummies hold more food to get them through the night.

I'm staring at another few years of night wakings I know...so you'll have to help me when I'm loosing the plot!

LN - it can take several months, so maybe wait a bit and see

Both of mine settled with night feeds after 18 months. They got through that needy phase and I could cut them out without too much drama. Mind you, it didn't stop either of them from waking! Doh.
I always think of it like this - if I didn't feed them to sleep, would it be more or less work for me? If less, then I'll change it up, if more, then just go with it.

I realised today that ds2 only had 2 feeds during the day... First thing and before day sleep. Then he had what I thought was going to be his before bed feed, but he didn't go to sleep, had another one half an hour later and another half an hour after that.

Still no sleep so I put him down and he grizzled for a bit before finally going to sleep. Sigh.

If he had to change anything - why would it be the feeding to sleep before bedtime? Why not feed less overnight, change that thing??? Why stop feeding to sleep? That was actually quite pleasant :(

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If he had to change anything - why would it be the feeding to sleep before bedtime? Why not feed less overnight, change that thing??? Why stop feeding to sleep? That was actually quite pleasant :(

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Because is far more fun for them if they are unpredictable :-).

DS 2.3 - stopped feeding to sleep at night first too, he now feeds morning and before day nap if he has one at home (this is always a feed to sleep) and then at night (which is only a feed to sleep if he hasn't had any sleep at all in the day - and always leads to a more unsettled night). He probably night weaned at about 20 months, and it was reasonably easy. He almost gave up when I was going away with work and went without for 5 days when he was just 2, but now he asks at the set times most days. He will also ask when he wakes overnight, but I won't feed him before 5:30AM - although this often means me spending rest of night in bed with him. I have found since I night weaned that feeding him overnight these days means he doesn't sleep as deeply and his night is more disturbed than if I just get him to go back to sleep (generally by getting in next to him - he was out of a cot very early due to climbing).

I think I may have done my last needed express session at school. DS2 hasn't had a bottle the past 3 school days, we only just dropped to one bottle in the last 2-3 weeks. I'm going to attempt to send a bottle to childcare next week and leave one for DH the days the boys are home with him. But I think he won't be drinking it :/ not sure how I feel about that; ds1 got to around 20mths of expressing, this is only just 19mths. Ds2 still feeds from me plenty at night so we're not ending feeding yet :)

I still feed to sleep for his nap and at bedtime. He has around 4 or 5 feeds a day, so he makes up for what he's not having overnight.

I've had a week of consistent period pain like cramps so maybe something is happening.

2.5 years now... and I'm pretty over it to be honest. DD still wants to feed all the time, and she is so loud and insistent about the whole thing.

Weaning her just seems like so much effort though! I'm just plodding along for now, putting up with it. I hope she either cuts back a lot or this over it feeling passes.

That's a fabulous effort, Sterla! We're down to 2-3 bfs a day, with only the morning one being long and leisurely. The night time one is purely there for the routine, she's on for about a minute each side before she's ready to brush her teeth and go to bed. I never saw a child so excited to dive into bed at the end of the day...! For that, I am very, very thankful! The nap time bf doesn't happen the days I'm not there (two a week at least), so when I am, again, it's barely a minute each side and I transfer into her bed. She's happy to go down, not always to nap, but at least I can leave her quickly. The morning feed is the only one she dislikes ending. She could lie beside me for an hour if I let her.

About seven weeks until we find out how we juggle two bfers. I think baby will be before DD2 in the morning anyway, so probably limited need to actually tandem nurse at once. I'm thinking I can probably manage okay with it if DD2 stays like this.