Hey nursing moms, what do you think...?

Question

I'm still nursing my 3rd and sadly my last child. She's 15 months old and neither one of us is ready to ween yet. Maybe it's because I know she's the last baby I'll ever share this with, or maybe it's because it took so much to get her here. (Countless ovulation tests followed by 3 miscarriages and finally a c-section...just had to name her Hope!)
The thing is, I've noticed now that she's getting older people keep asking me how much longer I plan on nursing. My friends and family have always been very supportive of my decision to breast feed, but some seem to be growing uncomfortable with it now. I mean, it's not like she's starting kindergarten for cryin' out loud! Besides, I've only had one period, a short one at that. since she was born and that rocks! How long did you other moms nurse for and did you get any grief for it? (I'm not one of those Mardis Gras moms that whips one out and waves it around for the world to see, I'm very discreet.)

Answer 1

I believe in child-led weaning. I only nursed my first for 4 months, due to problems that I didn't know how to handle at the time.

My youngest (second child) weaned when he was ready... which was about 3.5 years old.

When he was about 18 months, he somehow got salmonella poisoning. To this day we don't know why or how, but the doctors made it clear that had he not been nursing, he would have been hospitalized with IV's, but because he was nursing, he was able to get through that scary illness without hospitalization.

Anyone who tells you "eww!" or "gross" or "that's too much" is going back to the tired idea that breasts are SEXUAL ORGANS. They are not.

Yes, we find sexual pleasure in them, but so? Some people also find sexual pleasure in toes, feet, earlobes, the back of the neck, fingers, ankles... you get the picture. That doesn't make them sex organs, and we don't go around insisting that people not "eat with their fingers" or make women wear closed-toe shoes because someone might be turned on by their feet!

The PRIMARY purposes of your breasts is the feeding and nurturing of your children. Any other use is secondary and a "bonus" but not what they were intended for.... therefore there is nothing any more *wrong* with an older child nursing than there would be *wrong* with an older child cuddling.

I know this idea is hard to swallow in our sex obsessed society, but it's true!

An answer I often gave (because I'm known for being sarcastic) when someone asked how much longer I planned on nursing, if my son was nursing at the time, was something like "Oh, probably about fifteen more minutes!"

LOL!

Keep on doing what your heart tells you is best for your child. My son remembers nursing (he is 9 now) and it will always be a very special memory for us both. He doesn't remember nursing as anything other than a time that he felt loved and protected and we shared a special time. Those who think that he might be "harmed" by "remembering" are again imposing their own ideas about the breast and SEX.

The world wide average age for weaning is 4 years old. The World Health Organization recommends that all chidren be breastfed for at LEAST the first 2 years.

What many people don't understand is that most often, an older nursling is only nursing a couple times a day at the very most. It's not like it is when they are babies. People have the wrong idea about that and think the 3 year old is nursing 6 times a day when it's just not so.

Also, breast milk has as much nutritional value at age 2 as it does when they are babies. The composition of breast milk changes to meet the needs of your child. Pretty amazing! The nutritional benefits do NOT STOP. The immunological benefits do NOT STOP!

Even if that were not true, and it were "just for comfort", what is wrong with that? Why is it perfectly normal and accepted in our society for kids to carry bottles until age 4, pacifiers until age 4, have lovies or blankies that never leave their side... yet attachment to MOM is somehow "wrong"? Says a lot about our society and how it values "stuff" over relationships.

Answer 2

I nursed my first til 3 and my second is 2 1/2 and he doesn't look like he wants to be weened any time soon.

They will tell you when the time is right, or when you just get seriously annoyed with it and want it to stop.

It is really none of their business how long you nurse for. If they ask just change the subject and try to avoid them when you do it or conceal it somehow to avoid questions.
If you really are making them feel uncomfortable, that's
THEIR problem, not yours or your kid's.

This is you and your baby's life, it will stop very soon eventually, it always does, believe me.
But the bond and the benefits you are giving your baby will last a lifetime.

Don't care too much what others think, this is between you and your baby.
good luck.

Answer 3

Don't let others influence you. 15 months is not too old. I understand how you feel about this being your last child and the bonding. Now if the child was, say, 4 yrs old, then there would be some questioning! I know a few who nursed that long. I nursed all 3 of my kids for a couple years.

Answer 4

you're conversing approximately cats I think of. ( i'm hoping so! now days each observe is blended up with some thing diverse!) confident. some lady cats are no longer good mothers, at an identical time as others are so stunning. I certainly have considered our cat bringing to our doorsteps 3 kittens and nursing them, we've been stunned because of the fact our cat develop into spayed. Following ther path we found out a lifeless cat with alive kittens round her physique. Our cat delivered them homestead and nursing them until eventually they took of searching! mom Nature is stunning in circumstances like that.

Answer 5

I nursed 3 baby's... with the third we were both threw at 18 months old. Don't stop until your both ready... If you do it could cause hard feelings on you. I felt guilty stopping my oldest from nursing when she hit 13m. She wasn't fully ready to stop. I would stop by age 3. That's when memory and stuff can kick in and stuff. Mine does anyways. Don't let comment and other such things get in your way. Its really no one elses business.

PS I say 3 also because I was nursing my youngest at the mall once and a 7 year old walked up to me and was able to tell me she didnt stop untill she was 6 years old. Her sixth birthday!!! To me that was just way to long.

Answer 6

I nursed my first sone until he was 15 months old. I plan to do the same with my second who is nearly 7 months at the moment. My first kind of naturally weaned himself, he was less interested in doing it and I was able to take him for stroller walks and other activities which he seemed to like just as much as nursing by that point.
The US is a bit funny about nursing moms in general, they give you weird looks when the baby is small too, it doesn't seem to matter much. Wean when it feels right to you and your daughter.

Answer 7

Way to go mamas! You have done the most wonderful, loving thing you could do for your baby! I only lasted 7 months with my daughter. She just spontaneously weened herself one day.
I think nursing at 15 months is great, but once they reach 2 years you should probably stop. Your milk won't have any nutritional value to it. It will strictly be a comfort thing. Congratulations.

Answer 8

IThink you should stopp when you feel the need I still breastfeed my daughter shes 6 m and my first it took me years to have her i keep saying I'm going to stop next week but it never comes around we have a bond and I love that .I love see need me and no one Else can do this but me .Well her dad feeds her or the babysitter since i work but feed her as long as you want the is no law against it .

Answer 9

my friend stopeed nursing her little one at 16 months!
I think if you keep it at a young age, i also had another friend who was still feeding her 4 year old when she had a newborn! That was yikes!
But think about this, you might want to stop breast feeding when you know they will remember stuff! Like if you change in front of your baby and when they start to stare at you and say stuff, thats the time to stop!
I personally don't care when a person stops breast feeding, and like you said, if you keep it discreet who cares?

Answer 10

The practice is called "child-led weaning". Our oldest boy nursed till he was three years old. The only reason he stopped then was that my wife was pregnant with our second child and it began to hurt her severely to nurse. It broke his heart for it to stop, but he's okay today . . . 28 years old and a very well-adjusted guy. What other people think is just what they think. You should make your own decision about something this important to you and your child.