How long should you Brest feed?

Question

I know someone that breast fed her baby untill he was 1 year old! That seems like a little to long to me! When is a good age to stop brestfeeding?

How long is too long?

I do plan on brest feeding but I have to go to work after 4 months. I am going to pump so that he will still get him mommy's milk!

Answer 1

Medically, they recommend that you breastfeed for at LEAST 6 months. With 1 year being the overall goal. But it's different for every woman, and for every baby. Some women and babies LOVE the nursing thing and will do it for 3 or more years... most are "average" and do it for about a year. Another poster said her children weaned themselves at 10 months, and thats what seemed to work for her. It just all depends. My daughter went for 18 months and would have went longer, but I wasnt enjoying it as much anymore.. so off she went. But, you'd be amazed at how long a year fly's by with a baby. I think back about breastfeeding her now, and I miss it. It was soft, and warm, and makes you have an almost.. euphoric feeling (god, im sounding like a hippy here!!) But they say it releases a chemical in your body to give you that sensation. ANYWAYS, Im droning on here... a year sounds like a long time, but with a baby, trust me, it will fly by. Give the breastfeeding thing an honest shot, and if it doesnt work for you, or if you only feel comfortable doing it for 6 months.. then that is what will work for you :)

Answer 2

Congratulations on making the important decision to breastfeed your baby! It is one of the most important things that you will ever do for him or her. Next to making the decision to give him life it is the greatest gift you can give to your child. The health benefits alone are worth doing it. You will be able to give your baby the immunities that it has taken you a lifetime to aquire. In fact, just giving your baby the colostrum that is there before your actual milk comes in gives him many important health benefits as well as immunities.
Just as important is the emotional bond that is created thru breastfeeding. You will never understand it until it happens to you but there is a bond between you and your breastfeeding baby that is unlike anything you will ever experience. Breastfed babies are just different little creatures than bottle fed babies, they are cuddlier, they smell different, even their skin feels different. Did you know that a breastfed babies stool does not have any offensive odor? True, it smells a bit like yogurt....and if they spit up (which they seldom do) there is also no unpleasant smell. It seems that the breastmilk is just so perfectly digested.
Anyway....your question. I always shot for 2 years when I was breastfeeding my babies but for one reason or another we never made it that long. It was never my idea to stop but when a baby is ready to be weaned you cannot hold them back. Because the longer you nurse them the longer they receive the amazing health benefits of breastmilk I have never heard any advice telling a mother to wean her baby before 2 years.
It is a personal decision and one that you will have to make for yourself. Since you are planning on going back to work you might want to breastfeed longer than you originally intended as it will help to make up for the fact that you are not actually there. You may even want to continue to nurse your baby at least during the time that you are home with him so that you still have that precious "mommy-baby" time. You will have to do what works best for you dear. Much will depend too I am sure on how successful you are at pumping and storing your milk for your baby. My milk would never let-down when I pumped so I could never actually save very much of my milk for a later time. Also my babies were very picky, they would not touch a bottle, it was Mommy or nothing!
Wait until you have your baby and see how things go, then you will be able to make a decision.
For more information on being a success at nursing your baby please visit the La Leche League website. They have an incredible book also "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding", it is a must for nursing mothers!
Good luck and again it is wonderful that you are going to nurse your baby! Good for you!
Blessings
Lady Trinity~

Answer 3

The World Health Organization actually recommends breast-feeding until age 2, so 1 is no problem. You can't give a baby cow's milk until 1, so many moms bf until then so they don't have to give the baby formula.

A good age depends some on the child, my two breast-feed babies both weaned themselves about 10 months, so that was a good age for them. Other kids go to 2 years with no problem, so that's a good age for them.

Answer 4

My doc recommended until at leat 6 months, one year if I could. However, I had a very difficult time feeding. I just couldn't produce enough milk. I ate healthy, stayed hydrated, etc., but no luck. I had to stop at a month. Did the formula thing until she was almost one. She's fine. Smart as can be, way advanced for her age. She's in the 80th percentile for her height and perfectly healthy. She's barely two and can count to 8 and has the vocabulary of a 4-year-old.

Answer 5

A year is ideal. That is what is recommended by the doctors and such.

Sadly, not many women even try at all. Of those who try a lot quit within 6 weeks and over half don't make it for six months.

Your friend is AWESOME! I made it 8 months and it was hard at times.

I think EVERY woman should at least try it if medically possible...you might be surprised and do well. I think it is selfish not to at least try and let your baby get a little of the stuff...it is so good for them.I think you should try for at least 6 months, ideally a year...you should begin weaning at a year and be done by 18 months.

Those are just my opinions.

Answer 6

Doctors recommend that you breast feed for at least one year! Babies must either drink formula or breast feed for one year to meet their nutritional requirements. Anything beyond 18 months is probably a little much, but everyone has their own feelings on this.

Any amount of breast milk you give your baby is better than none! I breast fed my 1 year old for 3 months and only stopped because I had to go back to work.

Answer 7

there is not any elementary answer to that. some wellbeing reward are realized interior the first few days of breastfeeding, even as your infant receives antibody-wealthy colostrum. this saves him from an infection precise from the start. yet a number of the benefits of breastfeeding are cumulative. The longer you nurse (giving little or no formulation), the more desirable profound the benefits. it is why the yankee Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding for a minimum of one 3 hundred and sixty 5 days, or longer if wanted through mom and infant. some study tutor that lengthy-time period breastfeeding protects the newborn adverse to persistent diseases which consists of diabetes and particular kinds of maximum cancers. New study is continually researching new wellbeing reward. do not forget that nursing also reward you. short-time period breastfeeding facilitates ward off postpartum hemorrhage and motives the uterus to cut back swifter. females who breastfeed actually have a discounted threat of coming up breast maximum cancers and osteoporosis.

Answer 8

You should breastfeed as long as it is comfortable for both you and your baby. It is the healthiest thing that you can do for them. There are many benefits to both the baby and the mother to do so as long as possible, both physically and emotionally. Western society has made it the *normal* thing to do to wean early out of convenience for the mother, not out of concern for the child. In most of the world, it is perfectly normal for children to still be nursing at 4 years old. The best time to stop breastfeeding is when your child is ready to stop, and they will let you know.

If your aquaintence's child is going off to college and still needing to be weaned, then you might want to worry. Otherwise, it sounds like she is doing wonderfully. The best thing for you to do is to be supportive of her that she is doing the best thing in the world that she can for her child.

Answer 9

Whatever is best for you and baby. It is just in recent years that breastfeeding your baby has become "odd" or "disgusting" as some people refer to it. In years past it was not unheard of to breastfeed past 1, 2, or 3. I actually know a lactation nurse who still breastfeeds her five year old. Yep, goes to school and nurses him on his recess. Best of luck.

Answer 10

As long as you like and as long as your baby wants to. But after 1 year, s/he can safely try many types of food and may become less dependent on it. If you want to carry on, just provide nursing "snacks" i/o "meals". Your baby will still benefit.
And for the record, "too long" is probably when they can walk up to you and ask for it.