How many months a baby needs breast feeding?

Question

I am planning my days for the new arrival. I need advise please.

Answer 1

Congratulations on making the wonderful decision to breastfeed your baby, that is fantastic! You are showing that you are an intelligent, well informed and loving mother. If all mothers were as smart as you we would not see the sickly babies that "fail to thrive" or have other developmental problems! It is such a simple basic thing and yet there are mothers who do not even try!
There is so much I would love to be able to tell you. I will try to limit to the really important points. It is times like this that I get frustrated with the computer, this information is so much better accompanied by a pot of herbal tea and two rocking chairs! I would love to be able to answer your questions and really give you a feeling for the wonderful world you are going to be a part of!
The answer to your question is not even so much a matter of "how long" as long as you do it! Even if a mother could only nurse her baby for one month she would be giving him an invaluable gift. Continued breastfeeding will protect your baby against most childhood diseases. In fact, breasted babies are so rarely sick that when one is it is of special concern! IF they get sick it will not last as long or be as serious as if they were NOT being breastfed. Of course it follows that the longer you nurse, the better it is. I personally never nursed any of my babies (I have five children) much past their first birthday. But, that was because they weaned themselves...I would have gladly nursed them longer. When a baby is ready to be all done there is no holding them back.
Ideally nursing for two years is really wonderful and the benefits for both mother and child are great
Nursing your baby will protect him or her against most of the childhood diseases that he could encounter. Just the colosturm alone will provide your baby with antibodies that will protect your newborn against staphyloccus infections, polio virus, cocksackie B virus, infant diarrhea and Escherichia coli infection....the germs that newborns are most susceptible to. Colostrum is what your breasts will produce in late pregnancy and is the perfect, sweet, clear food for your baby. It is all that your little one will need until your milk comes in, in two or three days. Remember that the more you let your baby nurse in those early days the better. Do not be upset if your milk takes an extra day of two to come in. It will be there. Whatever you do, do NOT let someone tell you that your baby needs formula in those early days before your milk comes in! If your baby needed it, your breasts would be making it! Do not be afraid to follow your instincts in this department, remember, YOU are the boss, is is YOUR baby!
Guess I have given you more information than your question asked for but as you can tell breastfeeding is something that I feel very strongly about. Babies are totally helpless and they trust their mothers to make the best decisions for them. It breaks my heart when a mother, without even giving it much thought, just shoves a rubber nipple full of atificial stuff in her precious little baby's mouth. Many mothers do not even know the opportunity that they are throwing away.
You should also know that when your baby is 3 or 4 months old you may start getting some pressure from outsiders to start him or her on solid food. (this advice will always come from mothers who have not breastfed) At this point you would be replacing a far superior food with an inferior one. There is nothing in the world that you can feed your baby that is as good as breastmilk. If you start giving your baby cereal (just for instance) you will decrease the amount of breastmilk that he drinks. His immature digestive system is not really ready for the cereal and it will basically just make the trip in one end and out the other but he will not be getting as much of your milk as he was. That is a poor substitution. When your baby is really ready for solid food, closer to 6 or 7 months old, he will be able to eat what solid food he needs AND drink the same healthy amount of your milk. That is the idea situation and the one that you want to strive for. Remember when it is time to add solid food, nurse your baby first to make sure he gets all the wonderful milk he wants and then, if he is still hungry, offer him the solid food. When he is ready he will let you know.
Bless you for making this important decision to nurse your baby. Next to the gift of life there is no greater gift you can give your sweet baby. It is something that you, and you alone can do.
If your breastfeed your baby there is not much you can do wrong at that point. You are making an incredible decision for the physical and emotional development of your baby.
There is a plus here for you too that is often missed. When you nurse your baby you will produce a hormone called oxytocin, nickname the "motherlove hormone". When produced this hormone creates a feeling of euphoria in the mother, unlike anything you have ever felt. I have heard mothers call it "the warm fuzzies", some compare it to an almost sensual feeling. To me it was almost like that feeling you get when you slide into a warm bubble bath....that Ahhhhh...kind of thing. I have always thought it was mother natures way of making sure that mothers would love to nurse their babies, a little added bonus.
You will also benefit from the extra rest that you will enjoy as a nursing mother. You will not be wasting precious energy washing, sterilizing and preparing bottles. All you have to do is pick your baby up and her milk is right there waiting for her. From the beginning most breastfeeding mothers get plenty of sleep. It is SO easy to cuddle your little one in with you and sleep and nurse and sleep and nurse. Change sides now and then, change a diaper now and then, but for the most part your sleep is not interupted at all. No more so than those constant trips to the bathroom that you were making before your baby was born! Again, nature has created the perfect system. Nursing mothers cannot let someone else feed their baby while they "run and do a load of laundry" or perhaps vacuum...nope, YOU have to sit down, put your feet up and cuddle that sweet baby! Remember too, a secret to successful breastfeeding, when your baby eats, YOU eat. Breastfeeding mothers burn up to 1000 calories a day just making milk! Even if it is just 1/2 of a peanutbutter and jelly sandwich, an apple or a yogurt, have a snack. Also, when baby drinks, you drink! It takes lots of fluid to make milk and you will probably be thirsty. Take a big glass of whatever you enjoy drinking with you when you sit down to nurse! Don't forget, when the baby drinks, you drink. Keep a glass of water at your bedside also.
Your baby will not have to fuss and cry while she waits for her bottle to be the right temperature. Your milk is always perfect and because your baby does not get upset having to wait, he or she will drift happily back to sleep, content and full. Family members will comment that they hardly know there is a baby in the house!
The only thing I would caution you against is that you do not want to develop sore nipples. This can happen if you let the baby nurse too long in the beginning. It is better to let your baby nurse as often as she wants to but limit the time. In the beginning 5-7 minutes on each side is probably enough, especially if this is your first baby. If the baby wants to nurse really often, that is fine. As much as every hour or two in the early week or so. This helps your milk come in faster and builds up your milk supply. There are things you can be doing now that will help to prevent sore nipples later. For more tips on preventing sore nipples contact your local chapter of La Leche League, they are the words foremost experts on breastfeeding. You can also get info at www.lalecheleague.com and there is a fantastic book published by them, "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" it is full of information that is crucial to every mother.
Good luck! I envy you, you are going to have the most incredible experience of your lifetime! You will love it....I am so happy for you and I wish with all my heart that every mother was as smart as you are! You have evidently done your homework!
Love and Blessings
Lady Trinity~ p.s. if I can be of any help just write to me!

Answer 2

The most important part of breastfeeding is the colostrum: the early milk that comes in after giving birth. It is full of antibodies that will protect your baby. Afterwards, you produce "regular" breast milk, which does not have all the benefits of colostrum.
Therefore, if you want to breastfeed, the first week is the most important.

Afterwards, you can continue breastfeeding your baby till your baby wants and is ready for solid foods (age 3 months-6 months, depending on who you ask). Even then, you can continue nursing as a supplement to the solids.

Some women breastfeed till 12 months. Others till the next baby is born, 2-3 years later. Note that you CAN breastfeed through the next pregnancy.

It is ALL a matter of personal preference, and you may just find taht you prefer bottle-feeding, in which case, go for it! It's your choice.

In any event, just a note: breastfeeding does not protect against pregnancy, so be sure to use some form of contraception, unless you want to get pregnant again pretty quickly!

Answer 3

Your toddler gets the main earnings from breastfeeding interior the 1st 3 hundred and sixty 5 days. After that, the youngster could be getting his/her nutritional desires met from nicely-known ingredients. the two considered one of my boys stopped nursing on their own while they grew to become greater energetic (11 months and 10 a million/2 months) - they are 6 and four now and fairly healthful and intensely tall for his or her a protracted time. i think of that breastfeeding gave them remarkable nutrition as infants, yet as they became infants they have been lots greater involved in nutrition and my milk furnish steadily dwindled. I had pumped and frozen assorted milk, so I used that saved milk to make their oatmeal until I ran out, even while they weren't nursing anymore.

Answer 4

Hi. Im breastfeeding my son and he is 8 months old but he is my second child.
When i had my daughter,now 3, i could only breastfeed her for just over 2 months!

I have found that im more able to breastfeed my son now for longer because i ignore people starring and am much more confident in doing it.

I will breastfeed him until hes ready to come off the breast!

Good luck, it can be hard but be confident!!!!

Answer 5

Ideally you should aim to breastfeed for at least the first 6 months. it's all a matter of how you feel and for how long it is practical. I am still breastfeeding my 10 month old and I feel very blessed to have been able to do that. Surround yourself with mum's who have or are breastfeeding and you will find them to be an invaluable resource. Good luck with your little one.

Answer 6

12-24 months.

Answer 7

12 months, minimum. Longer is preferable.

The child should self-wean when s/he is ready.

Answer 8

Ideally, up to 2 years

Goodluck! tough to be a parent but so worth it!

Answer 9

572