how long did you breastfeed your baby?

Question

my baby will be 4 months next week. i have been breastfeeding her since birth. lately i have been noticing that she was still hungry after she feeds and yesterday i decided to give her formula. first i gave her a bottle of breastmilk which i defrosted cause she had a bit of blocked nose and i thought that she couldn't drink well from me, she drank 120ml of breastmilk. then she seemed to be hungry still i prepared her formula which she drank 80 ml from. she seemed very content, and i felt happy that at least she was satisfied. she breastfeed again before sleeping and during the night. but i keep reading that breast milk is the best and should be given up to 6 months the least. does anyone know when breast milk is at its best - i mean once i read that the antibodies are mostly found in the first 6 weeks of breastfeeding.

Answer 1

Every single drop of breastmilk that you can give your child is a huge benefit. The longer you nurse, the more benefits they get from it.

http://www.lightlink.com/hilinda/Diane/weanbaby.html

Even a baby who isn't that hungry may seem to "chug" a bottle after nursing. It's the nature of the difference between how the bottle works and how the breast works. When nursing at the breast, baby must keep sucking to keep the milk flowing. With a bottle, baby must work to STOP the flow of milk, otherwise it will just drip into her mouth. This difference in mechanics can make it look like the child is "chugging" the bottle down, when really maybe they just mostly want to suck.

The more you nurse, the more milk you'll make. Keep her on your breast and encourage her to nurse more often. Empty breasts make milk quicker than full breasts. The more often you nurse, the more milk you'll have.

If she is about to hit 4 mos, she is probably going through her 4 mos growth spurt. This is a period where it will feel like all baby wants to do for a few days is nurse, nurse and nurse some more. This is NORMAL. It is nature's way of boosting your supply to meet her new needs. After 3-4 days of increased nursing, you should see that your supply is boosted to meet her new needs.

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/growth-spurt.html

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/low-supply.html

ETA:
Forgot to answer the part about how long I nursed. My children have all been allowed to self wean. My first weaned when he was 3 yrs and 5 mos old. My middle weaned when she was about 22 months old. My youngest just turned 4 years and is still nursing.

The AAP recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 mos and then continuing to nurse for AT LEAST the first 12 months with the addition of solid foods.

Answer 2

I breastfed my first daughter for 19-20 months and my second for 2 and a half years.
Breastfeeding never looses its benefits or the antibodies. Your milk continues to contain all the antibodies and vitamins etc for as long as you breastfeed. There is no Best Before Date on breastfeeding. AS your baby gets older the breastmilk changes to give the baby the vitamins and minerals and nutrients it needs for that stage of development. That is why Breast is Best as it naturaly tailors its content to what your baby needs.
They say the first 6 weeks because if you arent going to breastfeed it is best for the baby to get some breastmilk in the first weeks of life to help build their immune system.

If your baby is still hungry after a feed that means her feeds are too short, and you need to just let her feed for as long and often as she likes. And if she has a blocked nose then it is going to take her a little longer to feed as it makes it more of an effort to breathe properly and suck at the same time. She will probably take little breaks during a feed to just breathe and then go back to feeding.

Answer 3

To directly answer your question: I only breastfed my second child for one month. :( My first child I didn't breastfeed at all due to complications after birth. I'm not completely happy with either situation but I am glad I gave much more of an effort with my second child and I love the fact that he at least got SOME breastmilk. It has been a long road coming to terms with the fact that I did what I could and I need to let the guilt go.

That being said... What I think you should do is sit down with a lactation consultant. Breastfeeding really is so, so very important and it really truly is the BEST thing you can for your baby right now. It is a very personal decision but I think you sound like you aren't 100% convinced either way on what you'd like to do from this point. I really, really encourage you to keep up with the breastfeeding you are doing right now until you truly decide what you want to do.

A lactation consultant can give you the information you need. They can help you with production issues and figure out a way to have your baby completely satisfied with your breastmilk. EVEN IF they decide that you really need to supplement with formula for whatever reason, please keep in mind that ANY breastmilk your baby continues to receive in addition to supplementation is better than receiving none at all!!

A lactation consultant once told me: You need to define your own meaning of success. That really stuck with me because I was really feeling like a failure with breastfeeding in so many ways. But I had to at the same time give myself a pat on the back because I did give it a try for a months time and I should be proud of that, not ashamed. Breastfeeding wasn't what I thought it would be and my experiences gave me a renewed respect for breastfeeding moms - especially ones like YOU that have continued it for 4 months and are still going! That is a huge accomplishment these days. Lots of women don't even try these days.

In short, your baby can be content on just your milk... I think if that is what you'd like to accomplish than you should find a good LC to sit down with. They can be so encouraging and give you the support you need to keep going with something that is so important to you and your baby!

Good job, mom!

Answer 4

I fed my daughter breastmilk until she was 4 1/2 months old. I wish I could have given it to her longer but I went back to work when she was 3 months and my milk supply went way down. I supplemented my breast milk with formula for a month and a half until my milk supply dried up. She's fine though. She's 19 months now and has only been sick once with the common cold so feeding her formula is not going to hurt her.

Answer 5

I had health problems with my first child and was not allowed to continue breast feeding past the 6th week since thats when the antibodies and other extras run out and your produce a more normal milk.
I recommend feeding the baby between 6 months to a year if you are able.

Answer 6

I breast fed my boys till they were around 9 or so months - they kinda quit on their own and now I wonder if that could have been because I wasn't keeping my supply up well enough. Also, at 4 months babies are ready to start in on rice cereal - which could be why she seems not quite full enough. Both of my boys started right around that age and slept AWESEOME through the night after having some cereal for dinner and topping off with some breast milk. Breast milk is best, it's the intended way for us to feed our babies - but formula has been growing healthy kids for many years now and I truly doubt any suggestions that a child has it worse off because he/she was formula fed vs. breastfed.

Answer 7

I breastfeed my son until he was three months- I did it while I was on leave from work- however- when it was time to return- I couldn't continue- it got old to me. I knew I had tried and I figured that some early on was better than nothing. One other piece of advice- whatever you choose do not feel guilty- you get an A for effort and you gave your baby the best start. Formulas today are formulated to provide a close replica to the breast milk. Good Luck

Answer 8

my first a pitiful 2 mo. my second 14 mo. and I'm in my 8th mo with my third. breast milk is the most rich, easily digestible food you can give your child....and while u will give your child most antibodies within the first few weeks u keep on giving her new ones as both of you mature there are thousands and thousands of white blood cells in an ounce of breast milk and these extras can be real lifesavers if your little one should become sick... also the longer you breastfeed the lesser you child's chances for allergies and skin problems latter on here is a wonderful article on the power of breast milk http://www.mothersnature.com/babies/info/naturesvaccine.html

Answer 9

My son is 15 months old and is still occasionally breastfeeding through out the day/night. We are working on weaning him now.
Your breasts produce colostrum beginning during pregnancy and continuing through the early days of breastfeeding. This special milk is yellow to orange in color and thick and sticky. It is low in fat, and high in carbohydrates, protein, and antibodies to help keep your baby healthy. Colostrum is extremely easy to digest, and is therefore the perfect first food for your baby. It is low in volume (measurable in teaspoons rather than ounces), but high in concentrated nutrition for the newborn. (lasts about two weeks)
Breast milk is the best for baby. also talk to your ped. about when to start solid foods.

Answer 10

You're right that the best milk comes in the first few weeks. But you can breastfeed as long as you want, as long as you keep producing milk. There is no set time limit.