How old was your child when you stopped breastfeeding?

Question

My son is almost 6 months old. He has been exclusively on breast milk but he takes it from a bottle, as he wouldn't latch onto my nipple. I pump everyday, every 4 - 6 hours. I get up at 5am to pump every morning. Its ok, I am kind of used to it now but he is coming up to that age when solids should be introduced and I am wondering if I should start to pump less when that happens and if I should work towards just giving him a bottle of breast milk at night and one in the morning. I know that up until 6 months breast milk is all a child needs BUT I think my main question is, after they reach 6 months how much breast milk do they need?

Answer 1

First of all, I commend you for continuing to pump even though your baby couldn't latch on. So many mothers simply give up and switch to formula - good for you!
My son breastfed (no bottles ever, but he started drinking water and juice from a cup at 6 months) until he was 14 months old, when he weaned himself. I really wish he would have breastfed longer, but it was his choice.
I think someone may have given you inaccurate information about breastfeeding. The AAP recommends a MINIMUM of one year. Any breastfeeding is better than none, but at least a year is ideal. Just keep feeding him on demand - the more he eats, the more you pump. Breastfeeding is supply and demand - the more he demands, the more your breasts will supply. Good luck!

Answer 2

I breast fed all 4 of my children. My older 2 I stopped when they were 5 months and 3 months, but only because I was working and going to school and it was back in the day before pumping was done very much. My last 2 I was able to nurse until they both self-weaned at 11 months and 14 months. I never did pump with any of them so I may not know exactly the answer to your question. I do know that when solids were introduced, nursing times began to slowly decrease so you will likely find you begin to pump more milk than he is drinking. When that happens, then I suggest you pump one less time during the day. With my kids, it was generally the middle of the night nursing that went first, followed by a daytime nursing then another daytime nursing and the bed time nursing was the last to go. Each baby is different, but he'll still be getting a lot of his nutrition from breast milk the first year. With my youngest, she didn't nurse less frequently until after we began to introduce whole cow's milk in a cup at just over a year. She wasn't interested in solids until just before she turned 7 months. My grandson is 7 months old and I take care of him during the day. He is on solids 1-2 times a day and seems to take a few ounces less of breast milk at the bottle following the solids, but drinks 5-6 ounces all the other times, which is what he was doing before solids were introduced. My daughter still nurses him evenings and weekends and pumps while at work.

Answer 3

I breastfed until he was 9 months old. I may have continued if he didn't bite so much. He had always been supplemented with formula and cereal (at 6 months) so he was to used to bottles. I also pumped on top of feeding to have milk for his cereal and extra bottles. Once he turned a year his pediatrician suggested switching him to whole milk which I used for bottles and cereal and stopped pumping. How much you pump and how long you nurse is a very personal decision. It depends a lot on your comfort level. At 9 months he was already weaning himself. He really only nursed at night. Because of this I started to dry up and had less to pump. We both knew it was time to stop. Their nutrients can be and should be supplemented by food but breast milk never hurts. Talk to your pediatrician if your worried about meeting his nutritional needs. Good luck.

Answer 4

6 months for both of my girls. I switched to formula.

My doctor told me to make sure they get 18-24 ounces of milk/formula a day. Check with your doctor.

The solids is more for the introduction of new foods and texture and less for the nutrients. Now keep in mind that you should probably pick the healthiest solids you can anyway.

If you can keep up the pumping and give him any bottles during the day and the rest formula that would be great. Anything would be great, but if you do not then formula will work great as well. The recommendation is for them to gain all their nutrients from milk/formula for the first year. The other stuff is a bonus!

(Try the fruit puffs in the baby food aisle as a finger food, they are yummy and easier to dissolve than cheerios)

Answer 5

My oldest son was exclusively breast fed for the first six months of his life, then I started slowly introducing solids. I intended to breastfeed as long as he was interested and wanted to let him self-wean. (although I was planning to wean him by his second birthday if he was still nursing at that time) When he was nine months, however he started refusing to nurse. I would hold him to my breast and he would clamp his lips together and turn his head away! I met with a lactation nurse and my son's pediatrician and they both told me basically the same thing, he was weaning himself because he was eating solids so well. So I (sort of) relaxed and he has been on a solid diet ever since (he's two now and is still a nice, tall, healthy boy!)

My youngest son is currently still exclusively breastfed, and I am going to let him self-wean as well. Hopefully we will at least hit the one-year mark before he weans!! I am considering holding off on introducing solids to keep him nursing a bit longer.

When I started introducing solids to my oldest, his pediatrician told me solid foods should be "dessert" Meaning, first nurse him until he is satisfied, then give him a few bites of solids so he can get used to the flavors and texture. Then, once he is able to eat enough solids in one sitting to be the caloric equivalent of a feeding of breast milk, he can replace one nursing session with a solid meal.

Hope that helps :)

Answer 6

You should BF at least until he is 1 year old.Even though you will begin to introduce him with solids he needs milk every 4-5 hours.Don't forget that milk is the most important food for babies. You can mix it with cereal in the morning or in afternoon.
hope this will help you.

Answer 7

You have done a great job, be very proud of yourself! I stopped when my children were about 8 mos. old. They were ready to, probably before I was ready! Since your child takes it from a bottle you won't have weaning issues, so if you think he is ready, start giving him formula and solids for his nutrition.

Answer 8

i never breast fed it was purely formula (i'm on meds that are dangerous to breastfeeding babies)
i stopped formula feeding at age 1 and started solid foods at 10 months and cereal at 4 mos

Answer 9

I'm still breastfeeding my two year old. I see that you are exclusively pumping, and that is very commendable! I know it is a lot of hard work and sacrifice.

Solids during the first year is for exploring textures and tastes. It is not a substitute for breastmilk, as breastmilk has more complete nutrition ounce per ounce than solids do. Breastmilk will help fill in those nutritional gaps.

Breastmilk also has more bioavailable iron than formula or rice cereal. This mean that it is more easily absorbed by your baby's gut. Breastmilk continues to be baby's perfect food, even after six months. The quality of your milk doesn't just disappear or decline after six months. Breastmilk is a living substance that changes according to the needs of your child. Right now, your breastmilk will have increased fat in order to feed your baby's rapidly developing brain, which is made of fat and cholesterol (formula does not have cholesterol btw).

Your baby will also still need the benefits of the antibodies contained in your milk. These steadily increase in concentration as your child gets older. Your baby's immune system will be immature for many years to come, and your immunities are his best protection.

You may even find that your baby is not interested in solids. It is better to wait until they are interested, and desire to self feed. This helps with three things. First, it can be less messy, as they can feed themselves as opposed to you trying to connect the spoon to their mouth. Second, you can feed them pieces of food from your plate, real food, not overprocessed strained somewhat food in a jar. Thirdly, by having baby feed himself, you allow him to follow his hunger cues. This prevents overfeeding by the parent, and obesity later on in life.

You can check out kellymom.com for information about solid feeding. They also have a section about herbs you can take to increase your milk supply. Good luck and good for you for doing what's best for your baby!

Answer 10

1- 4 months, by then didn't have enough, too hard he was a big eater and already on cereal.

2- 9 months lost interest

3- 11 months lost interest

(that's the baby not me losing interest)