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Breastfeeding. It’s natural, it’s normal. It’s also controversial depending on who you’re discussing it with.

In today’s world, in Western Culture, there seems to be an unspoken rule among mothers that once your child can walk, talk and ask for it, it’s time to give it up.

 


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But there are mums out there that are challenging the ‘norm’. Mums such as Maha Al Musa who are breastfeeding their children well past the age that is considered ‘normal’. Maha will be appearing on The Discovery Channel’s Extreme Breastfeeding series, talking about her decision to continue to breastfeed her six year old daughter, Aminah.

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Image source: Maha Al Musa Spiritual Birth Advocate

This topic certainly has tongues wagging around the globe and has sparked a conversation in the MoM office around what we did with our little ones, when and why we stopped breastfeeding.

Here is what 3 MoM mums had to say….

Lesley – Mum of 2

With my first I stopped at 5 months only because I didn’t enjoy it. With my second I stopped at 9 months ONLY because he wouldn’t take ANYTHING else, no bottles, NOTHING! I had planned to stop at 3 months lol!  For me I think it’s a personal decision, however I think 1 year would have been the limit for me as that’s when my boys teeth seemed to come. There was something about breastfeeding children with teeth that didn’t appeal to me.

Nikki – Mum of 4

I always assumed I would breastfeed.  From the time I had my own baby doll I remember telling my mum I was “feeding” my baby as I held her to my teeny tiny flat nipple! 30 years on I have breastfed all 4 of my children and am very happy that I did although it probably didn’t go quite as I planned.  No. 1 son was a muncher and loved to use me as a dummy so breastfeeding for the first few months involved nipple shields, hand expressing, cracks – you name it! But once we got into a rhythm, it all went well.  He actually weaned himself so to be honest, I felt a little let down. I had expected to feed him for much longer than that.  At close to 12 months, he decided he was far too busy to stay with me for a feed – preferring his sippy cup or drink bottle.

No. 2 son was a dream from the word go – either he or I had it down pat and he was very happy to have my breasts as his only form of milk. Forget the bottle, forget the cup he just wanted me. Although when I fell pregnant with my third child when he was only 7 months old, my milk either changed or dried up and he was hungry all the time so I had to wean him onto a bottle. Again, I was happy to be pregnant but quite let down that it was short lived.

Both my girls breastfed happily and well although by this stage I was back working and much busier and the girls were with carers more than the boys ever were so feeds were often just morning and evening and by 10 months, both the girls were fully weaned.

In total, I breastfed for well over 3 years. I don’t feel I missed anything but I do sometimes think I could have persevered a little longer to give my babes ‘the good stuff’ for at least the first year of their lives. Particularly now they are so grown up and moments of closeness are snatched in between the busyness of every day.

Thankfully I never felt judged for my choices. And I like to think I never judged anyone else. Breastfeeding has a functional purpose but there is so much emotion attached it’s become a real minefield of opinions.  Like I always used to say about how I gave birth, the objective is a healthy baby and a healthy mum.

Jacinta – Mum of 2

With my first I found breastfeeding HARD. It was either my nervousness or the fact that my bubba didn’t quite latch on as well as the midwives had promised – most likely a mix of both – but I struggled. I had really, really wanted to breastfeed. From the conversations I had had with midwives and nurses AND from all of the research I had conducted (yes I was going to be the BEST parent ever….) I was adamant that breastfeeding was THE ONLY choice for me. But when my little bundle arrived nothing went to plan. My nipples cracked, they bled, I used nipple shields, I expressed, I cried. Yet I persevered. Why? Because I felt pressured to do so. I kept going for 4 months, though it was mixed feeding for most of it. I finally gave up feeling guilty for formula feeding my baby and focused on being the best mum I could possibly be instead of putting pressure on myself. It was the right decision for me and I probably should have given up much earlier.

Then number 2 arrived, what a difference a second child can make! I completely expected to give birth, attempt to breastfeed and then move onto formula pretty quickly. But it just worked. Whether it was the fact that I was more relaxed, or that she latched easily (she certainly was a hungry baby!) or maybe it was just that with a two year old running around I didn’t have time to think about it – whatever it was, it worked. I fed my little one up until 14 months old, it was the only way she would have milk. When I started coming back into the office when she was 8 months old she would go the whole day refusing milk feeds, wait for me to come home and then refuse to get off me. Which secretly, I loved. It was hard to stop breastfeeding her, hard to remove the connection we had – but I had to wean her, the fact was, we all needed to get some sleep. If she had of slept through the night without wanting to be fed constantly I’m not sure when I would have given up, I could quite possibly still be feeding her (she is 21 months old).

 

What about you mums? When did you stop? How did you stop and WHY did you stop? No judgement here please, this post is simply about SHARING each mums feeding journey.

  • lovely article! Growing up with small boobs i never thought i’ll be able to breastfeed my baby or want to because of it. But once bubba is out, i find myself instinctly wants to breastfeed her. It was definitely a struggle though, with not having enough supply. i was always putting her on the boobs, top her up and then expressing. this whole routine was too overwhelming that i find myself not happy being a new mum. so i struggled for 6 months and then decided to stop because i just wasn’t happy anymore. i did regret now thinking maybe i should have tried harder or endure it a bit longer. Yes, the guilt is definitely there. But i was just glad that i was back being myself and being happy for my kids.

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  • As a first time mum. I thought I was breastfeeding well , except my baby was still hungry. Turned out I had mastitis pretty bad, I weaned her on to formula after just 6 weeks as I felt I had failed her and never wanted her to be hungry again

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  • Breastfeeding is great so long as you’re capable of doing it. I do personally think that 5 seems like a long time to continue to breastfeed but that’s just me and I wouldn’t make rude comments towards someone because they choose to breastfeed longer. It’s not my business, if the child is happy and getting its nutritional requirements then it’s no big deal. We should just judge mums less for not breastfeeding or breastfeeding for an extended period of time. It’s not like there’s one way to raise a child well.

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  • I have not stopped but feel criticised by a couple in my mums group who constantly post slander about breastfeeding support group, the pressure to breastfeed, I was super surprised to experience it

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  • I love hearing other people’s stories. It is such a personal choice and circumstantial.
    I’m still breastfeeding my nearly 10 month old regularly. We still feed on demand which works for us. He’s already reducing his day feeds. After 12 months I’ll consider helping him to reduce to just morning and night. I plan to feed until he’s ready to stop… But I’ll reassess at 2 if it’s working for us both. I won’t feed during the day then. Maybe by 3 I’ll wean him if he hasn’t… But he’s already Mr Independent so I think he’ll beat me to it! I don’t have a stop date but will continue to reassess.

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  • I was lucky enough to breastfed both my babies. My first was extremely difficult. He wont attach properly and I spent weeks in and out of a parenting clinic while a gorgeous nurse helped me with my technique and his. It paid off and feeding became pretty easy after that. He gave up himself at 11 months, much to my sadness. He was too independent and so not interested in my boobs! lol
    My little girl was difficult. it was pretty easy feeding her. Both of us just ‘got it’ and not much effort was involved. I keep on feeding her until she was 15 months. I think she was over it before then, as I didn’t have much milk left, but I persisted for a few months, before finally giving in.
    I look back and am happy I was able to breast fed both my kids.

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  • When they started to bite…that was it!

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  • It’s hard feeling there is so much pressure on mothers to breastfeed. I think it should be what’s best for the baby and that’s getting enough food! I am lucky that I have currently enough milk and had no issues that I am still breastfeeding my 6 month old. Hoping to continue until she is 12 months but we will see.

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  • Personally, there’s too much evidence to prove that breast milk is best to not at least give it a try. Obviously not everyone is able to, (some women CAN’T produce milk at all; a medical condition) but I think just giving it a try is the best. 🙂

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  • I breastfed. I was determined! I failed to carry my baby to term (born 33weeks, i feel that we both missed out, i missed out on the big bump and he missed out on the crucial health benefits) i also failed my atrempted drug free physiological birth (not so much i failed but i had a looong labour and then my placenta ruptured and unable to dialate the last 2cm quick enough we ended up needing an emergency caesarean), so i was not going to fail breastfeeding and robbing us off that experience! And despite having a prem and being post surgery we did it, i had supply issues and hot double mastitis when he was 5weeks but i grit my teeth and soldiered on. And I’m glad i never gave up. We demand fed, co-slept and loved it. He started solids at 9months old. But mainly breastfed till about 16 months then he started eating more but still nursed a lot at night we started weaning at 22 months and fully weaned at 23 month’s because we started ttc when he was one and where having no luck. We hoped our chance of conception would increase buuuutttt it’s been 7 month’s since weaning and still not conceived so I’m regretting it a bit now i wish I’d just kept going till he was ready to wean

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