Parents cannot tell if breastfeeding duration and weaning timing is normal

“As the title says I have a toddler who is a little boob barnacle lol. He is 2.5 years old and I have loved our breastfeeding journey so far. I exclusively breastfed him, no bottles ever as I hated pumping and couldn’t fathom doing all the bottle dishes/getting up to make a bottle/toting that all around with me. I have nursed him to sleep for every nap and every bedtime his whole life. I can count on one hand how many times he has fallen asleep without it. I have also never given him a pacifier (”

“Im in my first trimester with my second baby and my first girl will be 18 months when they’re born. I’m trying to understand what nursing is like if I’m still nursing my toddler (although sparingly). Currently, she’s 11 months and only nurses 2-3 times a day. If I pump, I’ll only get about 1.5oz combined, so she’s really not taking in much. And I imagine by the time baby number 2 arrives she may not be nursing at all, or maybe just to fall asleep at night. So I guess I’m just wondering what happ”

“Hello. My son is turning 1 soon in 2 weeks and still not very interested with solids/pureed. He is getting 6 oz breast milk when he wakes up in the morning, 4-5 oz after first nap and second nap then another 6 oz before bedtime. He also is waking up a lot at night (never slept through the night since he was born 🙃) and will get 4oz at 11pm and 3am (I tried to cut down his milk at night but he will wake up and starts crying non stop). I want to cut down the milk and stop pumping so bad but he is”

“I’d love to hear about your experience. It feels like there are a lot of posts on here talking about extended breastfeeding, and while I’m glad there’s a lot of support and discussion around that, I’m interested in hearing from those who chose to wean at or around their baby’s first birthday. What factored into your decision? How did you approach the process? Are you pleased with how it went and how your journey concluded? Any and all info welcome. submitted by /u/dunkiestarbs [link]”

“It seems like most babies transition to a full diet of solids around 1 year I’m hearing, so what is breastfeeding looking like then? My baby is 6 months and we’re still nursing morning and night, sometimes in the afternoon, but mainly just for funzies because she is definitely getting most calories from formula. I’m wondering how long we’ll continue like this. Maybe we could make it to 2 years if that’s all people do over a year any way.. but maybe my supply will dry up before then who knows. &#”

“My daughter is turning one year old next week. She’s a very healthy gal, in the 80% percentile. Loves her solid foods, eats three meals a day and a snack. Currently I am breastfeeding four times a day (although I think we might cut down to three here right away). She doesn’t nurse overnight, either. My concern is our girl has a milk allergy and I can’t just sub in milk. We are going to try the milk ladder again (she failed it at 9 months) after her birthday. In the meantime, I’m wondering how I”

“I truly didn’t think I’d make it this far. With my first son I had to stop at 11 months, just shy of a year, because I got pregnant again with my second son. With two under two, working full time, dealing with severe health issues, having to give myself lovenox shots twice a day since I couldn’t take oral anticoagulants, solo parenting (my partner works days/overnights in the city). I didn’t know how I’d make it happen. Blood, sweat, and tears (literally). All nighters. Stress of both trying to”

“I have breastfed my baby for a total of 17 months and some days. In the beginning, it was difficult to get him to latch. I was frustrated, I felt like I wasn’t trying hard enough and I was failing him. However, once he did start to latch, it got easier and I remember the moments with him all snuggled up like a little potato and feeding. :3 He then got older and of course started eating solids and needed less milk. I was still pumping/breastfeeding during that time. I said my goal was to get to 1”

“In the spirit of encouraging new mothers we have just begun their breastfeeding journey and are likely struggling through the first weeks (as I know I did), let’s hear some positive anecdotes/experiences. Coming up on one year of breastfeeding. I love breastfeeding. The first few weeks were insanely difficult. Cracked nipples, exhaustion, oversupply, supply insecurity. After the hard part came the good. I can soothe, settle my baby easily. I never have to wash extra dishes due to bottles (or pum”

“i officially stopped breastfeeding today. my son is 6 months old and this was the natural end. for a while he had been eating more than i was producing, causing us to supplement more with formula. over time he’s preferred it and the bottle to the boob. i guess i could have forced BF for longer, but it seemed like the right time with me going back to work. Anyway, i decided today was the last day and can’t stop crying. just the realization that some part of our experience together on the earth is”

“My baby turns 1 on Monday and I think I’m officially mentally and physically done with nursing. My goal was to make it to a year and I did it! It was rough. there was definitely days I wanted to quit. Especially during the biting phase. But I pushed through. I am now ready for my body to be my body again. I want to stop pumping at work. I absolutely dread it. I think my mental health will improve and I won’t feel so overwhelmed. I of course will slowly wean her off of it but I’m just excited abo”

“I’m struggling with my little guy who just turned 1 year old a couple weeks ago. He has been exclusively breastfed with the exception of a few times I didn’t have enough pumped milk and he needed some formula. We triple fed for a few weeks when he was tiny and had some barriers and slow weight gain, but with a lot of hard work were able to overcome. This all created a giant issue of feeding anxiety with me. I was always obsessive about his feed schedule, amount of ounces while I was away, and ev”

“TLDR- FTM worried about still breastfeeding a toddler, wondering if I’m creating “bad habits”. I’m 13mo in and yes, there are some hard days but overall I’m still loving my breastfeeding journey. My baby still feeds once a night (2am), and before his one nap/bedtime. I feel so much pressure from family to stop though to the point that last month I did try to wean, my supply started tanking and we were BOTH miserable. I backtracked, he went on a nursing rampage and supply is back up 🤗 but in tha”

“If you’re still breastfeeding your 14-24 month old, how often are you nursing? How long after a meal/snack do you feed? How many times a day? Are you still feeding to sleep? Thank you! submitted by /u/Huge-Vacation-8093 [link] [comments]”

“hi, i need some helps regarding my 5,5 months baby boy. Every time i try to breastfeed him he only last 3-5 minutes then he got distracted by something and he gets angry when I try to offer him. His weight barely increase these past months. He also cant roll over yet. Is this what people nursing strike or is it teething phase? i am seriously at my wits end and got stress already i tried consoling to DSA she said the boy is fine but somehow my heart something is wrong thanks submitted by &#”

“Hello fellow breastfeeders. :) My son is nearing 3 and is still nursing very consistently 2x per day (nap and bedtime). I am not pushing weaning, though I am ready when he is. I have a work trip coming up and will be away from him for three days. The last time I had a work trip was six months ago, and I did bring my giant pump (Spectra), but I get so little output, and it's such a pain. I just throw the milk away since it's only for my comfort and keeping the supply going, Has anyone in”

“I just found out I’m around 5 weeks pregnant and my second baby just turned 1 in July. She still nurses nap time and night time. Do I continue this or do I try to wean her? I haven’t talked to my doctor yet but I did plan on bringing it up. I just wanted to see others experience! submitted by /u/SensitiveOrchid7252 [link] [comments]”

“So my oldest has started kindy! Yay! I’ve almost made it a year breastfeeding my third! Yay! With two previous breastfeeding journeys that did not go how I hoped, I’m so thrilled! I want to be able to partake in my daughter’s parent helper days at Kindy. So from 8:30-3:15, but add on another 1hr ish for travel time overall. So almost 8hrs away. Do I HAVE to pump? I exclusively pumped for a large portion of both my first two babies BF journeys. And I HATE it now. I also feel awkward about needing”

“We’re almost at the one-year mark and I’m so confused because the past few days my son has barely wanted to nurse during the day. He was SUCH a boob monster these past few months, so I truly never thought I’d be wondering if he was starting to wean himself. But lately I’ll offer during the day and he either doesn’t seem interested, nurses for a really short time, or just wants to get up and go do something else. He still nurses a few times overnight, so it’s not like he’s completely lost interes”

“Hi from France! My second daughter is a little boob fiend and always has been. She’s turning 1 tomorrow and is still nursing very regularly, almost every hour of the day, and several times per night as well (at least 3-4 times, sometimes comfort nursing up to 8 times per night, ahem, she doesn’t have a pacifier, I’m her human pacifier). But after 1 I know food stops being “just for fun” and milk becomes one food type among others but that’s clearly not the case with my baby. She doesn’t like pur”

“After 1631 days straight of breastfeeding my 2 daughters, I'm officially done. 4.5 years. My first daughter nursed until 3.5, and during my entire 2nd pregnancy. My 2nd daughter just ended at 3yrs old. It is bittersweet but I'm ready to have my body back. Breastfeeding was the hardest yet most rewarding thing ive ever done💜 submitted by /u/External_Arugula_855 [link] [comments]”

“Just wanted to congratulate myself for breastfeeding my son for an entire year! I didn’t think I’d make it this far but here we are. My son is thriving and tomorrow we get to celebrate his birthday with family. I think I’m going to gift myself a nice treat to celebrate this huge feat. submitted by /u/Ok-Sea-4000 [link] [comments]”

“My son is 13.5 months. I said I would breastfeed for a year and was so proud of myself for reaching that goal, I didn’t really plan to stop. We started slowly weaning feeds around 11 months because I had started a new job when he was 10 months and stopped pumping. Fast forward to him being ~12.5 months and I stopped his morning feed and only nursed him before bed. Sunday I nursed him before bed and he latched maybe 2 minutes each side? I took that as a sign that he’s ready to be done. He has jus”

“My son turned 1 in August and we are slowly weaning. My goal was to make it to a year and we did it! I wouldn't have been able to do it without guidance from this community. THANK you to everyone who suggested silverettes and APNO cream. You healed my nipples and saved my journey. submitted by /u/PrincipleOk523 [link] [comments]”

“I’ve been teleworking but have to fully return to the office when baby turns one in about a month. I intend to keep breastfeeding until around 2 (or whenever baby self-weans, if that’s sooner). I know that solids become the primary source of nutrition for baby at one. Currently, at 11 mos, baby is eating solids like a champ (3 solid meals a day) and is also breastfeeding about 60-80 mins a day (not sure how many oz of milk that equates to). For those who didn’t wean right when baby turned one, h”

“My LO is 13 months old. Yesterday was my last day of breastfeeding. I cannot believe my body nourished her for 9 months in the womb and then 13 months outside of the womb. It’s mind blowing and so amazing what our bodies can do!!! ❤️❤️ submitted by /u/GhostlyChai [link] [comments]”

“It's the cutest thing ever. My son is 2 and we are still going strong. My partner and I jokingly refer to nursing as "the prize". With things like: "you've been so good with the doctor (even if he screamed the place down lol), let's have some prize now". So now my son comes while I am sitting, puts his head on my lap, looks up to me and goes "Prize!" in his little toddler pronunciation and a big smile. Then he finishes and goes "prize done!". O”

“My doctor pushes “strictly solids after 1” and I’m just putting that info in my back pocket and never thinking about it again. My fiancée had a conversation with me today about what my bfing plans were and how he thought bfing past one was “just weird.” I noted the benefits. Honestly I don’t think it’s anyone business but obviously I value my fiancées opinion as it’s his child too. What’s the stigma? What reactions did you get if you dealt with something similar? submitted by /u/Hot-”

“First (and last) time breastfeeding and we're at 13.5 months. We're down to 3-4 nursing sessions a day. I can tell there's a lot less milk so I'm starting to wonder how much more they will change when we finish our breastfeeding journey? I know it's shallow to ask. I'm okay with my boobs being different than they were before pregnancy, but I am afraid of hating them or not recognizing them as mine. So far, my breasts hang more, but I'm happy with them. I'm hoping”

“I am still nursing my 19m old on demand but I’m about 9 weeks pregnant with baby #2. I had dreams of tandem feeding. Breastfeeding has been a hard-won journey for me (c-section, hx breast reduction, triple feeding). I also heard the longer I nurse my first, the higher the chance of EBF my second. I was only ever to give my son about 60% of his ounces max when my supply was at its highest. From about 3wks of this pregnancy, I noticed a dip in supply and more sensitive breasts. But over the last c”

“I am currently sitting pumping in my bedroom, and I hear my husband telling our visitors that he has been very involved with feeding our 1 month old... I nurse our baby 10-12 times a day and I am pumping 5 times a day. We introduced a bottle two days ago bc baby girl is not gaining weight appropriately. I literally heated the bottle myself that my husband is giving the baby too. I want to scream!!! submitted by /u/sasatrek [link] [comments]”

“My bf doesn't understand the work and dedication it takes, as well as the mental load (of eating enough, hydrating, tracking diaper output etc) to make it breastfeeding to the 1 year mark. Previously he's always been supportive and telling me he's proud etc. Lately he seems so ready for me to wean our baby. I do think he's struggling with her preference for me currently, which could be playing a factor in his unsupportive comments. Naturally, he doesn't understand everything”

“I’m wanting to breastfeed until she’s 2, but we’ve been planning on trying for baby #2. She still feeds multiple times a day and we cosleep and she still nurses during the night. So I’m nervous on trying for another baby because of that. Also with my first I got nausea real bad so idk how that’ll play into it as well. So I just wanted to hear others stories or recommendations. submitted by /u/Sensitive-Earth-3909 [link] [comments]”

“Anyone else have a toddler that started nursing again months after weaning? Weaned my boob obsessed toddler in January, had another baby in May, and my toddler is now more than before wanting to get back to breastfeeding. He was always very boob focused and even in the months when he got nothing, he’d still talk about his Mimi’s, touch them when falling asleep, and try to latch if I wasn’t paying attention. A few weeks ago on vacation, he had the biggest meltdown, one that I couldn’t calm until”

“(Unsure what to put for a flair) Hey yall! Ftm to a newly 1 yr old! I tell ya… it’s been wild and she’s definitely keeping me busy lol. Anyway she’s still breastfed but she’s eating more solids throughout the day so she gets boob in the morning, a little bit at lunch, during nap time and then might get another few small breastfeeds before 5pm and then boob from 8-9pm until she falls asleep and then she’s on/off the boob through the night. But nothing too different as she’s been like this since 9”

“My twins are a year old today which means I successfully breastfed them for a full year. I thought there was no way this would be possible, and I feel like I deserve a parade (jk). That's it, that's the post. submitted by /u/beautifultrashpanda [link] [comments]”

“So posting mostly to find similar stories, I don't have anyone in my family or friends that really breasfeed past the one year mark. So to start she loves food, we do breakfast, lunch, mid day snack and dinner. We don't have a morning snack because she usually breastfeeds to sleep in the morning nap. But although she's a great eater, I haven't really seen a decrease in breasfeeding and I know that breasfeeding is so much more then just food, but family is starting to comment how”

“My son is just over 1 - he’ll be 13mo on 9/6. I’ve been breastfeeding his entire life (plus pumping while I’m at work) and I’m no where near ready to stop - the thought of this stage being over makes me super emotional. However, I hate pumping. For the past few months I’ve pumped once or twice a day on work days and Id get enough milk for the following daycare day or pull from my freezer stash. My stash is now gone though!This week I’ve been getting between 7-10 oz. I’m not sure why there’s been”

“My baby is 10 months old, ebf. I’m just curious how often yall nurse once baby turns one because it’s coming up and I don’t know how much I should cut down if I’m not planning to wean right away. submitted by /u/Aromatic_Can5137 [link] [comments]”

“It feels like the wild west. Theres all this information online about baby nursing, and then suddenly the information just cuts off at one year. What does it look like for your child? I know all infants/toddlers are different. Just curious. My 12 month old has some days where he barely nurses during the day - really just before his nap and before bed (night time is a different story), and then days like today where he seems to want to nurse a lot and is barely eating any solids im offering him.”

“I’m officially a year postpartum and have been breastfeeding consistently. Straight through. I haven’t had any issues with milk supply, or latch since I hit 4 months. Even with her eating more solids I don’t find a decrease in supply, however I noticed I’m tender. Maybe fuller looking, with other symptoms like irritatabilty, emotional, fatigued/exhausted, I feel starved and if I don’t eat instant headache or slight nausea. I was just wondering what everyone had for symptoms at roughly 12month ma”

“I'm proud of myself. I almost gave up multiple times, like in the beginning when my milk came in slow, and when it hurt, and when he started getting teeth. Seriously, what kind of 8mo has 8 teeth? Anyway, I didn't give up and now I'm the secret owner of a family record. submitted by /u/watchin4rchie [link] [comments]”

“My second daughter is 4m. With both of them I have always had this feeling like I need to feed them so frequently. This has led to a lot of snacking at the breast. She feed for 5-20mins (20mins would be rare). Which I’m totally fine with. She’s in the 90th percentile so I know she’s getting enough. I just can’t stop the compulsion to offer her milk every hour or so. When I’m out and about and busy I find she can go 3/4hrs without showing signs of hunger and it’s a but of a wake up call that I do”

“This is my third child. My first preferred nursing over bottles, so we made it to two years of breastfeeding while I went to work at 7 month postpartum. With my 2nd. he was my sleepy baby, so I ended up pumping pretty early because of wanting to protect my supply. I went back to work when he was 9 weeks old and he completely stoped nursing around 6 months. I could not get him to latch. I pumped until he was 13 months old. I just went back to work with my third and because he is my third he only”

“My baby is 5 and a half months. My plan was to breastfeed up to 6 months as I had a rough start with it and thought I'd be doing well to get that far. Now that its much easier I wonder should I keep it going. I'd like to maybe feed her in the mornings and evenings only after 6 months with bottles in-between. Is that possible?? Thank you in advance submitted by /u/Straight_Mobile_5960 [link] [comments]”

“Curious what other people’s experiences have been with introducing solids while nursing. Our pediatrician wants us to get to 3 meals a day solids, but our little is not suuuper interested in eating yet. He’s getting there but not a big eater. Ped says he’s probably getting too much BM / not hungry enough when we try solids, and to not feed any milk for 2 hours before solids, also to night wean his 1-2 BF a night so he wakes hungry, then no milk until after solids in the morning. We nurse 1-2x at”

“18m/o breastfeeds about 5 times an hour. He eats well and is a healthy weight. We’re very ready to stop breastfeeding and have no idea how to ween. submitted by /u/thehorseman707 [link] [comments]”

“TLDR: Made it to 17 months ebf after struggling to make it to month 4 with my first! I’ve followed this community throughout my entire breastfeeding journey. Asking questions, looking for answers and reading others stories. It has truly been such a big help in my journey and I wanted to share my story as it has just ended. With my first baby, I wanted to make it to a year breastfeeding and fell short at 4 months after not realizing how truly crucial supply and demand was. I was an “over-supplier”

“My 11 month old goes to daycare at 7:30 every morning. She nurses at 7 when she gets up and then eats breakfast at 8:45 at daycare. Soon enough we’ll stop nursing, and I have noticed she wants snacks more throughout the day, I wonder if she’ll want breakfast before daycare too. It’d be a long time to go without food in my opinion, but I’m an asap breakfast type of person. What do you guys do? submitted by /u/geedeebee22 [link] [comments]”

“I am a mumma in need of some help and guidance. I have breastfed my son since birth and love the bond it gives us. He is now 4 years old and still breastfeeds around 3 times a day. I have found the older he has got the more he wants the comfort from breastfeeding as he can be quite shy and anxious and I think he uses it as a coping mechanism. I don’t particularly want to stop as I enjoy our time together and I am still very much producing milk but I feel so much pressure from other family member”

“Today and actually so far our whole trip I am thankful that I made it over a year breastfeeding. How will I travel in the future, not sure lol. In Europe hopping around some cities visiting family, and today was the most crowded train yet (as we previously reserved seats I think in a higher class). We had two big suit cases, backpacks and hand bags, stroller and 1+yo in my arms. It was what seemed to be rush hour leaving the major city and more and more people loaded on as I sat with baby on lap”

“My 1yo is still super attached to nursing and shows very little interest in solids.. I'm considering starting the weaning process in hopes it'll encourage them to eat more real food but I'm hesitant. I really want to keep nursing until she weans naturally. Did weaning at 12 months help your toddler eat more solids, or did it backfire? I've tried giving her food before nursing she still doesn't want it. She would only try a little bit of food when she's in a good mood whic”

“I’ve nursed all 3 of my babies (14 months, 18 months, and currently 13 months) and with all of them I’ve followed their lead as far as when to stop feeding. I can tell that my 13 month old is losing interest and I feel confident that she’s ready to drop a feed.. I just don’t know the best way to go about it. She currently nurses: 6:30AM - 11AM - 4PM - 7PM (barely) Her 6:30 feed is the longest and then typically she gets shorter and shorter as the day goes on. I’d really like to drop the 7PM feed”

“When did you know it was time to stop? My baby is only 9 months and I plan to go for two years minimum. I see on social media people celebrating being done, but when I think about being done I get so sad lol. Will i eventually grow tired of breast feeding and want to be done? Is then when I should stop? Or should I just go for as long as me and baby want? submitted by /u/Baylaypayday [link] [comments]”

“I wasn't sure which flair to choose for this, so here we go. Babe is 17 months old and we typically breastfeed at least once a day (though lately we have gone a couple days without breastfeeding at all). I am not trying to wean. Some days she wants to nurse a lot and frankly, I don't know how much if any milk she is getting. Now I am 5 weeks pregnant and it HURTS. Every day I wake up and my nipples hurt. I am at the point where I have to hold my breasts while I shower because it hurts to”

“I am SO close to hitting my goal of breastfeeding for an entire year. However my supply is more of a just enough or barely enough right now….baby is taking in more solids of course and we are so close to a year old but I would love to extend it past a year by a few months and then wean…is there a possibility of increasing my supply so late in the game? I pump 2-3 times during the work day 9-5….nurse in the morning before work, nurse when we get home and then nurse to sleep…and baby is NOT sleepi”

“My sweet and goofy little girl just celebrated her first birthday, and with that I've quietly celebrated making it to a year exclusively breastfeeding. We had such a fraught beginning with latching issues, low supply, and PPD to deal with but we've made it to such a beautiful place. I've received a lot of pushback lately about not having weaned her yet and no one in my life but my husband and mom really know how much this means to me. I plan to keep it going for another six months if”

“I breastfed my first two kids until about 13-14 months. I was planning on trying to hit at least a year with my third, but after having 3 kids in 5 years and being pregnant or breastfeeding for almost my entire marriage, I think I need my body back. I'm also 50 pounds overweight because I was never able to lose the weight I gained with my first. I really want to start weight loss medication because my weight is affecting my health, my energy, my marriage, my social life, and my self esteem.”

“my breastfeeding journey has been amazing from the start and had little to no issues… but my baby had yet to eat normal toddler size meals and I think its because she nurses all day! most posts Ive found are about night weaning and my girl does fall asleep initially right after nursing but she sleeps through the night most nights in her crib (unless were cosleeping while travelling). so night weaning is not the issue. its about the day. she goes to montessori school from 9 to 2h30 and will have”