I BF #1 for 12.5 months, til we were both ready to wean.

I plan to do the same for #2.

I'd like to nurse them all til around age 3. I managed it just about with my oldest. Of course, child-led weaning is my ideal, and if any of 'em want to wean earlier, I'd be OK with it.

A year is great though. I started getting met with outright disbelief when I was still nursing my older at around 4 months. Let's just say it's not the usual thing where I was living at the time.

My first child, Sara - I gave up! I really don't remember - but it was in the first week or so.
Elijah is almost 6 weeks old and we are still going strong! (getting his tongue clipped at 3 weeks really helped with the bfing) We are still at the point where I'm thinking day by day. I'm not really sure - but I'm feeling pretty much open.

Tell me.. once he starts solid foods.. 4-6 months - how much do his feedings slow down?
at one year?
and beyond?

Sabra.. where were you living when ppl started giving you looks? I'm now bfing everywhere. I don't care - when my son is hungry I feed him!

Oh, I'll nurse anywhere and everywhere. When I had the girls we were in southeastern Virginia. You'd think living in the same city that PeTA is headquartered in would give ya access to a bunch of hippies.

Honestly, though, I think it's a military thing. Sad as that is to say. Military wives are made up mainly of the women who are statistically least likely to breastfeed. That, and the old AAP guidelines to nurse at least six months somehow got misinterpreted as only six months...And there was NO breastfeeding support available through the Navy hospital. They offered a breastfeeding class, but only for African American moms. Anyone else was on her own. And the nurses certainly didn't encourage it! They were utterly clueless. I actually had a nurse come to me the night before I got out of the hospital with Linda and say I had to "make" her nurse longer.

And sadly, from talking to women IRL and online, the lack of support is endemic in the US. I mean, look at who is the usual provider of breastfeeding info to hospitals--the formula companies. I left the hospital in 04 with my daughter, two cans of powdered formula (the most expensive kind, of course, & they tell you not to switch without doctor's approval) and a six-pack of readymixed in cans.

Really, it's nearly a miracle that any woman breastfeeds in this country. Bravo to you, Dana, for trying again!

As for how much baby slows down once solids are introduced...Depends on the baby. My older daughter started solids at four months old, her choice, but up to about 18 months preferred breast to anything else. Linda didn't start solids til 8 months, but she'll let go of the nipple to shove food in her mouth. She hated baby food too; she was stealing from her sister as soon as she learned to stand. By the time Bobbie weaned, she was only nursing when she woke up in the mornings and sometimes before a nap. By the time she was two, it was on waking, before naps, and before bed. In my experience, after 18 mos or 2 years, it slows way down.

I plan on breastfeeding my son, but as to how long etc. I honestly don't know because I've never had a child before. Guess we will play it by ear.

I love breastfeeding for the first 6 mos then after I'm so so. The longest I nursed was 18 mos and shortest was 7 mos. With my 8th and 9th I decided to nurse at least till 12 mos. My 10th never nurse. I had unexplained low supply. First time I didn't get engorgement. Tia had a poor suck and developed bottle preference. I ended up pumping exclusively. I pumped for 6 mos and she got frozen bm till 9 mos. I'm hoping to not repeat that! My goal this time is 9 mos.

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This is Baby#1 for me so I don't know how long I'll be Bf'ing. I would like to try for 12 months, but we'll see.

It's soo nice to see that BF'ing is really coming back! I'm proud of all of you for trying!!

I'm not sure about the military thing (least likely to nurse?) I'm prior active duty, and a military spouse, and I'm still nursing my 16 month old daughter, quite often (every 2 hrs at night) I think many times especially being overseas we're more likely to breastfeed, as it's encouraged by the local community and hospitals (all our babies are born locally, mine was born in a hospital in Holland) JMHO

Whoops forgot to mention that you're absolutely RIGHT about there being an epidemic in the US. I had my first baby in a USAF hospital at Keesler AFB, and was totally sabotaged! Both my babies were in the NICU...but the USAF hospital would feed him 10 minutes before I was supposed to come feed him, and say "whoops he got hungry sorry" even though I was right down the hall! ARG! This went on and on no matter what I said or did, and ended up giving up in frustration after about 2 weeks. I am on crack this morning LOL I missed half your post! HAHA! I apologize about that. I'm thinking about becoming a lactation consultant once I finish my masters in counseling so I can work with teen moms in the US school system once we return home since I think many teen moms shy away from nursing.

you still nurse your 16 month old every two hours at night?

Yea tell me about it *yawn* she's reallly a nursing machine LOL with having the older one sleeping (he's 3) it's almost just easier to let her nurse so she doesn't make a racket and wake everyone in the house up! But I'm getting short on patience with this, I haven't had a night sleep in 2 yrs! ARG! Maybe that's why I can't read posts right LOL LOL

I'm ready to wean, but my 13 1/2 month old son is not. So we're weaning really gradually, using the "don't offer, don't refuse" method. Although last night I admit I offered because I was exhausted and knew that it would get him to sleep. I stopped pumping at work at 8 1/2 months, and have only been nursing at night and on weekends since, but I figure every bit benefits him.

That's why I co-sleep. We've both mastered the skill of getting her latched on at night without either of us really waking up.

Of course, the downside of that is when she decides she has to sleep sideways and kicks me in the side.

OH yes I agree LOL co-sleeping is the way to go w/ a nursing baby. Sometimes if I wake up, I'll take her to her bed, but mostly that is just a waste of a trip getting out of bed...she goes to sleep in her crib, but after 2hrs ends up in bed w/ us hehe at least that gives us 2 hrs of "alone time" BAHAH! It's truly been a lifesaver though, especially when she was a lil baby, some nights I have no idea how many times she nursed, and sometimes I wake up and she's on the boob and I have no idea how she got there