Extended Breastfeeding Check-in/Chat, 3/16-3/31

[vvvvvfee]

For the purposes of this check-in, we will define extended breastfeeding as breastfeeding beyond 1 year. Questions are repeated and suggestions are welcome.

1. How old is your LO?
2. How many times per day does your LO nurse?
3. How long can you go without BFing/pumping? (When you are away from your LO, do you still need to pump?)
4. What is your LO's sleeping arrangement (crib, toddler bed, twin bed, sidecarred crib, bedsharing...)? How has it changed (or not) since your LO was a newborn?

Pregnant & BFing Moms: How are you doing? Any issues with supply, pain, aversion? Questions for other moms?

Tandem Nursing Moms: How are you doing? Any current challenges? Questions for other moms?

GTKY: What is your favorite alternative swear word (something you can use in place of an actual expletive that is still satisfying to say)?

[grumpycat]

1. How old is your LO? 17 months
2. How many times per day does your LO nurse? 3-5
3. How long can you go without BFing/pumping? (When you are away from your LO, do you still need to pump?) I've gone 12 hours without nursing, occasionally 15. I haven't been away from ds2 overnight since he was younger (and then I pumped).
4. What is your LO's sleeping arrangement (crib, toddler bed, twin bed, sidecarred crib, bedsharing...)? How has it changed (or not) since your LO was a newborn? He's in a crib in his room. He was in a rock n play next to our bed when he was a newborn. Then a co sleeper for a couple weeks and then into his crib.


GTKY: What is your favorite alternative swear word (something you can use in place of an actual expletive that is still satisfying to say)? I'll say "sassafras" when my kids are being jerks or describe them as "spicy."

[gingy]

1. How old is your LO?
-18mo

2. How many times per day does your LO nurse?
-2x

3. How long can you go without BFing/pumping? (When you are away from your LO, do you still need to pump?)
-I haven't been away from him overnight since he hit a year, but we do about 11-13 hrs during the day.

4. What is your LO's sleeping arrangement (crib, toddler bed, twin bed, sidecarred crib, bedsharing...)? How has it changed (or not) since your LO was a newborn?
-A crib in his room. He was in a PNP in our room/PT bedsharing until almost 6mo.

GTKY: What is your favorite alternative swear word (something you can use in place of an actual expletive that is still satisfying to say)?
-GOD BLESS AMERICA!!

[byjove]

1. 3.28 years
2. 1-3x
3. About a year ago I was away for 3 days/2 nights without having to pump. Any longer and I probably would have had to express for comfort.
4. She started off bedsharing, then in a crib in our room, then a crib in her room with her sister, than with the side off the crib, and now she has the lower bunk bed (twin) that she shares with her sister.

GTKY: Maybe holy mother of god. But lately I just swear, I should probably stop because the girls are saying shit and dammit at times (or DD2, my nursling will go around saying oh duck it lol, her twist), and then I have to explain that they will get in trouble at school for saying it. But aren't those rules kind of silly? I put it in the same category as why do you shave your legs? Because society expects me too. A pretty lousy reason.

[byjove]

vvvvvfee, can you remind me, you've nursed past 3 before, right? Were you pregnant when you weaned? I am trying to figure out how rough weaning is going to be on me. I will definitely get hormonal blips when changes in frequency happen, but I am hoping this is slow enough side effects will be minimal. When DD1 weaned at 2 I was still pregnant, so this is new. At this rate I have a feeling we are going to hit 4. BUT 2019 is my last year of nursing, I proclaim! You guys will have kicked me out of this check in at that point anyway. We get it byjove, you're still nursing. Go away

[vvvvvfee]

byjove, RE swearing- you can pick an area of the house, like the bathroom, and tell them they can go in there and say as many "naughty" words as they want. or that they can only say them in the house, but not at school. i swear like a sailor and have been through similar, lol.

yes, i nursed my 1st until he was 4, god help me. i had to push him a little to wean even at 4!! his plan was to stop when he got to kindergarten. DS2 was still nursing when he stopped, though. and my 2nd weaned at 2.5 when i was pregnant with my 3rd. so i haven't actually weaned when i wasn't either pregnant or nursing another kid. i know that other moms have still had hormonal wackiness even when weaning an older child who wasn't nursing very much.

you can definitely set some limits- like 2x a day, max. then you can cut her back to 1x per day. at that point she might forget some days and she can wean gradually. with older kids it's relatively easy to distract them (even just saying, i'm busy right now, ask me again in a little while-- she'll probably forget to come back and ask) or offer them some other desirable food/drink instead.

[byjove]

vvvvvfee, I've definitely been telling her no and that because she is a big girl now, the end of milkies isn't that far off, but yes, I'm pretty sure if it was up to her she'd be nursing to k as well. I basically need to set a hard date for myself and stick to it. I was saying at 3.5 in June, but she is still so attached, I feel bad. And thank you!

[vvvvvfee]

byjove, your relationship will change a little after weaning, but that's ok! for me it was a positive change because i was starting to resent DS1 a little bc he just didn't want to stop! once he weaned there was less friction between us.