Longterm breastfeeding moms??

Ok...the very first thing you need to do is sign up with our webgroup. it's called Milk_Drunk, it's a group here on yahoo and it's for breastfeeding moms and extended breastfeeders.

I've been nursing my son for 18 months and we'll stop when he decides he's done...but he is very polite about nursing and is very interested in solids...

Your guy is still young and sounds pretty normal to me...Luke has just night weaned...prior to a week ago we were waking up at least twice a night to nurse...

There are a few ladies in this group that can give you EXCELLENT advice about nursing in general but specifically about extended breastfeeding...alot of us are nursing toddlers.

Check out the group when you have a chance...they really have been a HUGE source of support and information for me all this time...they're a great bunch of ladies.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/milk_drunk/

Just tell them Kati sent you. :)

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Try diced fruits too...Luke loves his diced peaches and apples and pears for breakfast and dessert. For dinners and lunches, he's a big fan of diced baked chicken and baked potato and canned french greenbeans.

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Ha Ha I starred it ...I knew you'd all come...alot of the ladies advising you here are actually from the group. :)

First of all, I would work on nursing manners. Everyone's expectations are different, but most women do not like baby to pull on their clothes. It's OK to set up some boundaries. Start teaching him to say nee-nee, nurse or have him use the sign for milk (hands facing each other, make fists and open a few times). After a while, you can ignore the clothes pulling and wait for him to ask nicely.

The night nursing may be more of a comfort thing. Elizabeth Pantley offers a lot of great solutions for this in The No-Cry Sleep Solution. She is also a co-sleeping breastfeeding mom, and she understands the problems that can go with this territory!

I wonder if your son would rather eat finger foods? How does he do with some cut up banana and a few Cheerios? You might have better luck at lunchtime if you cook up pasta and frozen veggies. You can do up a big batch every few days and he'll eat it for a while. It's cool if he doesn't need solids now, but it sounds like you're ready for him to take more solids and cut back on nursing.

Edit: I'm also a member of Milkdrunk, and it is a great place to get information and support. After all, it's hard for us long-term breastfeeding moms to find support! Look at all of Kati's thumbs down, just because she supports extended nursing! Well, I welcome the stamps of disapproval--I'm nursing a 2 year old! And I'm pregnant!

I had the same issues with my toddler up to about a month ago. She is almost 18 months old and she went through several periods (the last one from around 15-17 months) where she wanted to nurse pretty regularly--it felt like all the time to me. She would not eat much solids and then just enjoy snacking at my breast throughout the day and during the night. I felt so tired and used. However, I realized that she was needing me. Some might say that she needed to get over it, but I was able to correlate her intenese desires to nurse with times when she was growing towards independence. At around 12 months, she was learning to walk--and that was exciting but she needed more reassurance from mommy (ie., nursing). At 15-17 months, she was working really hard on climbing up on things and roaming farther away on walks and at the playground. I've noticed a shift that as she is starting to work more on verbal and less on independent mobilitiy, she is not nursing nearly as often at night or during the day.

As far as solids goes, you might try letting her feed herself. Forgo the applesauce and instead give her finger foods like cheerios or small pieces of peeled fruit, etc. She may be more interested in feeding herself than in being fed. You might also work at switching up her foods. As she gets older and her tastes and interests mature, she probably will not be as interested in the same thing over and over--I know with my daughter, she was very happy with her oatmeal every morning and then all of sudden she decided she didn't want to eat it except once a week. She did much better with finger foods.

Don't worry to much, which I tend to do too much of. Your baby will start to eat more when ready and your breast milk will fill in the gaps. My son is 18 months old, and I have been stressing a bit as he just started eating more solids. Even asked a question on here yesterday about my sons eating habits. There is no need to cut down on nursing to encourage solids, that may actually be counter-productive.

My son also shows the same nursing habits you describe. The "fly-by" nursing while playing. For public, I just taught him public nursing manners. Took a few times of being nearly exposed while talking to people, LoL, but he learned not to do that in public.

Don't worry about the night nursing, it will not last forever.

I nursed my first until he was 15 months, when I got pregnant with my second and milk dried up. Nursed the second one only for 10 months; she like the bottle better by then, as it was more portable. The third one is 2 and I'm still nursing, though at this point it's only to fall asleep for nap and bed time, and only on one side at at that. All of my kids were kind of late to start solids, too; I guess mommy is so much more comfy and nice than a high chair with who-knows-what on the tray.

I found that by 11 months we had major problems getting the kids to eat unless they were given some opportunity to feed themselves, too. So a meal might consist of some stuff they could pick up and then I'd spoon feed them while they were distracted with the other foods. I just gave up on cleanliness, stripped them down and resigned myself to the fact that they'd just have to be bathed alot (or we went through alot of wash cloths).

Your breasts are yours and while it's common for them to stop in for a quick sip, I decided to take some measure of control over my own chest. When baby came up for a quickie (this is for security mainly), I'd distract with a song, play, patty-cake, toy, a cup of water (and I let them try to sip from the cup without a lid, which makes them feel very grown up), etc. Soon, when they come to you they get your personal attention rather than the boob and it will get easier. Offer him water throughout the day, even if it's just a sip here or there in case he's going after milk out of thirst (but probably not).

Nursing constantly during the night isn't nutritionally necessary for him, but really tough on you; mine just quit doing that in the past few months! I discovered that if she didn't eat as much or drink as much during the day she was much more inclined to want to nurse during the night. So I make sure she eats good, hold off on junky snacks so she eats good meals, and has a bedtime snack. I keep one of her sippy cups on the fridge water spout and offer her some every time we're in the kitchen together. It seems to help, since we have very few night time nursings anymore. Thank goodness!

The same thing is happening with my son right now. He's 10 1/2 months old. We calll nursing "Oobies" and whenever I say it, he smiles and comes crawling over to nurse. Or if he wants to nurse, he pulls at my top or lays his head on my boob. I think it's cute. But, I wonder how we'll ever stop cause he nurses so much.

I think that you just keep on trying solid foods is fine. Eventually your son will like the independence of feeding himself. My son, for the longest time, didn't understand eating solid food meant he could get full. Now he does, but after every meal, he HAS to nurse, or he isn't happy. I think doing both is fine. Our babies are still very young and nursing is still possible for however long you want.

It really sounds like you're doing everything right! He is pretty young, so it's not a big deal that he wants to nurse more than eat solids. In time he'll eat more "food," especially as you continue to let him feed himself, and offer a wide variety of fruits, veggies, whole grains and proteins.

As for nursing manners, go ahead and start teaching him to ask for milk, or sign milk, or even just a gentle pat. My daughter has plenty of words (she's 19 months), but so far has resisted calling breastfeeding anything besides an occasional "nee!" She pats my breasts gently when she wants to nurse. I ask her if she wants milk, and she jumps up and down, nodding and saying YEAH! It's so cute! She did go through a stage where she was grabbing at my clothes and shrieking a bit, so I had to firmly teach her not to. It was about the same as when I taught her not to bite my nipples.

Does he sleep with you at night? If not, do you nurse him to sleep? How often is he awake and nursing at night?

My daughter sleeps the night through for the most part, but every so often wakes up for milk.

I think you are doing fine. I wouldnt worry too much about what else he is eating. Breastfed babies dont typically NEED any other nutrients before 1 yr old.

Im not sure what you could do about him pulling your shirt down in public, maybe start trying (at home) to show him a way of signaling that he wants to nurse, opposed to just pulling the shirt down and nursing?

The constant nursing at night isnt anything I would be worried about. He probably isnt even actually EATING.. but maybe using you as a pacifier.

Nursing isnt ONLY for nutrition, but also for comfort. Many babies spend a lot of time "comfort nursing."

Again, I wouldnt worry too much about it...but you could always contact someone from the LLL. Id be wary about contacting his pedi or any other Dr.. there are far too many Drs out there that are NOT educated on breastfeeding and end up advising mothers to stop breastfeeding or give them inaccurate info!

You can set limits on breastfeeding. My son knows he can lift up my top at home, but not out in public.

And he is nursing constantly to "check in" with you, and because he can't be bothered to stop long enough to eat properly.

Also at 1 year no more than 25% of his calories should come from non-breastmilk sources.

As for when he will slow down.... that's hard to say. Some do around a year and some like mine are still nurse-aholics over age 2. If it really bugs you how often he nurses you can certainly change it. You can limit how often, or only nurse him in one boring location which will make him not want to bother so much and also nurse better when he does.

Remember breastfeeding is a relationship, you have to find a happy medium for both people involved!

Toddler nursing: What to expect

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/bfextended/toddlernursi...

Nutrition for Nursing Toddlers

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/toddler-f...

Nursing Manners

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/older-baby/nursing-mann...

try more variety in his meals, ans offer snacks too. at 11 months he is ready for finger foods like cheerios and diced fruits and vegis. maybe make meal time more casual, take him out of the chair and let him have a handful of cereal while he plays in your lap.

its ok to set some boundaries with breastfeeding. You can tell him "no" if you want him to eat some more solids before he nurses, and you can distract him from the pulling and grabbing of your clothes. He obviously is a child who knows what he wants, but he has to start learning that he is not in charge (well, not all the time anyway, lol!) I think a lot of babies go through a stage like this, they begin to crave independence but at the same time want to be a baby. It will pass, and you will be both relieved and sad to see him grow! Good luck

It's all normal...I have been there done that three times!

Just keep offering him different foods. Fruits, veggies, whole wheat buns or bread, bagels, crackers, everything that you can think of.

Not to worry, though, breastmilk should still be the main source of nutrition for the entire first year. If he's a little late with solids, that's just fine.

Continue to breastfeed him, you are doing great!

Check out this fabulous link on baby-led solid food introduction:

http://www.borstvoeding.com/voedselintroductie/vas...

He won't be nursing forever, I promise! Just follow his lead, and you will find some food that he loves!