https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 05 May 2026 12:53:20 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/benefits-to-breastfeeding-6-months#post-623503 Fri, 08 Mar 2013 00:40:53 +0000 Rainbow Sprinkles 623503@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Monkula: love your post!!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/benefits-to-breastfeeding-6-months#post-623409 Thu, 07 Mar 2013 23:38:21 +0000 Mrsjets 623409@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Arden: - Yes, and our pediatrician is so thrilled. He says so many moms give up due to pressure from rude friends and family.</p> <p>Loooove this! Wish I had the balls to say this to my MIL! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/benefits-to-breastfeeding-6-months#post-623370 Thu, 07 Mar 2013 23:25:00 +0000 Arden 623370@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Answers to the question: "Are you STILL breastfeeding?"</p> <p> - Of course not! I quit breastfeeding when I was... (insert age here). My baby is though!</p> <p>- Yes, and our pediatrician is so thrilled. He says so many moms give up due to pressure from rude friends and family.</p> <p>- Of course. I'm so glad you keep asking, it really shows that you care about him and want to make sure he's still getting the good stuff! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/benefits-to-breastfeeding-6-months#post-623349 Thu, 07 Mar 2013 23:18:26 +0000 sarac 623349@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@brownie: Lol. I mostly mean it, too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/benefits-to-breastfeeding-6-months#post-623347 Thu, 07 Mar 2013 23:18:01 +0000 brownie 623347@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sarac: yup you are it!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/benefits-to-breastfeeding-6-months#post-623336 Thu, 07 Mar 2013 23:15:38 +0000 sarac 623336@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@brownie: Might have been me - when asked when I'm going to stop, I tend to say 'oh probably before she goes to college'. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/benefits-to-breastfeeding-6-months#post-622922 Thu, 07 Mar 2013 21:55:42 +0000 brownie 622922@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I heard someone else (likely on here) use the shock factor of college. I personally use his allergies as an excuse </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/benefits-to-breastfeeding-6-months#post-622864 Thu, 07 Mar 2013 21:43:10 +0000 sarac 622864@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Besides not having to pay for formula, there's also avoiding the hassle of buying, storing, and preparing it. There's also the enjoyment you both get from it, the ability to comfort your baby with it, the ovulation suppression. Etc forever. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/benefits-to-breastfeeding-6-months#post-622258 Thu, 07 Mar 2013 20:13:51 +0000 kml636 622258@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>i had a comment when she was 4 weeks old... Are you still nursing? ummm YES! People are unbelievable! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/benefits-to-breastfeeding-6-months#post-621726 Thu, 07 Mar 2013 16:45:16 +0000 autumn865 621726@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thank you for this post! My MIL is very supportive (she nursed her children and DH until age 2) but my mom (who nursed me until 3ish months) constantly makes comments about my plan to continue nursing 1 year +. ("You need to start teaching her independence" or "you will still be nursing at your brothers wedding?! thats weird " DD will be 15 months). Ill have to remember some of the benefits to recite to her! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/benefits-to-breastfeeding-6-months#post-621561 Thu, 07 Mar 2013 15:55:30 +0000 Mrs. Twine 621561@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I just refer people to my six-year-old; shocks most of them enough that she nursed until age five that they drop it. Sometimes I say I'm looking to beat my previous record just to see the looks on people's faces. If I really want to impart information, like to someone who seems less starkly judgemental, I'll cite some of the anthropo-social studies that correlate weaning ages across cultures and weaning ages/adjusted age (based on development from infancy to sexual maturity) of some closely related large primates. This kicks the average weaning age up to between age 2.5 and 7 (see, makes 5 years one month look not so old, huh? And I didn't have to push whatsoever; totally her choice). See: <a href="http://www.kathydettwyler.org/detwean.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.kathydettwyler.org/detwean.html</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/benefits-to-breastfeeding-6-months#post-621461 Thu, 07 Mar 2013 15:36:53 +0000 rachiecakes 621461@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My MIL would ask this all the time, starting at 3 months old.. ugh<br /> I told her I was planning on nursing for as long as he wanted to. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/benefits-to-breastfeeding-6-months#post-621414 Thu, 07 Mar 2013 15:30:55 +0000 ninja 621414@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Kinda like @littlebittyhouse:<br /> Whenever my MIL asks when I'll be weaning DS, I just look at DS and say "Boobies"...and he giggles. Ends that convo! (apparentely my son thinks it's a very funny word...I think he just really like the hard B sound...cuz he'll giggle for Babababa too...much more fun to say Boobies and get him to giggle though!) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/benefits-to-breastfeeding-6-months#post-621360 Thu, 07 Mar 2013 15:20:13 +0000 cascademom 621360@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm at 6 months + and getting these comments. Part of it is that a lot of women stop pumping at work around this time. My daycare lady mentioned that a lot of her mothers did. I'm determined to power through to a year. For me, a year feels like a huge accomplishment. </p> <p>We're probably going to supplement with a bottle of formula a night only to bulk up the baby since no matter how much he eats, he's still at the low end of the curve. It's hard for me to do this, but at the same time, making it 6 months exclusively breastfed is huge. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/benefits-to-breastfeeding-6-months#post-621266 Thu, 07 Mar 2013 14:58:39 +0000 Bao 621266@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@runsyellowlites: @MarieJ: both great sites, thank you!!</p> <p>Lol love the comebacks ;) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/benefits-to-breastfeeding-6-months#post-621169 Thu, 07 Mar 2013 14:42:50 +0000 regberadaisy 621169@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My response has always been "I think it's the best thing for her". </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/benefits-to-breastfeeding-6-months#post-621165 Thu, 07 Mar 2013 14:42:37 +0000 pinkcupcake 621165@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Everywhere else in the world, the norm is bf-ing for two yrs or longer. Getting comments like that at six months is ridiculous. I've gotten maybe one or two comments recently (my LO is a year) and I just said yep, she's still nursing and didn't provide any further response :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/benefits-to-breastfeeding-6-months#post-621162 Thu, 07 Mar 2013 14:42:19 +0000 littlebittyhouse 621162@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@runsyellowlites: that is a really great link! thank you! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/benefits-to-breastfeeding-6-months#post-621157 Thu, 07 Mar 2013 14:41:49 +0000 mrsmenow 621157@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@littlebittyhouse: LOL, that it a great strategy! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/benefits-to-breastfeeding-6-months#post-621156 Thu, 07 Mar 2013 14:41:46 +0000 runsyellowlites 621156@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@littlebittyhouse: Bwahahaha! Love it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/benefits-to-breastfeeding-6-months#post-621144 Thu, 07 Mar 2013 14:38:38 +0000 littlebittyhouse 621144@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I just started to get this. Especially now that he has teeth because you know, you use your teeth to nurse?</p> <p>I usually just say 'yes I am' and when they start asking when I am going to wean I just say 'Whenever he's done, I'm sure he won't be going off to school with a boob in his mouth'</p> <p>People hear 'boob' and they get uncomfortable and awkward laugh :) they dont ask again! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/benefits-to-breastfeeding-6-months#post-621140 Thu, 07 Mar 2013 14:37:54 +0000 MarieJ 621140@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I found this on a website:</p> <p>If you nurse for a year, your baby will receive health benefits that last a lifetime. Long-term nursing protects against ulcerative colitis, diabetes, asthma, Crohn's disease, obesity, and high cholesterol in adulthood. Babies who are breastfed for a year or more are less likely to need speech therapy or braces later in life.<br /> If your baby nurses for more than a year (or until he outgrows the need), you will continue to provide him with the best form of nutrition. The fact that most babies can tolerate cow's milk after one year doesn't mean that they don't continue to get benefits from nursing. The concentration of antibodies in human milk becomes more concentrated as the volume they consume goes down. During the toddler stage, your baby will encounter many spills and bumps and bruises as he navigates his new world. Nursing provides a perfect way to comfort a toddler who had bumped his knee, or who is fighting sleep after a busy day. Children who are breastfed long-term tend to be more secure than babies who are weaned early, because they have had their needs met during the vulnerable period of infancy. Don't worry that your baby will nurse forever - all babies wean eventually, no matter what you do. Children grow up way too quickly, and the time they spend nursing is so short in comparison to the 18 years that they spend at home. (see article on Weaning for more information).</p> <p>Long-term nursing provides benefits for moms, too. Many of the benefits of breastfeeding are dose-related. This means that, for example, the longer you breastfeed over the course of your lifetime, the lower your risk of breast cancer and osteoporosis. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/benefits-to-breastfeeding-6-months#post-621126 Thu, 07 Mar 2013 14:35:31 +0000 runsyellowlites 621126@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Bao: Here's a helpful kellymom post<br /> <a href="http://kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mother/criticism/" rel="nofollow">http://kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mother/criticism/</a></p> <p>And this is always beneficial too (shows the benefits even after 1 year):</p> <p>In the second year (12-23 months), 448 mL of breastmilk provides:</p> <p> 29% of energy requirements<br /> 43% of protein requirements<br /> 36% of calcium requirements<br /> 75% of vitamin A requirements<br /> 76% of folate requirements<br /> 94% of vitamin B12 requirements<br /> 60% of vitamin C requirements</p> <p>– Dewey 2001<br /> <a href="http://kellymom.com/ages/older-infant/ebf-benefits/" rel="nofollow">http://kellymom.com/ages/older-infant/ebf-benefits/</a></p> <p>And if it's any consolation my FIL asked me pretty rudely why I was till bf'ing P..... DH &amp; his awesome self told him b/c it's good for P still!</p> <p>Oh and my posted facts don't cover the benefits us bf'ing moms get too like the longer we bf the lower our risk of certain cancers! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/benefits-to-breastfeeding-6-months#post-621122 Thu, 07 Mar 2013 14:35:13 +0000 Bao 621122@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrsmenow: I know, sadly :/ one person in particular put all their energy into talking me out of breastfeeding when I was still pregnant, so sad! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/benefits-to-breastfeeding-6-months#post-621114 Thu, 07 Mar 2013 14:33:35 +0000 anbanan15 621114@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I always said something along the lines of it being our only option because it literally was! But people never understood that. </p> <p>Just tell them the AAP recommends until year 2 and you plan on doing it as long as LO needs you to. It is not their position to tell you to stop or pressure you to do so. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/benefits-to-breastfeeding-6-months#post-621106 Thu, 07 Mar 2013 14:32:20 +0000 mrsmenow 621106@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>6 months seems so early to get those comments (although they are never appropriate). Until the introduction to milk at a year andLO is eating enough solids to get nutrients BM is still the best source of nutrients. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/benefits-to-breastfeeding-6-months#post-621095 Thu, 07 Mar 2013 14:30:03 +0000 prettylizy 621095@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would always say, it's free and it's always ready to eat. I never need to tack anything, I've got it all right here :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/benefits-to-breastfeeding-6-months#post-621087 Thu, 07 Mar 2013 14:28:49 +0000 Ms.SK 621087@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Bao: I don't have any but I will follow this so I have a comeback also. The twins are going to be 8 months next week and I can't see how I would have survived having to make all those bottles and not have a dishwasher. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/benefits-to-breastfeeding-6-months#post-621083 Thu, 07 Mar 2013 14:28:03 +0000 aprk 621083@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The AAP recommends breastfeeding into the second year, and the worldwide average is 4 years old.</p> <p>You are in good company! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/benefits-to-breastfeeding-6-months#post-621074 Thu, 07 Mar 2013 14:26:29 +0000 Bao 621074@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I am starting to get the "your still nursing?" questions and although no one has made any rude comments yet, I want to get my facts/comebacks ready. Most people have been supportive but others (MIL) are not so supportive, and haven't been from the beginning. </p> <p>I plan on bfing LO until she weans on her own (but probably not past 24 months, idk yet). She is only 6 months now but I know as the next months come and go, people will start questioning me, even though its none of their business. </p> <p>I am looking for benefits to breastfeeding past 6 months, facts or just general smart a** comebacks. </p>