Hellobee Boards

@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.

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.

I found this on a website:

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.
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).

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.

@littlebittyhouse: Bwahahaha! Love it!

@runsyellowlites: that is a really great link! thank you!

My response has always been "I think it's the best thing for her".

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.

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.

My MIL would ask this all the time, starting at 3 months old.. ugh
I told her I was planning on nursing for as long as he wanted to.

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!

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.

@brownie: Might have been me - when asked when I'm going to stop, I tend to say 'oh probably before she goes to college'.

@brownie: Lol. I mostly mean it, too.

@Arden: - Yes, and our pediatrician is so thrilled. He says so many moms give up due to pressure from rude friends and family.

Loooove this! Wish I had the balls to say this to my MIL!