Hellobee Boards

I fortunately never got remarks that negative, but my response was usually along the lines of any of the following:
-breastmilk is the healthiest food there is...she gets so many fewer colds/recovers so quickly!
-thank goodness she was breastfeeding when she had that awful stomach bug, as it is the easiest thing for her tummy to digest
-the World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding until at least the age of two
-it doesn't bother her or me, and we'll keep going until that changes

It feels disrespectful to be blunt with parents / grandparents but sometimes constant comments just need a blunt emphatic response. I'd ask her to please stop, it works for the two of you, is healthy, and encouraged by many health organizations.

I've had comments so I answer their 'concerns'. I think some of the concerns just come from not being educated about breastfeeding, I certainly wasn't before becoming a mother, and hearing my younger sisters they were even less informed. So I do try and explain a bit and hopefully make people less judgmental about people who nurse longer than they would.

I used the WHO recommendation. Nobody argued with that.

I just say "it's totally trendy right now" and then go about my business. Both grandmas are the most judgey. My LO is 19 months, and I am 31 weeks pregnant, and they both think that I am a barbarian.

I haven't gotten any blatant negative comments, only vaguely disapproving but subtle enough that you can't argue- like, oh you are still breastfeeding. How... Nice... How long will you keep that up?

I usually just say there are still health benefits and it's still working for me and her, so we will see. I also rarely bring it up and she only nurses when she wakes up in the morning and before bed, so it's less obvious.

I did find that when I was feeling insecure about it, people questioned it or made comments more. Once I felt more comfortable about it, I think my response reflected that and people accepted it. If that makes sense.

The annoying thing is I feel like I can never complain at all about it because people will just tell me I should stop.

LO is 17 months (and looks 2) and I haven't gotten any negative comments. Of course I live in Seattle and everyone in my family breastfed.

I am starting to feel kind of awkward nursing in public, but that doesn't happen very often anymore. I'm planning to nurse until at least two, and I really don't care what anyone else thinks.

Barbaric?

Like @avivoca: I don't talk about it much and I don't NIP. It usually doesn't come up and people often think is weaned and I don't correct them. When she pulls on my shirt though, sometimes I get questions and I just say, "The WHO recommends nursing until at least two. We worked really hard to get here" (most people know to some degree that we had BF difficulties) "so we are just enjoying it and taking it a day at a time!"

Can I just say how we as moms can't win? I got lots of shame for supplementing with formula early on, and now I feel judged for extended BF!

@Rockies11: oh yes, when my mom found out I was still nursing when I got pregnant she was shocked. Stating that so and so said that DD 1 is stealing nutrients from dd02 and that can't be good for the baby. A friend of a friend's daughter said this. Um. Yeah, OK mom. But believe what a friend of a friend's daughter but not your daughter!

I BFed DD till 17 months and got some comments, too. Breastfeeding is difficult enough without having to deal with ignorant comments from folks.

I just did what PP did and calmly stated the WHO recommendations as well as my own pediatrician's counsel, which was that recent research shows the benefits of BFing extend well beyond the first year.

I only inform friends/family on a need-to-know basis. LO is almost 22 months and only nurses just before bedtime and in the early morning, so no one needs to know. I'm pretty sure my mom thinks LO is weaned. If I were you, I would just not mention it, and if your child gets fussy and wants to nurse during the day just say that you two need "quiet time" and remove yourself to somewhere private to nurse.

I just sort of stopped bringing it up to most people. I think a lot of people assumed he had weaned earlier than he did. He weaned at 20.5 months.

If someone did say anything I'd tell them it was recommended until 2. If anyone asked when I'd stop then I'd just tell them we had no plans and were playing it by ear.

I hate how people get so negative about BF'ing your toddler.