Why do you continue breastfeeding

Curious to know... + Why did you choose to Breastfeed: To provide the best nutrients + How long have you Breastfeed for: 3 weeks + Do you enjoy it and why I'm conflicted. It hurts still and not sure how the "bonding" is meant to feel but I do enjoy holding him close + Why and when did you stop I'm likely to just pump once teeth come through + Any advice or thoughts It does get easier pain wise as time goes on
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I wanted the best option for my baby and I also wanted the bonding experience. I’ve been breastfeeding for almost 8 weeks. I do enjoy it but I also don’t. I love the time I get with her but the cluster feedings are rough and I miss having my body to myself. 😞 I haven’t stopped yet but I think about quitting often. Although I feel pressure from my husband and family to keep doing it.

5 months in. Baby refuses the bottle and HATES formula. So I can't stop. Even if I want to, now.

Chose to because it’s good for them, and from having a NICU baby I honestly believe it helped him get better quicker, it’s also cheaper! I’ve been feeding for 3 months now, don’t plan on stopping until he has weaned on to food. I do enjoy it, the time together and I think it’s amazing what our bodies can do, I’ve also been really lucky and had no pain what so ever!

11 months in!!

I also wanted the best option for my baby and wanted to do it because my mom also did it for me and I know it’s the best I could do for her + I love looking at her while she eats and enjoys it. I’m 3 weeks in too and I enjoy it once it stops hurting… I still get a little anxiety sometimes when I know she’s really hungry bc she tries to get it as fast as she can and it’s painful sometimes… I haven’t think about stopping until she’s ready to, I believe that they get a lot of benefits from it and I want to give them all to her

@Clémence we have bottle refusal here too. 7 months in now. I’ve completely given up with the bottle now. Xx

It was all cost for us. Formula is expensive so even back at work I’m not exclusively pumping

11 months today It's been the hardest but most meaningful thing I've ever done in my life. I breastfeed because it's the best thing I can do for my baby and I love our cuddle time ☺️ Not planning to stop until my little one self weans, whether it's another 6 months or 2 years. Before my period returned I worried I may have to wean earlier, when we start trying for baby no. 2 but now that my period is back I don't really have any reason to stop 🙂 My advice to the original poster - teeth aren't a problem at all! Xx

Nutrition/research on breastfeeding, simplicity/convenience. 2.5 months I enjoy how convenient it is. No bottles/pump parts, etc to wash. I also enjoy the closeness with my baby. Still going strong! But now she won't take bottles...so we're in it for the long haul now! I was sore for about 2 weeks, but it was never excruciatingly painful/no cracking/bleeding. If things are still significantly painful at 3 weeks and haven't improved, I would take to a lactation specialist ASAP.

4 months in and I love it. No pain at all, which I’m grateful for. Makes feeding at night super easy. Will continue until 2 years likely. Will be very sad when our BF journey together comes to an end.

I EP my first after only 17 days breastfeeding because I had nipple infections.. his latch was awful. I felt terrible for EPing in the beginning so with my second I pushed the nursing.. second time around was painless , better latch but my baby doesn’t eat a lot so I am always concerned about his intake. I had no issues bonding with my first even though I EP. With my second I’ve been nursing for almost 3 months now and still bonding… the best part of nursing is not getting up at night , no bottles to clean and not a lot to take with me when I go out.

@Samantha I feel not having your body to yourself. As soon as I decide to have a shower or sit in the garden, he screams his head off even if I just fed him My partner is supportive of whatever I choose. He's doing bottle milk and / or formula at night to give me a break. Its my parents thats giving me the lecture of "powering through" when I honestly thought it would be my in laws @Clémence Thats rough... have you tried all brands? Mine got used to Tommee Tippee ones but we did test pretty early in the first week @emma Your really lucky! Not even let down pain?

@Chloe nope no pain at all! I have to pump as well as feeding and I use a Hakka on the other side when feeding! I was lucky in the fact my little one spent 3 weeks in the NICU, so I received support from the feeding team everyday!

@Chloe I tried all brands yes. Even after a 4-day stay at a pediatric hospital and after all nurses tried, there is nothing to do.

To provide the best nutrients and the bonding experience I’ve been breastfeeding for 7 months 🥹 I love it. I love knowing I could give my son food from my own body. I love the bond we have created. I do miss the freedom. But I know I’ll never get this time again. I haven’t stopped. I planned to stop at 6 months but tbh it looks like I’ll go a year maybe even more Your mental health matters more than your milk supply ❤️ even if you breastfed for a day you did amazing. Maybe you didn’t breastfeed at all you still get that bonding moment by feeding your baby. Also. I agree teeth are not an issue what so ever. It seems scary but they learn how to suck with their teeth

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I also wanted what was best for him. Nearly 5 months in and also give him formula once a day as a top up, i love watching him eat, I am going to keep going until he starts to be weaned off them

To provide the best nutrients 12.5 months and he has just weaned by himself. Feel quite sad about it as wanted it to be a bit longer but his decision at the end of the day! I loved it but it was really bloody hard especially during teething. I tried to pump and I just found that way too stressful and I never had any time to do that and feed him the bottle so I went back to breastfeeding and we made it through the teething stage (it was only really bad with his top middle ones) together. I loved knowing he was getting all my nutrients and my body was creating milk he needed when he was sick or whatever. I loved how easy it was - that I didn’t have to stress about sterilizing a bottle or packing enough. I could just whip the boob out. I also loved how great of a tool it was when they were fussy or tired. Advice: just because baby is feeding constantly and for ages don’t think it’s because you have a low supply. It’s completely natural and supposed to happen.

3 and a half years of breastfeeding here. I wanted to at least give breastfeeding a go because it is the optimum nutrition. I didn’t really have any timelines but here we are! I’ve always loved breastfeeding but recently it is a bit of a love hate relationship, my daughter is at an age where she squeezes, is lazy with her latch, distracted, wiggles about, it’s generally making me not like doing it anymore to be honest. I’m hoping she will self wean soon!

i wanted the best option for my baby, i was excited for the bonding experience as i didnt feel very bonded to my baby during my pregnancy. i have breastfed for 14weeks now and it is both heavily taxing but so so meaningful and amazing. im proud of myself. its been hard to persevere but once you do it is second nature. i miss my body being mine and i will keep breastfeeding until 1yo. nursing through first 2 weeks and growth spurt is the hardest for pain. but if you stick with it and seek help with a specialist if needed, its amazing!

I always wanted to breastfeed. For nutrition, mostly bonding. Breastfed for 3 months, some exclusively pumping. I only am stopping because baby refuses breast and I can’t keep up with her 😔

@Reeshon well maybe you got lucky and didn’t experience that. But don’t diminish other women’s experiences with breastfeeding. You have no idea what other women have gone through or felt pain wise teething or not teething. Plus women are allowed to stop whenever they don’t need an “excuse”

@Reeshon that's harsh! While it wasn't an issue for me (have had a few random bites and grazes) I know a few mums who struggled a bit more!

Curious to know... + Why did you choose to Breastfeed: To provide the best nutrients & honestly save $ on formula + How long have you Breastfeed for: Almost 19 months now + Do you enjoy it and why I personally used to enjoy it, but now I have a boob addicted 19 month old that I’m having the most trouble weaning at night 😵‍💫 + Why and when did you stop Im having another baby in a couple weeks and I don’t think my son needs the milk anymore. I also will be exclusively pumping for my daughter to avoid all of this. I want to be free 🥹 + Any advice or thoughts My advice would be to not rely on milk to put baby to sleep. It’s a big habit to break and I’m going to have to wean my son cold turkey when I go in to deliver my daughter. I personally am a big pumping advocate now.

@Samantha I’ll tell you now, don’t let anyone pressure you either way. I felt this way and then right when my son turned one everyone was pressuring me to stop and wean him off. Everyone is always gonna have something to say, so if you want to stop you can. If you want to keep going, you also can

I like how you can do it on the go/travel with baby when breastfeeding and you definitely give them a great immunity from it! Both my kids are rarely ill 😁

I chose to breastfeed because of the numerous benefits and I breastfed my first baby so it’s only fair I do it with both. I breastfed my first for exactly one year and I’m 3.5 months on with my second. I love breastfeeding. It’s so much quicker and easier than pumping especially in public. It’s free and I love to save money. The older they get, the more bonding I think it is. Eye contact is huge. I stopped when my first boy turned a year old because I had a friend still breastfeeding at 18 months and she would get so mad when her baby wanted to breastfeed and I didn’t want to get to a point where I didn’t enjoy the journey anymore. I gave him the rest of my frozen milk in cups until it was gone then switched him to whole milk. The pain goes away after the first month or so if the latch is right. So does the chapping and bleeding. Do what you feel is best and don’t force yourself if the journey is not for you.

I chose to breastfeed because of the bonding experience it creates between you and your baby and how good it is for them. My son only got sick one time in his first year! I have been breastfeeding for almost 13 months. I enjoy it because of the bond it has created..it actually gets better as they grow. He grabs my face while breastfeeding now and just stares at me and it’s the most amazing feeling. I have not stopped..plan to go until atleast 2. My advice is to keep going!! If you have a good production of milk and have the time to pump do it! It is so good for your baby and for momma. There were times it’s affected my mental health because it can be really tiring bf and pumping and everything else you have to do. It’s just the best feeling knowing you’re doing your best for your baby.

I breast feed for 6 months would of went until he was one but once I got pregnant it stopped. It has so many benefits and that’s why I choice to do so. Wasn’t painful for me I honestly loved it. For some people it hard for me it wasn’t.

I’m a bit of a study nerd. I love reading studies on how children develop and every study points to breast being the optimum starting point for their health (Less chance of asthma, diabetes, ear infections and stomach bugs to name a few). I’ve exclusively breast fed for 9 months. I enjoy the convenience of not having to pack anything, if we want to just go somewhere off we go - nothing needed. I haven’t stopped I did consider stopping at 1 but that’s 12 weeks away and I’m not sure I’m ready to stop there now - I’d like to of stopped before I try for another baby so maybe at 18 months instead. My advice is go to support groups I’m in the uk there was no help from any midwife who came to visit and my health visitor said she didn’t know the first thing about breast feeding. Join a group. Those women got me through those first few months. Xx

Why? I've always wanted to breastfeed, for better nutrition, better bond with them, and comfort for them. I breastfed My first child for 1 year and was pregnant through most of it. I weaned off easily because he was also taking bottles and breastfed only for comfort. He self soothed at 1 also. My second child is 16months now and still breastfeeding and on solids and soya milk. I dont plan on stopping untill im confident he drinks more of other milks. Yes I really enjoy it, but it can be a pain at night because he literally wants to be breastfed whilst he is fully sleeping. So im stuck to sleeping on one side most of the time. He also bites with his teeth when he's half asleep. Breastfeeding isn't for the faint hearted, if he/she must breastfeed past 6 months, do it with your chest up high, don't allow people to get to you.

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I breastfeed bc I was scared to give my son formula and there was also a shortage and it gave the best nutrients 14/15 months I loved the bond me and my son built and it was his comfort I stopped at 14 months bc I was 22 weeks pregnant and it hurt to much and I was losing too much weight, mentally and physically it was too much, still upset I had to stop I’m 25 weeks now and it’s just recently hit me that he can’t feed no more when he try’s, plan to start again after baby is born so he doesn’t get jealous Breastfeeding is the best as long as it doesn’t affect your mental health and you enjoy it but if you don’t find it enjoyable feed is best 💗

-I always wanted to for the best nutrients, easier and cheaper than formula, also when LB was born prematurely it became even more important. -14 months & counting -Yes I love the bonding time, although I'm his only comfort and sleep association which is becoming hard now he's older. -Not stopped but trying to cut down, not really having many BF in the day time now. -Stick at it as it does get easier. Ask for help during the newborn stage and concentrate on feeding, rest when you can and make sure you're eating well and keeping hydrated. Ask for support, groups etc if you're struggling. Try not to feel embarrassed feeding in public as it's the most natural thing!

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