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ONEHAPPYBABY
3/9/08 7:05 P
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LOL So he is a boob man! ;)
Don't give in to what others say in their judgements. This isn't their baby and this isn't their call.
We've been given a mother's instinct for a reason~ listen to it! :)
If it doesn't feel like time~ it's not!
And you have the power of US behind you! :)
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TARGETGRAD
3/9/08 12:27 P
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| Hi, I am BF'ing my 2 year old still and was actually trying to wean him a little - but only because of the subtle hints that family and friends have made, though not my husband - he couldn't understand why I was limiting booby juice. It feels so good to know other people are out there and still feeding. I didn't realise just how un-ready to wean until reading through these posts - with tears in my eyes!!! My little one definately does NOT want to wean yet - he loves his booby, in fact that was one of his first words lol.
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Hey, I am new here. I nursed my 1st baby until 15 months. I am still nursing my 2nd daughter and plan to through her 2nd birthday. I truly enjoy nourishing my baby...it is the greatest gift I can give her. I struggled in the beginning with both babies..so sticking with it has given me a great sense of accomplishment.
I am having a really hard time losing the weight. I gained 65 lbs with the 1st pregnancy and lost it all with nursing. This time I gained the same 65 lbs and it is not so easy to lose. I have 30 lbs to lose from pregnancy and it just will not budge. I eat between 1500-1800 and I work out 5 days a week. I hate being overweight during summer. I love to wear cute clothes and I feel like all I can do it cover it up when I feel unattractive.
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ONEHAPPYBABY
3/6/08 12:58 P
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Hi Gals!
I'm a mom of 2 breastfed babies! I'm breastfeeding my 17 mo old daughter. My son weaned himself at about 18 months~ I SO wasn't ready for that! LOL But I suppose it was easier than me weaning him!
I am NOT one of those moms that breastfeeds and the weight falls off! I breastfeed and the weight CLINGS on! LOL
In regards to the tofu~ if you freeze it first, then thaw it, it will crumble nicely like ground meat! Great for those making the switch from ground beef or turkey!
Okay, baby is whining in the other room. I'd better get a move on!
Nice to see this thread!
Kate
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| I nursed my daughter for 22 months, and plan on going the same or longer with our other children!
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SKELLEY1024
2/21/08 10:44 P
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Hi! i too am new to the site, but like most am loving the support network here. I am a mom to three girls and nursed (am nursing the youngest still) all three. I think that there is no better thing for both mom and child than the closeness and nutrition that nursing gives. I too am finding it a little tough to ensure that i am getting just the right amount of calories in to ensure a plentiful milk supply at the same time allow myself to shed some weight. So, what i have found is that i drink a huge glass of h2o when i am hungry and then if still feeling hungry after that, i get a piece of fruit or some carrots or something like that to eat.
Well, am excited about such great networking and support here!
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| I'm new, and just have to say how awsome it is to see so many moms nursing their little ones past a year! I have 3 daughters my first 2 nursed to 14 an 16 months. My youngest will be 31 months on the 28th, and she's still nursing. She's my last, and I'm in no hurry to wean.
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Bump...
I fell off the wagon after traveling to Disneyland and then returning and getting very sick... so here I am again now with a 31 month nursling who nurses three to four times a day.
Do I get to put nursing in as an exercise? lol I have to account for the calories some how don't I? I think I put out at least 200 to 300 calories a day.
Hugs,
Michelle
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LYNNCHEUNG
5/31/07 2:32 A
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Now I drink more milk (low-fat). It helps a bit with hunger and it's good for my body.
Can't do much of my diet right now since I like to eat, too, but I try to do more exercises.
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SIMPLYJANEEN
5/30/07 11:34 P
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| Hello, I'm still nursing my toddler too; she's 17 months now. We had a lot of problems the first three months but my husband was very, very supportive and we made it through all the trials of those three months. Now, she's a pro and it's all going well other than trying to lose weight. I'm feeling a little frustrated with that because with the nursing, I'm still not sure what to do as far as calories and things. I also seem to go through bouts of being SO hungry that I just can't stop eating. That obviously won't help my weight so any suggestions would be great!
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PUNKYBOOSMOM
5/25/07 4:46 P
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| Good for you! I think it's fine to start "dieting" after the first year. Personally I built bad eating habits while I was nursing. I nursed twins for 18 months, and during the first 9 months or so I was eating 3000 calories a day and still losing weight. I'm paying for those habits now! Man, breastfeeding was the best weight-loss program I've ever been on, lol...;-)
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LYNNCHEUNG
5/23/07 5:57 A
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I'm new here. I'm still nursing my 3.5 years old boy (first thing in the morning, before&after nap, then before dinner and sometimes in between).
He stopped nursing during the night after 3 years old (he slept thru the night only after he turned 3, before that he woke up 1-2 times at night).
I need to lose some weights, too. Now that my son goes to kindergarten 5 days a week, I can do more exercises in the morning. So I joined a gym last week, working out 3 times a week.
Can't really change my diet yet, but maybe by next month I'll stop being so hungry? haha
Just enjoy your time with your children!
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DEVNDILSMOM
5/20/07 1:10 P
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| It's nice to see this thread - I am still nursing my 25 mo and he is showing no signs of stopping which is ok with me as he's my baby but like another wrote I am holding on to some weight...
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You are fine to lose weight now, just do it gradually and your supply should be fine.
I hope she sleeps through again tonight! Sorry she woke up so much last night. But you are right, this is such a short period of our lives, that it's worth it to be a little sleep-deprived in the short terms so you can enjoy her while she still little. :-)
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Well, of course the sleeping-through streak ended at 5 nights and she's been up her usual 1-3 times a night since :-( Mummy's very tired. But I still love our little nighttime encounters. She's so snuggly then, when she's half-asleep. I know she'll wean soon enough and then I'll miss it horribly.
I know I was told that I shouldn't even try to lose weight while nursing but I have to think that means only while the baby is nursing exclusively or up to 12 months when they still need the milk for nutrition, right? Surely it's okay to try losing the weight now???
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I am newly rejoined ;)
I am glad to see this thread! I am nursing my 17 month old boobaholic. My daughter weaned when she was 28 months old, all on her own (I was pregnant with her brother)
There are such special issues when nursing and trying to lose weight, sometimes it gets fustrating. I was doing WW, and those extra points, boy they start looking at ya funny if you are still eating them when your kid is 12 months old, LOL! But he still nurses many, many times a day, and ALL night (well, maybe not all night, but it seems that way ;) )
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Thanks Mak and Corps9499 - I am realizing that I'm enjoying our nursing time as much as she is so I'm willing to put up with the night nursing until she's ready to wean. Having decided that, she's now slept through 5 nights in a row, only nursing before her bed and first thing in the morning! I can definitely live with that!
Thanks again - Karen
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| Mak - thanks! She's tall and lean like her daddy (not short and chubby like her mama), so I will keep an eye out for that as she grows. :-)
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PIZZAGIRL76
5/7/07 5:04 P
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| Karen - At 18-19 months, my daughter showed no signs of ever weaning, either! She was nursing like a newborn. Then suddenly at 21 months she cut back to twice a day, just before naps and bedtime, and sometimes once during the night. A month later, there were no more middle of the night feedings. She kept cutting back more and more on how long she wanted to nurse and then 3 days before she turned 2 she decided she was done! I NEVER expected my little boob addict to give it up that quickly or easily. I say, enjoy your special time while it lasts!
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PIZZAGIRL76
5/7/07 4:59 P
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| CORPS9499 - ITA! I think 5 and 50 lbs is a lot better, and that is what car seat techs are recommending as a better minimum for moving to a booster. If you've got a Comfortsport, make sure you stop using it if her shoulders get above the top slots even if she isn't 40 lbs yet. That seat has pretty low slots and a lot of kids outgrow it between 2 and 3.
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Mak - I would like to buy her a Regent after she outgrows the CS (40 lbs). The Regent has a 5 pt harness up to 80 lbs. By then I might have another little one who would need a convertible seat anyway. I just don't feel that 40 lbs is big enough to be in a booster yet, kwim? They still seem so little.
Kaybee - congrats on coming so far! 19 mo is awesome. For night weaning, there are a few things you can try. One is "dream feeding" which means you feed her directly before YOU go to sleep. So, if she goes to bed at 8pm and you don't go to bed until 11, nurse her at 11 before you go down. Even if she is asleep... she won't necessarily wake up even, but she will get some nursing in, which will stretch her out longer before she wakes you up. The other thing you can try is making her stand up to nurse if she wakes you in the middle of the night. You'll have to kneel on the ground, and then she has to nurse standing up - it may discourage her if she has to work too hard for it. You can also try having Daddy go into comfort her at night - she won't expect him to nurse, obviously, but she may be able to be comforted by her other parent in other ways. Also, sometimes babies/toddlers just nurse for comfort - if she's teething, hurting, stressed from family events, etc it may just be her way of saying that she needs more time with Mommy. So do what you can to make her comfortable. If she's teething, give her some tylenol or Hylands tablets before bed. If she has allergies, make sure that's taken care of. Room temperature, clothing, etc. Stuff like that. Try to nurse her as much as possible in the evenings before bed, so she'll be more satisfied heading into the night.
Since she is in daycare during the day, she may be doing what's called "reverse cycling" - cutting down on her daytime intake and nursing more at night when she's with you. It's her way of not only be closer to you, but also keeping your supply up. So, night weaning can lead to full weaning, so be careful if you aren't ready for that.
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Hi all,
Just found this discussion and wanted to say "hi". I'm still nursing my 19-m-o daughter and she's showing no signs of weaning. I nursed my son until he self-weaned at 11 months so I'm happy my daughter has gone longer. Still, there are days I wonder if she'll *ever* stop! I work outside the home so it's hard sometimes to pick up the kids from daycare after a long day and then have her tugging at my shirt the minute we're in the door, while my son is asking for a snack because he's starving. Those are my "Calgon take me away" days but most of the time I'm happy with her still nursing.
My other "dilemma" is that most of her nursing is still done in the middle of the night. She's up one or more times a night regularly. I cannot remember the last time I had more than 3 consecutive hours of sleep. I wonder if I should night wean her, but not sure how.
Thoughts? Suggestions? Commiserations?
Thanks,
Karen
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PIZZAGIRL76
4/22/07 4:56 P
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That's awesome you kept her RF that long! None of my friends did it, despite the info I shared with them. I kept Katy RF to 19 months and she got too tall for the seat she was in. :( She's in a Regent now so at least she can stay harnessed a LOOOONG time.
I cried at night for a week after she weaned. She loved nursing so much, I had no idea she would wean so quickly. I still feel a bit wistful about it because it was my only chance to snuggle with her. An online acquaintance of mine, her daughter went on a nursing strike at 7 months and never went back. She pumped for like 2 months and only managed to get her daughter to nurse one more time. I feel so bad for her because she really wanted to EBF, and then the little stinker wouldn't even go a year.
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CORPS9499
4/22/07 12:31 P
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| MAK - I couldn't agree with you more. I kept my daughter rear-facing in car seat until about 2 weeks before her 2nd birthday, when she was 28.5 lbs (our car seat fits rear-facing up to 30 lbs). We were going on several long car trips, so we decided to take the car (41 mpg) instead of the van (22 mpg), and the car seat wouldn't fit in correctly rear-facing in our subcompact. She BF'd until not quite 17 months, when she self-weaned. I tried all the tricks from kellymom and LLL, called my old LCs who helped us in the beginning, etc... I tried everything to keep her going, but she was just ready to be done, I guess, even though I was hoping to keep her going until she was at least 2. *sigh* I don't have any regrets though, because I know I did everything in my power and sought out help from several different sources. I think what catalyzed it a bit was the fact that I started working part-time and wasn't home 2 nights a week to put her to bed. :-( So I do feel just a smidge guilty about that, but there's nothing I could have done about that, so I try to be at peace with it, kwim? I still miss nursing and she's been weaned for almost a year! Especially if she's tired, hurt, cranky, sick, etc... it would be so nice to still have that wonderful tool of nursing to calm her down. We've figured out other things, though. :-) She's such a great kid.
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PIZZAGIRL76
4/21/07 4:47 P
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I just wanted to say to you ladies 
I nursed my daughter to 3 days shy of her 2nd birthday. I planned on going longer, but she decided she was done with me. If we have another child, he/she will definitely be nursed as long as they want, too. It's too bad so many moms don't realize that the "breastfeed to 1 year" is a minimum, not a recommendation of when to stop. Same thing with car seats -- 1 year and 20 lbs before facing forward is the bare minimum, not a recommendation of when you're supposed to do it! It's much better to rear-face to 2 or as long as possible, just like breastfeeding. :) I'm proud to say I'm not a bare-minimum kind of woman.
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Ohh good idea about the fenugreek, tea, etc. but I'd be terrified that I'd amp up my supply too much and I'd be leaking all over the place again.. lol
I'm so over having big boobs too.. I don't want ANYTHING to amp these girls up!! lol kwim?
She's gonna do ok.. she's nursing about four or five times a day.. a bit more than I'd like and more than my hubby's gonna like when he's with us starting next week on vacation 24/7, however she is sick and she's needy so it's good I think, much better than gatoraide, he'll have to agree with that.
Hugs to all... six sleeps till Disneyland yeahh!!!
Michelle 
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Hello there. Good to find some other breastfeeding mothers out there. I'm currently breastfeeding my fourteen month old twins.
People give me a bad time because I'm still nursing. They do drink out of cups at daycare, drink water, breastmilk and whole milk (sometimes mixed with breastmilk). I pump at work, usually once or twice, depending. Writing this I just realized I haven't pumped yet... Opps. I've been busy at work.
Any other moms working, breastfeeding and pumping?
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I think that it's good you are going to let her nurse as much as she wants right now. You know, children can survive on mother's milk alone for up to 4 years. Ideal? No. But it can be done, and in many parts of the world, it is done regularly. Seriously, I wouldn't worry unless she isn't gaining weight AND isn't hitting her developmental milestones within a reasonable time frame. Your milk has antibodies, nutrients, and calories that can sustain her for a long time.
If you are having supply problems, try fenugreek or Mothers'Milk Tea. Places like Whole Foods would sell it, or maybe like a GNC. You can also buy it online... just google it. Make sure you are drinking enough water/liquids, too - 8 to 10 glasses a day. Keep water by you while you're nursing.
I hope both of your kiddos are feeling better soon. We just got done with an 8-day bout of rotavirus. So fun. Check my blog on my sparkpage for details.
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MADDIESMOM
4/12/07 6:41 A
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Michelle, Madeleine just started with a cold too and yesterday and overnight (unfortunately) she's been ONLY nursing, no food...ugh, it gets a little hard sometimes!
I think it's good that you are going to just let her nurse. Good luck with getting your supply back up, I noticed that when I exercise too much and don't eat enough, my supply goes down too.
Talk to you later,
Deb
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MCONNERTY
4/10/07 10:54 A
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Thanks for the link to Kelly Mom.. I love that site.
Lacey doesn't like food covered with sauce, other than maybe pasta. She will dip her food in ketchup and sometimes another sauce if we can talk her into it.. i.e. sweet and sour sauce for chicken strips.
I've decided to just let her nurse whenever she wants.. just for a while to see what happens. I've noticed with the cut in calories in my diet that I have less milk.. so I think I'll let her amp up my supply.. she's sick right now with a cold so it won't do her any harm to have a bit more mama's milk.
Hope everyone is doing well..
Hugs,
Michelle
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I have an account on mothering.com but I haven't been on the boards in a long time. I'm semi-crunchy... breastfed until self-weaning, made my own baby foods from scratch, gentle discipline (no spanking), natural cleaning products, sling/carrier, but we use disposable diapers, had a very intervention-heavy birth, and don't co-sleep. So, I don't know where that puts me. LOL.
"We weighed and measured Madeleine the other day and she's at 100% for weight and 90 % height! Strange, for a non-eating toddler, lol "
Kids know what they need... I think they listen to their bodies way better than we do!
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I'm so glad to see this topic being discussed here! I didn't get a chance to read through all the replies but I do want to introduce myself. I nursed my oldest for only 6 months, but I was 19 with no support and totally uneducated at the time. My second child is now 4 and she nursed til she was just past her third birthday. My son is now 22 months and is still nursing. At one point I thought my middle daughter would wean before her brother but he's decided he wants to nurse all the time these days.
Anyway, glad to know I'm not the only one.
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Good idea about mixing some stuff with yogurt! I do the baby cereal but I never though of veggies and fruit and stuff.
It's funny, she likes raw foods like carrot sticks, apples, banana,avocado, and tomatoes. She'll even take some raw broccoli!
I agree that breastmilk is higher calorie than table food (unless you're talking about avocado or something like that). so if she needs to gain, maybe she could nurse more?
I love kellymom! You know what else? Did you ever hear of mothering.com? there's a forum on the magazine's page called www.mothering.commune. You can get to it by clicking on discuss from the home page of mothering.
It's very interesting and extremely "crunchy", which for the most part, I like. some of it is a little militant though.
Anyway, there's a board titled "breastfeeding beyond infancy" that really reassured me. Many people on there have toddlers who won't eat but will nurse...
We weighed and measured Madeleine the other day and she's at 100% for weight and 90 % height! Strange, for a non-eating toddler, lol
My sister's little boy is not on the charts yet and eats a ton of table food. With him, it seemed like once he weaned (at about a year old) he just never gained and even lost a pound or two.
He never was very big though except in the first couple months.
Gotta go!
Talk to you later,
Deb
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Here's a good link about nutrition for nursing toddlers:
http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/toddler-foods.html
Your milk is heavy on the calories and the nutrients, well except for Vit D and iron, possibly. You can make up for that with Poly Vi Sol drops, though.
Since Maddie likes the yogurt, I would just cover everything in the yogurt. Veggies, pasta, meat, etc... just cover it with the yogurt (also try cheese and applesauce). This helps a LOT of kids to eat their other foods. Don't worry about her not drinking the milk - she can get benefits of dairy from her yogurt (and cheese, if she likes that). My daughter pretty much only drinks water, but she loves cheese and yogurt, so she's getting the benefits of dairy through those things.
Now, Lacey does seem a bit tiny for her age. However, I don't think I would be limiting her breastmilk intake, since it probably has more calories than solid food. Have you talked to a lactation consultant or pediatric dietitian? It's sad to say, but most doctors and pediatricians really don't know that much about nutrition and are especially clueless about breastfeeding. I would see if you can get an appointment with an IBCLC and/or RD. I think they could probably help you more than your doctor in this case.
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Hi there,
Lacey would LIKE to nurse a lot, however I have all the "expert" doctors watching us closely and they all feel I should wean her.. so I take the middle road, let her nurse two or three times a day to keep the milk, let her have her "boobies" and still not replace any meals with breastmilk...
I wish I could just let her have whatever she wants, however if it was up to her it would just be breastmilk and fruit... which is not enough to grow on when you're 26 months old :(
Hugs,
Michelle
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Wow, Michelle, that does sound scary.
My nephew is only 3 weeks younger than my daughter and he is tiny too, his height and weight have not made it on the charts, but he was regular sized for the first few months, even bigger than Madeleine. Then she started getting bigger than him and just kept going.
My sister is taking him to a pediatric genetic dr this month to get some testing done and see if there's a problem they can help.
I hope she doesn't end up with no answers.
Does Lacey nurse a lot at other times besides when she's sick?
CORPS9499 , I would totally miss nursing when she's sick too! It is the easiest thing to do to make her feel better. Plus she hardly ever gets sick, probably because of nursing.
So, anyone out there have a very picky eater of solid food who prefers to nurse? Or have experience with one?
I've tried giving her one food at a time, a variety of foods, offering a food she likes first if she asks for nursing, and am frustrated! I worry that she's not getting enough nutrients, although I know she gets mostly everything she needs from breastmilk. The one thing she eats on a consistent basis is yobaby yogurt, so I have mixed it with baby cereal to give her vitamins from that and she doesn't notice it.
She won't drink anything but water out of a cup, occasionally a small amount of juice, no milk, soymilk, ricemilk, almond milk or chocolate milk!
I just tried yobaby liquid yogurt in a cup and she at least sips it without spitting it out, lol!
Anyway, sorry this is so long! I welcome any suggestions!
Deb
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| I love reading your stories from those that are still nursing. I miss it! Especially right now, because she's sick. :-(
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Hi,
I'm breastfeeding our 26 month old daughter Lacey - we try to max out at three times a day - to bed, 6am and then once during the day, however if she's sick then all bets are off.
She was 10lbs at birth, and has only recently made it to 22lbs... we have no idea why she is failure to thrive and it has been very difficult and scary during the last 20 months or so.
She was fine until we started solids and then she stalled... we've tested metabolic, immune, endocrine, etc. etc. and nothing... we're probably looking at her outgrowing the problem before we ever know what "it" is.
We only have about 12 hours of her being sick (vomitting and/or the runs) before we have to hospitalize her for fluids... she's in a size 2 diaper still and she really have little to no appetite at least 50% of the time... it's such a crazy dilema, I won't lose weight and she won't gain...
So I breastfeed her still because when she is sick it's the only thing that really helps both physically and emotionally. Our four year old self-weaned when she was born at 27 months - but he was really only nursing once or twice a day for comfort, not for nutrition.
So anyways.. that's us in a nutshell, it's nice to know that there are others on her nursing toddlers...
Hugs,
Michelle
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Hey, just wanted to say hi!
I hope there are still moms around bfing toddlers.
My daughter is 20 months old and what we call a "milk monster"! She nurses a lot and I do find it very hard to lose the last 15 pounds...
I'm not quite sure how the calories should be either because I work out very hard and burn between 500-800 every day + weight training and BFing. She doesn't really eat very much food so I guess she's getting most of her nutrition from nursing.
Anyone else?
Look forward to talking to you!
Deb
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CRYSTALDAWN_23
3/31/07 8:01 P
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Congrats to all the breastfeeding moms and all the happy healthy little babies that result. I have two kids (8 and almost 4) Both were natural breastfeeders from the start. They were both term and 10 lbs which meant they'd probably latch to just about anything. I loved nursing. My son nursed for only 10 mos and was a self weaner... He would latch and then pop off to see what was going on around him right as my milk let down. After a week of that he took a cup and went on his way. I was very sad about that. My daughter nursed til 15 mos. I would have continued but she was more interested in chasing her brother. Nursing helped me lose tons of weight. After gaining 50 lbs with my daughter I lost that PLUS 30 more. I was at my lowest weight since highschool. I did run too but I'm sure that nursing was a huge part because as soon as I weaned I gained one lb after another.
We are currently working on number three and I'm sure that I'll nurse as long as this baby would like as she/he may be the last one. As for my dh he is sooooo supportive of breastfeeding and my conservative views on pregnancy, I couldn't ask for a better husband or father for my kids:)
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my little guy still nurses for a meal sometimes too especially if he is teething or not feeling good. sometimes he still seems like the helpless little baby in my arms, other times more like a half monkey climbing the walls. gotta love em.
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DIPC72403
3/28/07 11:25 P
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| My son is 16.5 months old and I still nurse him. He is so used to eating as soon as he is hungry that he will sometimes nurse for a meal instead of eating anything. Not too bad though, I just decided to let him go as he wanted and not rush him like some people want me to.
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| it has been a long time since anyone has posted on this board and i just wanted to say hi again. i'm still nursing my 18 month old and a few weeks ago the most amazing thing happened... not with my son but with my husband. he said honey, i want him to be breastfed until he's(our son) two years old. then he started citing all the positives of breastfeeding...SO COOL!!!
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| I nurse my 18 month old daughter. Sometimes she will nurse 100 times a day, sometimes twice, it depends on what else is going on that day!!
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| Hi, I'm new to this board. :-) I am currently breastfeeding my nearly 23 month old son. He's my third nursling, but he's nursed the longest. He doesn't nurse as much as he used to, but I don't think he'll be weaning anytime soon!
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POOKEYBUM624
2/19/07 3:11 P
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| I just have to commend you on your duration of breast feeding. My son is now 9 years old and daughter is now 5. I was unable to breast feed past a month with both of them. They where never settled, feeding every 20 min. and always crying. I put them onto the bottle and they where content, slept through the night and most enjoyable babies. Hats off to all of you.
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ETHEREAL_MAMA
2/18/07 8:49 P
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Hi there! Another nursing mama here! I am actually tandem nursing my 3mo and my 2.5yo. My oldest is 5 and just officially weaned on his 5th birthday! I never thought they would nurse that long! Anyway, I love it and they are all so healthy. Good work to all of you for nurturing your babes in such a wonderful fashion.
-jenny
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That's awesome that some of you nursed so long... I was hoping to make it to at least 2 years, but oh well. I did all I could, so I have no regrets.
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I'm still breastfeeding my now 27 month old. The number of times he wants to feed has decreased but he does still love his "juice".
My two older boys were both breastfed until they were nearly 3 years of age and I tandem fed number 2 and number 3 sons for the first year of number 3's life. He breastfed during most of my pregnancy with number 3 as well, only stopping around 6 or 7 months when the supply dried up temporarily and it became extremely painful for me.
I am very fortunate in that my DH has always been incredibly supportive of breastfeeding and of my crazy ideas and decisions around babies - co-sleeping, babywearing, cloth nappies. Number 3 son still sleeps with us all or part of most nights.
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CORPS9499
2/17/07 11:42 P
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| I wouldn't cut your calories much under 1500, or you'll risk your milk supply, although it's less of a concern now that your son is a bit older. Still, if you are not ready to wean yet, then you do have to be careful about that. I would ramp up your exercise if you haven't yet. If you do cut more calories, do so *gradually* (a sudden drop in calories is more likely to cause supply problems) and then you might also want to consider taking fenugreek. Also, make sure you are drinking enough water.
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Hey--good find the moms of nursing toddlers!
My oldest nursed until he was 22 months. One day I just said, "buddy, I think the milk is all gone" and he looked at me and popped of and went to play. It was almost as if he wanted me to tell him it was OK, and he never really looked back and was fine to be comforted in other ways.
My "baby" is a little over two and still going strong. He almost weaned right after Christmas but just wasn't ready (I wasn't either, actually).
The only problem for me right now is that I hold on to 20+ lbs until I completely wean. I did the same thing with our older son. I stalled at this same weight until he weaned completely. I think my body goes into conservation mode--after a week at 1500 calories and burning about 300 calories on the treadmill every day, I saw no change (I know I'm impatient. Early on breastfeeding really facilitated weight loss, but after a point, at least for me, it seems to hinder it.
I'm not willing to wean yet, but I want to wear nice clothes I like this summer too! Have any of you found ways to break through those last few pounds while nursing?
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4Nature, you are so right about the supportive dads! My husband has been so incredible. He really helped me through the tough first couple weeks when we were having latch problems. I wish everyone that councils moms and moms-to-be would really stress the importance of a supportive partner.
It makes me smile seeing how many of you there are.
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| at first my soon to be hubby was not liking the idea of me breastfeeding but with a little nudge and information on the plusses of breastfeeding became very supportive.for the longest time he would cut my food for me and always picked out shirts great for breastfeeding in public that were stil;l form fitting. he still is always like "honey when id the last time you breastfed him? maybe that's what he wants" that is a very big statement coming from a man who once said "i am not going to let you feed a one year old in public. i don't want the comments" and is now fully supportive and quick to let others know i am still doing what's best for our son.
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Yaaaayyyy for all of you wonderful moms, your babies are sooo blessed! Kari-It is awesome that you are a Doula, that is another hat that I wear...keep going for that midwife, fantastic. I love moms and babies too, obviously, I have such respect and affection for them...dads too!
Now, that I think about it, I would never have been able to have a 4 year old, 2 year old and twins and have been able to nurse without the team work of my husband and I. Can anyone else brag a little about the helpful dads out there? I think that they get left out sometimes. Jody
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CORPS9499
2/15/07 10:47 P
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I nursed my girl until she was almost 17 mo, and would have gone much longer if she wanted. I did everything to keep her interested - followed all the advice from LLL and kellymom, but I guess she was just ready to be done. She's a very active toddler and I guess she just didn't want to sit still anymore. I really miss it.
Jody - that's so awesome that you are an LC... my LCs were awesome and I even volunteered as a "demo mom" for them in the BFing classes they taught. They were so helpful... we had some issues early on and they really helped us figure it out.
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Hi all,
I'm nursing my 17month old. She is starting to get a bit less interested and I'm sure it won't be long before she weans , I'll be one SAD momma!! My six year old nursed until 2 weeks after her second birthday when she asked me why I didn't make the chocolate kind and DH got a bit upset haha! She was happy to wean at that point though. Cadence is my last baby but as soon as I finish this degree I'll be in baby HEAVEN!! I'm already a trained Doula and working on my Masters in Midwifery!!
Kari
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I just wanted to say hello and give a big thumbs up to all the nursing (and pumping) moms! I nursed Skye till sometime after her 3rd birthday. We were going for a 'natural weaning when she's ready' kind of thing ... but I realized that she was down to only nursing at bed time, she didn't really seem to be nursing for milk ... more like it was just a comforting habit, so one night I said, "If you don't want milk, Let's just snuggle instead of having milk milk." She was cool with it and after a few nights didn't ask to nurse again.
I'm glad I let her nurse till she was ready to stop (with just a tiny bit of a nudge) ... I think it was healthy for her, it was comforting, etc.
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It's so nice to hear such wonderful stories about nursing growing babies and toddlers. I weaned my son in November at 22mos. I would have nursed longer but he was the "all or nuthin'" kinda kid.
I actually had to leave our bed for a while because he was nursing still through the night in September and I wasn't sleeping more than 45 minutes at a time.
I had a breast reduction at 19 but my son was exclusively breast feed until I introduced solids around 7 months.
I was lucky that my mother nursed me past 18 months and my husband's mother nursed him until he was 26 months so I had incredible support and encouragement.
Best of luck to all you nursing mommies. Enjoy it!
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| it's great to have such a turnout of bfing mamas.
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PIANOGRRRL
2/14/07 7:45 P
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| Exclusive pumper for 15 months here!
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Another mom of a nursing toddler here. My daughter is 19 months and shows no signs of weaning anytime soon. I'm definitely not one of those moms where bf'ing made the baby weight "melt away" lol.
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SCHMOOGIE
2/14/07 12:11 A
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| Hi, I'm currently still nursing my daughter who is 18 months old. She is my longest nursling, and I have no intention of weaning soon. I need to lose 32 lbs for health reasons.
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Just a quick note to say that I nursed my son until he was three and a half (he is now 13). It was a natural, gradual weaning process.
I had a bad case of flu and he couldn't nurse for a few days (he was already down to nursing just morning and night, sometimes just night). When he tried to nurse he had a little difficulty,I wondered if just that brief time could have stopped milk production. I told him that maybe the milk was done because he didn't need to nurse anymore. He said "Okay" and that was the end of that!
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Kudos to you all!
What a great gift for toddler and mom. I nursed my first two kids til they were almost 2.5 and my last until he was 18 months old!
Woo hoo!!
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Hi all, just wanted to invite you all to check out our team "Breastfeeding Moms". I'm rather new there but there are some really good advice givers on that board.
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JAXFRIEDLAND
2/2/07 8:40 P
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| HI there! I am still nursing my daughter who will be 3 in March! I get a lot of flack too, but in the end, I'm going to do what is best for her, she truly seems like she needs it and I, for one, do not want to be the person "blamed" for taking it away, you know? Yeah, I'm kind of tired of it and want my body back...but she'll be done soon enough and then I'll want it back!
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| I just popped in to say that I’m very pleased to see there are those who still nurse their kids well beyond 6 weeks or even 6 months. My youngest is now 16.5 and I can honestly tell you that being pregnant and breastfeeding was the best phase of my life. Enjoy while you can; they honestly do grow up too quickly (and that 16 y.o. is now over 6 feet tall!)
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FAIRYPIKT
1/31/07 10:47 P
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to MELANYA74
something i've discovered is that as long as i stay on the higher end of my calorie target, i make plenty of milk for my son. but what affects milk production even more or equal to calorie intake is drinking enough water and then more water. i have found this to be true since day 1 nursing my son.
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Hi everyone! Thanks for the tofu advice and welcome to new mommies!
Check out the breastfeeding article on the MSN homepage today...I love those pro-active moms who are holding nurse ins! I remember nursing my twins at Disney World (where it was against rules at the time unless you were in their bathroom), almost daring them to make a scene. Where is a security guard when you need one, lol. If anything it educates people, go ahead, nourish those babies and feed them when and where they are hungry!! Whoohooo! I have a passion for helping breastfeeding moms, can you tell? Have a great night everyone, Jody
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HI! Still breastfeeding my toddler. She is 13.5 months old. I pump at work and she nurses all night.
I'm trying to lose the pregnancy weight from two babies. I've been weight training and trying not to cut my calories too drastically so I still make milk. I'm down to the clothes I wore when my son was conceived, but the scale is still higher. :)
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| where to find the tofu... sometimes if it is a non vegetarian store it will actually be in the produce section in a cooler,but more commonly it will be by the cheeses. if it is a healthy store like Whole Foods or any Co-op store you can just ask a employee and they will know. but harder to find at mainstream grocery store.
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I loved those snuggle times too! Savor it while you have that special time. Thanks for the tofu ideas, they sound yummy...here is another duh question. Where in the store do you find it? LOL, I am serious...Jody
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| I'm still nursing my 16 month DD. We usually only nurse in the morning and at night. It's so sweet because sometimes throughout the day, she'll come up to me and point to her chest and say, "This". That's her way of saying that she wants to nurse. I'm going to be so sad when she decides to wean because it's really the only time now that she lets me cuddle her because she's always so active!
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| if you are using tofu for a smoothie, sause, salad dressing, dessert or soup the kind to use is Silken Extra Soft.i love tofu chocolate pudding.
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CRUNCHYMAMAJD
1/27/07 7:10 P
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We use tofu in things like smoothies, spaghetti sauce, and chili. Last night we made Tofurkey fajitas and they were decent. I also have a pudding recipe to try. I will track it down and post it here as well.
But we always buy extra firm silken tofu or tofurkey. I just grind up the tofu and fry it up to mix it in with my spag. sauce and my chili (rather than using gr. turkey...or gr. beef) It works out great.
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Hi everyone!! Welcome to the new moms! The smoothie recipe looks great! I have a silly question...I love tofu recipes when people make them, but I have never tried them. There are so many kinds of Tofu...can anyone give me a guide of how to buy it, which kinds for which recipes etc. I am always looking to learn new things! Have a great day and hug your little ones tight, they do grow fast! My 2nd son is 6'4" and it is hard to imagine he once fit into my lap to nurse!
Jody
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| it is so awesome hearing from so many moms like me who share such a special bond with their little ones. thank you.
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| I breast fed until my son was almost 2 1/2. I caught so much hell from my family, people would say he was too old to breast feed, I needed to cut it out, blah, blah. I found it to be a very special time, and so close and wonderful. I miss it! Right on ladies! It's so much healthier for your babes if keep the milkers open.
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CRUNCHYMAMAJD
1/25/07 12:46 P
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Hi. I am new to SP and I do have to say I am LOVING what I see so far. I just started today actually and I was browsing the boards and stumbled across this thread. I LOVE seeing other moms out there nursing their children well into toddlerhood and beyond. I have a 5 yo son who is still nursing 1st thing in the morning, and then he nurses while we are reading at night. I have actually nursed all 3 of my children for lengthy periods of time.
But anyway...my name is Jill and I am here to lose the extra weight that I have packed on after the births of my children. I have finally decided that I am going to do this for ME!!!
As for quick easy on the go recipes...I love to make a morning smoothie...and we all actually drink it for breakfast.
This is what I use:
@ 3oz of silken tofu
7-8 ice cubes
fresh fruit
1/4 c of water
1 tsp of vanilla
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I love hearing all of your wonderful nursing stories! It really is a special relationship isn't it? When you have little ones though isn't hard to find time to make healthy snacks and meals for yourself? It is way easier to grab something not so healthy on the go.
Do any of you have tips for preparing things ahead of time or any yummy quick recipes that I can share with the moms that I work with?
Thanks and keep up the wonderful work you do!! Have a nice day, Jody
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MOMOF4IN04
1/23/07 9:17 P
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| My son is 28 mos and still going strong. He is my last and I am NOT going to handle it very well when he weans. I nursed my last one till he was 4.
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I just weaned my toddler of 2 years and 2 weeks. It was a sad thing.....I loved nursing my kids and I'm pretty sure this one is my last.
I found that nursing helped me lose weight really quickly, and once I cut back, weight crept back on because I wasn't using those calories up producing milk. So, here I am!
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Hi Gals! I am a Maternal/Child nurse-educator and Lactation Consultant and I saw your post. I just wanted to say....Awesome job continuing to nourish you babies! What a precious gift of health you are providing to them. I have four teen sons, including twins and I nursed them all well into toddlerhood. I know those last pounds can be hard but keep at it, I wish I would have had Spark back then.
Be sure you are getting ENOUGH calories, I think the biggest mistake is cutting way back and your body will go into survival mode to protect you and your milk supply. La Leche League website or Dr. Sears are great for more suggestions. If I can help you with anything send me an e-mail. Keep up the great work!! Jody
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ZUNAIRAALI
1/22/07 3:01 A
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| im breast feeding my 12 mnth old baby ,and trying to loose 15 pounds which i gaind during pregnancy. best of luck to you
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| i gyess the topic says it all. just curious because i am still breastfeeding my 16 month old and still trying to lose baby weight(i gained 60 pounds with pregnancy,have about 15 or so to go).
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