DS3 is almost 1 year old. I can hardly believe an entire year has passed since his birth! B”H he is a very active boy. He loves to climb the stairs, dump all the toys out of their containers and especially loves to laugh and smile, K”H. Anyway, now that his first birthday is coming up, I am wondering if it’s time to stop nursing him.
With my other boys, I nursed them until they were around 7 months old. The time just seemed right and it was getting really hard to continue nursing them. With DS3, things are different. He’s such a baby compared to his brothers. He nurses so well and hardly ever bites me. I nurse him when he wakes up and then again when he goes to bed. The nursing thing is working out for me! But when will he be “too old” for it?
I’m lucky that I had a long maternity leave and was able to nurse exclusively for 3 months. I was also super lucky that my work provided me with a private lactation room (they now call it the “new mother’s room”) with a hospital-grade pump when I returned to work. None of my co-workers even noticed me leaving two times a day for 20 minutes. While I don’t pump anymore I just don’t know when I’ll stop nursing. I love that I don’t have too many bottles to wash.
I don’t think I’m the type to nurse for too much longer, but I’m just putting this out there since it’s been on my mind lately. I’m not going to make any decisions right now, I’ll just wait and see how things go.
How long did you nurse your babies for? What made you stop? Did you decide to stop or did your baby make that decision for you?
Until next time,
Shaindy
You’ll know when to stop because that “I’ve had enough” feeling will creep up on you. Meanwhile, if you’re both enjoying it, keep going. It has many benefits for you both, even up to 2 years old.
Thanks! That was the encouragement I needed to keep going 🙂
I’m nursing DS 3 too right now (9 mos. old). I stopped pumping last month, and that was so freeing. He drinks formula while I’m at work, but we still nurse when he wakes up and at bedtime, and I really enjoy it. So cozy to reconnect that way after spending the workday away from him.And he’ll be my last child, so I’m savoring this stage. I say keep going as long as you enjoy it and don’t worry about a timetable.
Kudos to you for pumping for so long! I’ve been doing exactly what you said- I’m enjoying the time and in no rush to stop. With the others I felt that time was up. Not sure what’s different this time, but I’ll keep going as long as I can. Thanks for reading!
I’ve always nursed my kids until a sibling was on the way or interest fizzled – for them or me, 16 months – 2 years. It’s usually been a sibling, though, BH. But by the end, we’re only nursing before bed or maybe naps. I love the snuggles for as long as I can get them. And eventually, it’ll feel done for you, or they won’t ask, and it’ll be over – and bittersweet!
Bittersweet for sure!
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