Uhh… because its easier to sleep topless and let the kid have at it while I sleep soundly, than have to wake up fully and convince a screaming baby to go to sleep some other way?

I’d love to show my 2.5-year-old to that doctor; yeah, the one that still nurses three times a day.

Why on EARTH wouldn’t I?!

I don’t know about you but my kids didn’t magically morph into baby cows on their first birthday. Human milk… human kids… crazy, right?

Kari, I hope my son is still nursing at that age! 2 is my goal, but beyond that is his choice.

I am the one who submitted this gem…..I went in for what I thought was a sinus infection, and she started in on me about nursing still. Her tone was so demeaning….I cried. She spent about 20 minutes berating me for nursing, told me I should be taking pseudoephedrine, I shouldn’t be nursing at night anymore, and I should cut back during the day. ALL things that would decrease my supply.

My response to the above was “I don’t want my already-lacking supply to decrease any more, and am actually trying to increase it” to which she said, “It won’t decrease if you give up night nursing.” My eyes must have cut daggers when I told her she was wrong. She was pissed of course (there was a medical student in the room….), so she pushed on my face a little, felt my neck, told me I was allergic to cats, and prescribed something that also may interfere with milk supply. I didn’t bother to tell her the other things she said would also decrease my supply. I cried all the way out. But I knew I was right. Needless to say….never going back. And I am going to try to file a complaint through our local medical board if I can.

And….we are still nursing at almost 14 months! She didn’t actually come out and say she was against extended breastfeeding….but it sure felt like it.

Amanda, good for you for sticking up for yourself! Even behind the tears, that doctor was obviously affected by what you said. It’s hard to stop those tears, sometimes…they get the best of us. They aren’t a sign of weakness, but of frustration and passion and stubborness.

I went to see a psychiatrist once and told him I just wanted therapy, no drugs…I was still nursing my 18-month-old. He looked at me like I was an idiot and said…”How old? Doesn’t he eat normal food now? Maybe it’s time to think about weaning him.” They just don’t get it. My pediatrician, on the other hand, advised me to continue nursing through flu season this year (when I told him I wanted to wean around my son’s second birthday in January).

Lindsey, thank you. She also told me that there was no benefit to nursing him still and he wasn’t getting anything from it. She was so poorly informed I didn’t know where to start. I told her I was studying to become a lactaction consultant and knew a lot about BFing…and she cut me off and started talking to me in a much higher level of tone…borderline yelling at me.

I totally understand about taking no drugs. I haven’t been diagnosing with PPD but think I probably had a form of it, somewhat worse than mild. I also do not wish to have medication, and when I told a NP that, she suggested thinking about weaning becasue it seemed that BFing was causing me too much stress. Um….ok. I didn’t go back there either and started taking St. Johns Wort and other things like increasing my sleep and trying to reduce stress in other ways. And I’m doing fine. It sounds like you have an awesome pediatrician!! We just switched to one who threatened to kick us out, to another that seems to be a much better fit. I am just glad I was informed enough to not follow the doctor’s “advice” listed above, but I am sad for other women who may be weaning earlier than needed/wanted because she gave some bad advice.

And 10 months isn’t extended breastfeeding! Well, maybe it is compared to what most moms do, but a 10 month old is still an infant and SHOULD be breastfed! Good for you for not listening to that quack!

Yeah, I don’t think 10 months is “extended” either. That was bad wording on my part. I think the standard definition is 12 months and over, but even that I don’t think is “extended.” I don’t really think it should be given a different name….it’s simply breastfeeding. Sometimes I think that by saying “still BFing” and “extended” it makes it seem negative in the former case, and “special” in the latter, when really, breatfeeding at any length is special. “Extended” almost implies that it is extending beyond the immediate benefits for the child, therefore, it is not necessary….kind of like an extended warranty. But really, BFing for any length provides benefits. Ha. Ok…enough semantics…usually I don’t think that way.

I nursed my first for 2 1/2 years, and only quit because I was pregnant and it hurt too bad. My second nursed for 14 months and weaned himself, it was a sad day for me. My 3rd is 2 and she is still nursing and I am pregnant with #4. The AAP recomends EXCLUSIVE BFing for 6 months and continuing on until AT LEAST 1 year old!! This OB was very uninformed!

She was a family practice doctor. But still, she should know….

I got pregnant when my baby was 10 months (quite on purpose) and everyone thought I was crazy for continuing to breastfeed. I wanted to continue until I hit 3rd trimester, because I believe, ideally, children should be breastfed until atleast 2, but my little one got a head cold that turned into a sinus infection and he was unable to nurse for so long I dried up. So was only able to nurse him for 13 months. Congratulations to all of you able to continue longer.

Jessica,

This is exactly what happened in my situation, except he went on a nursing strike due to the cold (or perhaps the change in milk flavor due to the pregnancy?), and I gave up trying to get him to nurse again after a week. But my younger son nursed for much longer, so that may happen to you with your next baby, too.

Kathy and Jessica – I sort of can relate. My milk supply went down after my period returned at about 4 months postpartum. I tried everything I could, but no such luck. We didn’t have to supplement (except for solids at 6 months) though. My husband and I are trying to have another baby, so I am guessing since it is so low I will lose most of it, if not all, after I become pregnant. We shall see though – with so many other things my body reacts the opposite way….with medication, pregnancy, etc. Good for both of you continuing as long as you could!!

That is just ridiculous – would love to show her my full-term (much prefered to “extended”) nursling who is almost 20 months and still nursing at night…

Our first ped told me at 4 months that I should night wean because I was going to set a bad pattern, blah blah blah… Luckily I fired her a$$ and found a wonderful ped who supports us and acts as if full term nursing is the norm.