Past the First Year – Extended Breastfeeding Joys and Challenges

If you’ve entered into the extended breastfeeding stage – nursing beyond your child’s first year of life – I have one thing to say to you:

BRAVO!!!

Relish that, because when you tell people that you’re “still” nursing, you’re more likely to be met with a response akin to shock (or at least amazement).

Without picking on moms who are weaning from breastfeeding now or earlier, extended breastfeeding isn’t the norm; it’s much more common for breastfeeding to end between the baby’s four- and six-month birthday.

There are many benefits of extended breastfeeding, but if you made it past that milestone and have kept on going, don’t be surprised if people around you can hardly contain their surprise. It’s like you’re the new circus sideshow in town.

So, I’m happy to be your cheerleader as you and your child enter this phase of extended breastfeeding – not only because it’s hard to find people who WILL cheer you on, but because I am in the same boat as you. That’s right – I am “still” nursing my daughter as well.

Read more about "breastfeeding toddler" here!

As my little girl neared her first birthday, many of my friends and family members seemed to expect that I would be also be toasting this special day as an end to my breastfeeding days as well (at least until we had our next child). But I had other plans in mind.

My daughter was still enjoying nursing, as was I, and there weren’t any other factors for me wanting or needing to stop breastfeeding. Plus, we were planning a trip to see family in Mexico in another month, and with the extreme heat down there (we were brilliant enough to plan a trip when the average daily temperature soared above 100 degrees Fahrenheit), I thought it would be a good idea to continue nursing her so that she was receiving extra liquids and had something comforting while we were in such a different place.

(Of course, I didn’t keep enough liquids in myself to keep up with this and ended up in the hospital with dehydration after coming back home – but that’s another story.)

Then, as we headed into the fall and winter, a new concern crept into my mind – H1N1. My daughter’s day care center is located inside of an elementary school, so with all those kids around, I was a little more concerned about her contracting it. And since we were both still enjoying it, I figured we’d keep going so that I could at least get her through cold and flu season with a little extra dose of antibodies through my breast milk.

Now, there was a little bit of weaning involved; once my daughter went “back to school” (day care) in September, after her first birthday, we slowly eased down from four nursing sessions a day – which involved me pumping twice a day at work – to two nursing sessions: once in the morning when she woke up, and once in the evening when she went to bed.

I’ve definitely had my share of new experiences in this area, and there are certainly lots of things to think about if you’re considering extended breastfeeding – but so far, I’ve found that it hasn’t been all that difficult.

Many moms seem most concerned about handling a teething breastfeeding toddler. Yes, you might have a few instances where your baby might try using your nipple as a teething toy, or might find it funny to bite you and see what your reaction might be – but this would be an excellent time to put into practice some of the parenting techniques you may have read about before. (Just my natural reaction – a shocked gasp – was enough to keep my daughter from doing it again for a while.)

There are different ways of balancing starting solids with nursing that allow your baby to try new foods, but continue a healthy nursing pattern. I’ve never quite understood how some people think that once you start giving a child baby food that she won’t want breast milk anymore – yes, her eyes are now opened to a world of new tastes and textures, but your milk is still the best thing she’s ever tasted!

Okay, now so far we’ve been in relatively calm waters – but hang on, we’re going to get into the stuff you probably really want to know about when it comes to extended breastfeeding. Like, oh, I don’t know – maybe breastfeeding and sex? Or recognizing the signs of pregnancy while breastfeeding?

Yeah, now we’re talking!

These are probably the things that consume your thoughts a bit more when you’re thinking about continuing to nurse your child – and if they’re not your thoughts, they might be your husband’s.

Ovulating while breastfeeding might be different for a while as your body balances out, but the whole breastfeeding and menstrual cycle returning will eventually coincide and make it easier to predict your more fertile days. (Whether or not you choose to use them is up to you!)

Recognizing the signs of pregnancy while breastfeeding is also quite important, so that you can make sure you’re getting the proper care and preparing accordingly – including deciding if you want to continue breastfeeding while pregnant (which is totally possible, but there are some things you should know first).

But if you decide it's time for weaning from breastfeeding your baby - because you're pregnant or for any other reason - I have some suggestions for that as well.

Again, congratulations on continuing this wonderful path of nursing your child. I hope you receive tons of support and positive reinforcement – but if you don’t, please know that I’m always here for you!

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