This is something that si important if you are planning to give breast milk to your baby for a long time.
It will be nice to see the comments or recomendation of those momes that succesfully breastfed their babies for more than 6 month.
Please tell us how long did you breastfed and if you are presently doing it (more than 6 month) and share with us what do you think have to do with the fact that you had a long milk production.
Thanks for sharing.
I breastfed my son until he was 2. I donated my extra milk to a milk bank until he was about 5 months old.
I am still breasfeeding my son at 9 months old and I plan to continue as long as I can.
I drink Alot of water and eat steel oats http://www.quakeroats.com/products/oatmeal/steel-cut-oats.aspx or if I am out of that regular oatmeal.
In the earlier months it seemed that my son was eating all day and most of the night.
I was so scared I was not producing enough milk so I did a google search and consulted my doctor and his pediatrician with what I found and then I started taking fenugreek pills three times a day and drinking mother’s milk tea twice a day http://www.traditionalmedicinals.com/mothersmilk/
Now I drink the tea and take the fenugreek vitamins every couple of days.
I breastfed for 26 months but found the milk just kept adjusting to what she needed. She fed very frequently though.
I am still waiting to see what will happen this time around as my daughter is only 3 months old, but I suspect we will just keep going for a while.
Nursing on demand
Red Raspberry Leaf tea together with nettle, alfalfa
Oats are great and so is fenugreek
Get rest
Brewers yeast
Breastfed my daughter for 11 months ( she self-weaned, and I was pregnant at that time already)
Breastfeeding my son presently at 10 months with no intention to stop any time soon
It is important to have good protein diet in addition to herbal supplements, teas mentioned earlier. Also make sure to get plenty of liquid. Co-sleeping helps tremendously as well.
I am still breastfeeding my baby who is 8 mths now. I think what helped me the most:
1- Breastfeeding on demand from the beginning. Now he crawls towards me and tugs my T-shirt when he needs milk, that’ so cute :happy:
2- Oats in my breakfast every morning + eating healthy (I eat organic too)
3- Co-sleeping: that’s so efficient
4- Water, water, water, all day long.
My first nursed until the week he turned 3 years old. I had to suddenly wean due to preterm labor concerns.
My second is 16 months and still nursing. Neither has had any formula ever.
I think the most important things aren’t supplements.
-believe in yourself
-don’t supplement or have formula in the house. If baby is over hungry, you will have time to get to the store. (though if you are worried, I’d recommend renting a baby scale to check for proper weight gain.)
-nurse on demand
-have support. I cannot recall it now, but remember reading an article that showed the most important factor in breastfeeding success is the father’s attitude. But, if you don’t have that, find support somewhere.
-drink lots of water and sufficient calories
The other supplements are great too, if needed. But I believe in trying these first, starting with believing in yourself.
Nurse on demand, learn to make oatmeal overnight in the crockpot, and take sugested herbal supplements if necessary. Fenugreek is a good one, when you detect a hint of maple syrup in your perspiration you know you’ve take enough. Really. lol
Check out www.kellymom.com for the best lactation information! And of course la leche league is full of information too. I nursed my DD until 22 months or so, I weaned her at my request and my only regret is stopping so soon. My son preferred the bottle because I exposed him to too many bottles (tandem nursing was one of the hardest things I have ever done) and grew accustomed to it, I finished weaning him at 9 months in part due to a medication I was taking.
I regret stopping with both children when I did and if I could go back in time, I would have nursed them both longer.
nhockaday, until 2 month or 2 years?.
Lucky of you to have much more milk than wsas requiered and congratulations for donating and helping those that need it.
i was surprise to see how long do you breatfeed. Unfortunately i only breastfeed 1 month because when i start to work and extract so little that there was no milk anymore. Remenber i am a grandma and in that time (1975 to 1984) there was only the manual pump to help exttract but we have no idea that the milk could be refrigerated for later.
Thanks for all the recomendations. I will also look into that pages you mention.
Only one question. Do any of you work outside ofr the house?
i know that being at home and taking charge of all the chores is also a lot of work but having to go to an office and specially it is far from home, then it gets harder.
I don’t work outside of the home (I breastfed until almost 3 years for one and going on 17 months for the other). Being in proximity to the baby absolutely makes it easier. Not that it’s impossible otherwise, though I cannot give advice from experience on that.
My mother had similar information to you and I was born in the time period you had your children. I actually went home from the hospital after birth before her and no one told her anything about keeping her milk supply up. They supplied her with a pump after the nurses got mad at her for constantly leaking milk everywhere, but she had no clue about saving that milk. She poured it out, and I was fed formula at home by my grandmother.
I think the Internet and this generation of parents (and well, everything) changes the ballgame so much as to what information people have access to.
I forgot to add my mom had intended - and did - breastfeed me, but only for 3 months, I believe because of misinformation. She still regrets it. (she did the best she could, so I don’t)
2 years. I didn’t intend to breastfeed that long; I was aiming for a year, but it ended up working well for us 
I will donate milk again if I ever have another baby. I think it’s a great thing to do if you have enough to share. The only reason I didn’t do it longer was b/c I went on vacation and stopped pumping for the milk bank. Then my supply went down.
I am still breastfeeding Ella, who is 2 years 10 months old now, and will probably continue until she self-weans or we get serious about trying for a second baby. :laugh:
I had a very difficult time when I first started breastfeeding. My milk did not come in on time, Ella would not latch on properly, we were battling thrush, and I was not producing enough milk. On top of that, I had to go back to work 7 weeks after delivery. Somehow, we made it through and things got easier around the 6th month or so. What helped me the most with increasing milk production was:
I second the recommendation for the kellymom website: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/index.html. It was my one-stop shop for breastfeeding info.
We started solid food at 6 months and I pumped at work until Ella turned 1 year old. My Medela breastpump and I were inseparable! lol
My son would’nt latch on but I was keen on giving him breast milk- so I kept pumping every 3 hours no matter what (even pumped in air on a long flight :yes: )
I started taking fenugreek tablets after the 7th month. He was only on breastmilk for 9 months
Karma to all of you!
I admire your perseverence! I didn’t breastfeed long. The first few months were very stressful and our son didn’t latch on properly… I tried to use the breast pump and refrigerate the milk, especially after the milk startet again at one month and a half with our son’s help, but I couldn’t continue for long… Well… Iv’e learned my lesson.
Now I’m all ears when it comes to breastfeeding as we’re thinking about having a second baby. And this time I want to make things better.
Here’s a “what NOT to do” list I have regarding breastfeeding, in order:
- C-section birth (necessary then) and not being (allowed) immediately after birth to spend quality time with our son (only after 5 days I could be with him all the time)
You’ve given me good tips! 
Hi everyone
I have just seen this post.
My girl is 28 monts and i am still breastfeeding,
How I have gone this long? no idea :clown: I have never thought about breastfeeding before but this is something that just happened
Now my feelings are just confused, because i would like to stop, I am very tired and she keeps laching on me for nearly 1 hour everynight and whenever i am not working
I try to be with her as long as I can, but if anybody could help me to stop it?
I just don’t want to let her cry as everybody says, but I think she will never stop
any help?
and how did I do to have milk and prolong it? no idea , it just happened and i am 42
All the best
Andreasro,
I know its easy for me to say, but don’t blame yourself- all of us go through different situations so we really can’t compare. Even my son was in the NICU for 4 days- I shudder thinking about those days and am still wondering where I got all that courage from. He was kept away from me for all that time but I had camped myself in the NICU I guess, when the mom is strong and ready, she can make things happen :)- whatever anyone says.
Hello everybody,
I am also here to share my experience, in my case, besides lots of water that is primordial, I take pulsatila homeopathic pills.
Luck for all.
My third baby is 4m now.