Changing opinions

ArcadianDreams

On Monday my little guy will be six months old, and I will be facing a dilemma. My goal was to BF for six months, as the minimum recommended AAP timeframe. Which means I made my goal, which I am really proud of!!

But, it also seems to mean that a lot of people expect that I am going to wean him now. I'm sure that is partially my fault because when people used to ask if we were still nursing, I'd say "Yes, my goal is to go for six months". And when he was born, six months seemed like forever and I thought how ecstatic I would be to make it that far. The closer it got though, the more I kept thinking how I am really not ready to give it up. Sure, it would be *amazing* to have a lunch break at work again. But then I think about how he still wakes up at night to nurse, and how we nurse all weekend, and I think how much less pleasant those times would be if I had to take the time to heat up a bottle instead of just cuddling up with him. Plus the biological benefits...initially I was under the impression that the greatest benefits occurred in the first six months, and after the baby passed a year there really wasn't a point except for the psychological bonding factor. Lately I have been doing some reading on the benefits of extended breastfeeding and have realized that isn't the case at all. And to put it short, I think I now *want* to continue nursing as long as he wants to, even though that means I have to continue pumping like a crazy person at work. (Or maybe I will reevaluate again at a year, but I'm definitely happy to continue for now).

There really isn't a point of needing advice here, although I am kind of dreading knowing I will get some big side-eyes the longer we continue. From the family and the world at large, but particularly from my DH. I hate admitting it but he was never a giant supporter of BFing, no matter how many times I explained the reasoning. He was raised on formula and is in the "formula is fine" camp, and thinks I am making things harder on myself than they need to be. The best I can say is that he has humored me and didn't try to stop me doing it, even though he didn't get it. But I'm pretty sure he expects that by the end of the next month or two, the baby will be weaned. And I kind of hate that societal expectations are the most likely thing I can foresee causing me to wean at this point, whether that is in the next few months or after his first birthday.

Did you know that the "natural" self-weaning age for a child is typically between 18 and 24 months, but that biologically our ancestors likely continued occasional nursing for even a few years after that?