about 6 months exclusively and about 10 months with formula supplement. It was very hard, especially when I went back to work, but I loved every minute of it. You can do it.

Ohhhh my gosh, I had absolutly NO support when it came to breastfeeding and every time I'd excuse myself to nurse my son my family would say 'when are you gonna get that boy off the breast??? he's gonna be going to school and you'll need to go up there during lunch!' and he was only 6 mo old then. I nursed my son until around …13 or 14 months before he was completly weaned. It was totally worth it, I loved it and he was the one who decided to stop. He LOOOOVEED his cows milk when he turned 1 and he had absolutly no problem weaning.

You'll prolly hate it the first 3 weeks, but once you guys get in the habbit you'll do just fine! GOOD LUCK AND STAY POSITIVE!

Ignore them. I've breastfed all four of mine, and the shortest length of time for any of them was seventeen months, when my daughter self-weaned. Don't listen to people who only want to bring you down. You CAN do this, you SHOULD do this, and YES, it is totally worth it!!

P.S. I should add that it has never, ever been painful for me beyond the initial engorgement period in the first couple of days. Your nipples toughen up, your supply adjusts itself, and as long as you get a good latch, there's nothing to cause any pain. For some mothers and some babies, it really does come very naturally!

i planned to breastfeed for a year. my daughter just stopped on her own a week before her birthday. don't worry about anyone else. you ar ethe mom and you will do what you think is best for Your baby.

You're right!! They ARE Debbie Downers!!!!!!!!!!

I have been breastfeeding my son for 7 months and it did hurt in the first week or so but it got better with time once I "toughened up", my milk started flowing much better, and his mouth got a little bigger.

Is it worth it?

YES! Absolutely!

Not only is it free for me but it's hassle free. There is no buying, prepping, measuring, cleaning up.

There is no worry about planning ahead if I want to take a simple trip somewhere.

There is no worry about my baby's health because breastfed babies don't get constipated and generally don't suffer from colic. I say generally, though, because some breastfed babies do have sensitivities to what mom eats but that is so rare- and if that is the case then the baby is best to be breastfed and mom needs to cut dairy or anything else allergenic out of her diet.

There is no getting out of bed at night if you co-sleep.

there is also a sense of pride. I love it. I love that my son is thriving because of me. I make his food. I love it!

The down sides are that you are pretty much attached to your baby ALL THE TIME for like 6 months. Some might not look at that as a negative, though… but I also have 2 year old twins and some alone time is always welcome and NEEDED.

You have no idea how much your baby is getting so night weaning is very difficult. I have found it impossible. My son still gets up to nurse at night quite a bit and co-sleeping helps but I am still a little worn out.

You will probably encounter idiots asking "ARE YOU STILLLL NURSSSSSSIIIINNNNNGGGG?!" after like 2 months. LOLZ

Other than that I really can't think of any negatives. Those negatives were pretty small compared to the benefits, IMHO!

I formula fed my twins and it sucked.

I have been breastfeeding for 12 months now and I work full time. It is not as hard as I expected! Really. There are no bottles to heat in the middle of the night, nothing to sterilize and none of the expense of formula. If you want to do breastfeed successfully arm yourself with knowledge–it isn't always easy. I have not met one person who has not had some kind of problem with a breast infection or mastitis. It is very common.

Things I wish someone had told me before:
1. Some days you will hate it. But you will never regret it.
2. Don't supplement with formula/pumped breast milk just because you think you aren't making enough. Your supply will adjust as demand increases.
3. Learn to nurse while lying on your side. In a bed.
4. Wear a tank top under your shirt and then if you need to nurse in public one shirt goes up and the tank goes down and zero boob is exposed. tada!
5. If you can make it through the first six weeks you can nurse as long as you want–that's the hardest part.

Congratulations!!

I breastfed my daughter for 15 months, absolutely worth it! She didn't have an ear infection until after I stopped nursing her, her pediatrician told me 99% of formula fed babies get an ear infection in the first year…
My mother breastfed me and my immune system is great, I rarely ever get sick…
Also the bond between my daughter and I is indescribable, we are so close. I think a lot of our bonding comes from all the ups and downs of nursing. She had colic and cried for what felt like months on end. Plenty of nights we rocked and cried together, It was a very difficult time but with determination and patience we pulled through and it all made us better and stronger.
Don't listen to the debby downers, find new friends if you have to… breastfeeding can, for some, be difficult, and you need a good support system during those difficult times…
here's a link about extended breastfeeding and the many benefits:
(http://www.kellymom.com/bf/bfextended/in…
Just stay committed and you will succeed!!
Best wishes!

I planned to breastfeed until my daughter weaned herself.
Unfortunately she born tongue tied, I was naive, and was fighting an insurance company.
So I just exclusively pumped for 6 months.
I physically could have pumped longer, but pumping sucks and I gave her the minimum and checked out.

I'm sure you can do it though, just seek out help if you are having trouble.

Edit: Forgot to answer the other Q.
It was very much worth it.
I wish I hadn't gotten down about how much pumping sucked and the jealousy I had with mothers who were able to nurse while I was doing double duty. If I wasn't so wrapped up about that I would have continued pumping probably

Breast feeding is not easy. it's something you have to work on. both you and baby have to learn how to make things work for you both.

my advice, get a hold of a lactationist NOW before your baby is born. they will be able to inform you about myths, and truths and have you well prepared before your baby is here.

i breast fed mine, and YES it's worth it. the only thing that was painful was the 'let down" and that only lasted a few months, until my supply was established.

those "downers" are just quitters that are upset with their failure at it and only want to make themselves feel better by acting like they know everything…well…they don't.

In some parts of the world (australia, where I am from), not breastfeeding is frowned upon. Breastfeeding will not only give the baby all the nutrients it needs (formula is basically cow's milk and crushed up vitamins), it will deepen you attachment to your baby. See attachment parenting. That includes not letting your baby cry for longer than a few minutes. Because babies don't learn to 'settle themselves' until they are much older. Instead, they give up and think they have been abandoned. Save on their therapy bill now and breast feed and pick em up.