I'm still nursing Emmy.  I LOVE our snuggle time, so I think I'll be keeping it up for a while.  She gets distracted and doesn't always like to nurse as much as I'd like her to.  We still nurse first thing in the morning, as soon as we get home from work/daycare, and right before bed.  I'm thinking of picking up our 11:00 pm feeding as well... and I nurse her during naptime on weekends.

Traditional wisdom says to start cutting short your feeding times, and then start cutting out feedings.  I'm sure Ms. Harleigh will wean herself when she's ready.  maybe she still needs you?  I feel no pressure to stop right now.  People have made comments (my mother included) about me still breastfeeding her, but I know it is what is right for us right now.

Good luck with your decision!  Hopefully it goes well for you!

Heather, I would love to see that email :)

We are also still breastfeeding and loving it. I just want to tell you that to help you feel a bit more normal! I don't think it's weird at all for a child this age to nurse. Ellie will be 14 months old on June 11. She usually nurses in the early morning before I wake to go to work; on my lunchbreak; when I get home from work; and once or twice in the evening, including her bedtime when she nurses to sleep. She kind of enjoys solids, and also likes cow's milk quite a bit. I think she still needs to nurse a little for her nutrition, because it doesn't seem like she eats a whole lot of solid food. She's a little birdie :)  I still nurse her to sleep almost every night, usually once during the night, and almost any naps that I am present for.

Aside from it still benefiting her nutritionally, I believe the comfort is a big thing. Babies associate nursing with comfort, so I will often nurse her when she is teething or if she has a bad fall/bump. I think this is totally normal for her age and development, and I kind of like to be able to give that to her.

Just an FYI, and to give you the support you need agains any nay-sayers: a lot of medical organizations support nursing past 1 year. The AAP recommends "Breastfeeding should be continued for AT LEAST the first year of life and beyond for as long as mutually desired by mother and child... Increased duration of breastfeeding confers significant health and developmental benefits for the child and the mother... There is no upper limit to the duration of breastfeeding and no evidence of psychologic or developmental harm from breastfeeding into the third year of life or longer." The WHO (World Health Org) recommends breastfeeding for "up to two years of age or beyond."  The ADA recommends breastfeeding "until at least 12 months of age." The AAFP recommends "Breastfeeding should continue with the addition of complementary foods throughout the second half of the first year. Breastfeeding beyond the first year offers considerable benefits to both mother and child, and should continue as long as mutually desired." In fact, in their full Position Paper, the AAFP states:

"NURSING BEYOND INFANCY

As recommended by the WHO, breastfeeding should ideally continue beyond infancy, but this is not the cultural norm in the United States and requires ongoing support and encouragement.⁶⁹ It has been estimated that a natural weaning age for humans is between two and seven years.⁷⁰ Family physicians should be knowledgeable regarding the ongoing benefits to the child of extended breastfeeding, including continued immune protection,⁷¹ better social adjustment,⁷² and having a sustainable food source in times of emergency. The longer women breastfeed, the greater the decrease in their risk of breast cancer.⁷³ Mothers who have immigrated from cultures in which breastfeeding beyond infancy is routine should be encouraged to continue this tradition. There is no evidence that extended breastfeeding is harmful to mother or child. Breastfeeding during a subsequent pregnancy is not unusual. If the pregnancy is normal and the mother is healthy, breastfeeding during pregnancy is the woman's personal decision. If the child is younger than two years, the child is at increased risk of illness if weaned. Breastfeeding the nursing child after delivery of the next child (tandem nursing) may help provide a smooth transition psychologically for the older child.¹⁹

WEANING

Weaning is the time of gradually transitioning infants from mother’s milk to complementary foods or an older child’s diet. In this sense, weaning begins with the introduction of solids at the middle of the first year. Complete weaning, or complete cessation of breastfeeding, ideally should be a gradual process accomplished over a long period. There is no evidence that a specific age of weaning is necessary or mandated. Like other developmental milestones, children wean when they are ready, physically and psychologically. There are several weaning techniques that can be recommended when a mother wishes to encourage the process. Medications to decrease or stop milk production are not necessary and should be avoided. Sudden abrupt complete weaning is rarely necessary, and can place the mother at risk for engorgement, plugged ducts, galactoceles, mastitis, and breast abscesses. The child may be placed at risk for infectious illnesses, dehydration, malnutrition, and psychological trauma such as feelings of abandonment.⁸⁵ In cases in which abrupt weaning is necessary, the advice of a lactation consultant should be sought to minimize the risks."

You'll have to click on that link to the Position Paper if you want to see all the sources they cited. A few other helpful links to support nursing past the first year include this All Experts answer (which kind of reiterates some of what you see above), KellyMom.com's Nursing Past the First Year page, and the DrMomma website (linked to a page with suggestions on how to deal with biting, but you can search the website for all sorts of good info on breastfeeding).

I hope all that info helps. I feel like I'm in a very similar place as you. It really is okay to nurse a baby past a year :)  Hopefully your MIL can realize that you've got the medical community on your side, and back down a bit. Take heart though, you're doing great! Only YOU and your little girl will know when she is ready to wean. It may be sooner, it may be later. Don't worry; she'll do it when she's ready. You sound like a great mommy!

I totally love the peer support I get from more "natural" websites and facebook groups. I don't always agree with everything they advocate, or not always to the extent that they do, but it certainly falls more in line with my parenting beliefs. Sometimes I feel weird, since a lot of the things we do aren't super-mainstream (like breastfeeding past 1 year). Reading about other parents who agree with me totally helps build my confidence. I'll have to check out the Leaky B@@b on facebook! Thanks for starting this discussion!

Also, the ginormous post I made with all the information...I don't want that to serve to guilt you, or anyone, into making a choice that is not right for your family. I only wanted to get the info out there so that you and other moms have it. Just because the WHO recommends nursing to 2 years, or the KellyMom website talks about nursing 3 and 4 year olds, doesn't mean everyone has to. I'm sure you and Harleigh will know, together, when she is ready to wean, and you'll work it out just fine

Oh, the busy-ness! Yeesh. There are days where Ellie climbs on my lap, latches on to nurse, then proceeds to make attempts at standing...while nursing. Good grief! I'm just like, okay, let's sit nicely for the few minutes your nursing, then you can go on your merry way doing headstands. LOL.

I know what you mean, Heather--I worry a lot about what Ellie is eating, whether she is getting enough, how long she'll want to go. I hope our nursing relationship ends well, when Ellie is ready, and when I am, too. Hearing that your DD is weaning herself just fine puts my mind at ease...E probably will too, and lo-o-ong before college :)