What was your very first goal?

[Busty McBust]

Mine, with my first baby, was 3 months.. then I assumed I would gradually wean into formula.

I ended up nursing him 18 months. :)

With my second, my goal is 2 years. He is 16 months old and still nursing. :)

[Small Town Ho]

My goal was originally 3 mos and we're still going strong at 7 mos. The goal now is to self-wean.

[O.B.E.]

Origanally 6 months. DS just turned 6 months and is still going strong. I couldn't imagine weaning at this point. I assume he will self-wean when he is ready.

[Momtose]

My goal was 6 months. Having a short goal help in the early days to get me through the troubles. Then my goal was the AAP recomendation of a year. Then I stopped having goals, per se.

[Clutterbug]

Before my DD was born I knew very little about breastfeeding and knew very few people IRL that had breastfed. Honestly, my biggest initial motivation to BF was because formula was so expensive and I figured why not try to feed my baby for free.

So, to answer the question, my very first goal was to try it out and see how it went. While I was pregnant I did some reading and most everything seemed to indicate that the first 4 weeks were the roughest, so I then made that my goal. I nursed DD for 8 months and was satisfied with that.

Because I did more reading and research before I had DS, my goal with him was 1 year. He's now 13 months and I'll nurse him as long as his little heart desires. :love

[Snapper]

I would say my first goal was 6 months, but after I got through the first 2-3 months I decided she can go as long as she wants. I knew there was no way I or she was stopping at 6 months. She loves me too much! :love

[Busty McBust]

Having a short goal help in the early days to get me through the troubles :ITA

Just wanted to add that I in no way plan an abrupt weaning at 2 years, but that at that point I will probably start a new policy of don't offer, don't refuse".

[flosswrangler]

My goal was to TRY bf.

[EVE]

My goal was one year. Dd is 7 months now and things are going good. Looks like we will make our goal. I would like to let her self wean, but at the same time, I just want to be done with the pumping. I feel good that we will continue for at least a year, but guilty that I want to wean soon after.

[Momtose]

psst, eve, you can quit pumping, but keep nursing. ;)

[funkytown]

With both babies, my initial goal was one year.

With my first, I had so many problems in the beginning that I changed my goal to six weeks then twelve weeks. Finally, at about four months, all was well and my goal was one year again. I nursed her for 17 mos..

I plan to begin weaning this baby at one year and to have her fully weaned by 18 mos also.

[Big Lots Quacker]

Six months. I wanted to quit after a few weeks. I thought it would be easier to just give her a bottle. Dh told me it was just a few months of my life for our baby but if I really wanted to I should quit. He was pissed at the time and it was mean but he was right. So I told him I would keep it up for 6 months. By the end of the week I was loving it. He was right, I was being selfish. She is still going at 21 months.

[Nova]

I figured I'd make it to at least one year. She's 17 months now and still nurses a lot. I'm planning to let her self wean.

[Mickey]

:hello My first child i was hoping for a year...lasted 2 months.My second child i was hoping for a year ...still going strong after 17 months,Im just going to take it as it goes and if we decide that its time to wean that will happen when we are both ready.

[BlueEeyore]

I was going to "try it"

Then 3 months

Then 6 months

Then a year.

Now, 2 days after my dd's 1st birthday, my goal is self-weaning - whenever that might be.

[crazyaboutmyson]

With ds, my original goal was 1 year. After ds was born and had problems latching on due to inverted nipples, my goal changed to 2 weeks. Once we figured out all this nursing stuff, my goal went back to one year.

[Diz]

I had many goals from Days to weeks to months.

My long term goal was 3 months. My dd is now 6 months old.
I don't know when we will be done. I can't wait to be done, it has been to much of a stuggle to just relax and enjoy. I have to return to work this fall before she is 1. I can't pump at work, so I am not sure how that is going to work out.

I don't have any more set goals, just take it day by day. I am getting pressured to wean from many family members (not my dh) They all feel she is to small and I have done a bad thing by nursing her.

[BlueEeyore]

Originally posted by Diz
They all feel she is to small and I have done a bad thing by nursing her.

Good for you for hanging in there. It's too bad they know so little.

[graciass]

i had a long term goal of 12 months, but after the first day, thought i'd give it six weeks and re-evaluate. ds nursed till he self-weaned after his 3rd bday. :D

[Ima Freak]

My goal was one year. Now (17months), I'm planning to let him self-wean more or less... He's still such a baby, you know? I can't imagine not nursing him...

I had horrible, evil, catastrophic ppd shortly after his birth. I just lay in bed while my mother and partner took care of the baby, but I nursed him when he was hungry (and then handed him back). shudder. It was really one of the worst experiences of my life. I fantasized all day about formula so I could just lie there staring at the wall and not even need to feed him. But, I am so grateful that I didn't do it. BF is such a precious part of our relationship, such a sweet connection. And, I'm pretty sure that bf was part of the cure...

mush mush mush :heart

[soldier wife]

My first goal was 6 weeks. After making it there with little trouble, I made my next goal to be a year. Haven't made it there yet (we're halfway!) but I'm hoping to self wean. So I guess that's my new goal. We'll see how it goes, I'm not sure where my comfort level is. I can't see myself nursing a 2-3 year old, but ya never know. (But I say this while looking at ds, who's 3 1/2 - I didn't nurse him, I've been told it's different when its' the baby you've nursed all along). Guess we'll see!

[BlueKitten]

With my twins, and my third my goal was 3 mos. I went 3 mos with the girls, and then 4 mos with my son. Now with #4 my goal was 6 mos, he is now 7 mos and we are still going strong.

It was a tough decision as I have some fun mental health issues, so there's been a lot of adapting as far as meds and dosage. He would also not take a bottle and that was getting a little overwhelming, but he is now taking a bottle-whew! I also have had a terrible time with mastitis. I'm pretty proud of myself that we've made it this far. I'm planning on a year now, possibly a little over.

[Sybil]

My first goal with my first born was child led weaning, but I got pregnant with #2 when #1 was a year old. I ended up graduallly cutting down on nursings and ending night nursings and #1 stopped nursing when he was 19 months. I was 7 months pregnant at the time and I felt like such a wuss, because I just couldn't take the nursing anymore. My second born is 16 months and still nursing like crazy. I hope that I have it in me to let him self-wean. So far, so good.

[catlvr976]

My first was: "going to try to nurse"
My next goal was to make it through HORRIBLE nipple pain that I thought would never end...
Now, it's self weaning.

[Inkah]

I never really set a goal. I knew from the start that I would be done nursing her when she decided that she was done. :dunno

[Fern]

the first goal i set was to make it to a year since that was what was recommended by the AAP. now i know we'll be going beyond a year because she is still so attached to nursing at nearly 11 months.

now the only goal i focus on is to be done pumping ASAP, so i need to get her on more solids and hopefully she'll be able to adjust to cow's milk or soy or rice milk easily once she turns 1. i am so sick of pumping and i am getting lazy about it so i'm depleting my freezer stash.

[nano]

3 months, then 2 weeks, then 4 weeks, then 6 months. Now we're just about at a year. I'm not sure when I'll be done.

[dallas]

My original goal was 1 yr and I'm almost there ( 2 months to go). I don't see me weaning her any time soon. However, I can't wait to stop pumping!

[sophrosune]

My first bebbe is 4 weeks old, my goal is a year but no less than 8 months. Everything has gone well so far, but I really hope he is cool with weaning at a year.

[momiam]

My goal has always been 2 years. He's 13 months now.

[momma2kai]

Originally it was to "try" bf'ing. At 3 weeks I gave in to the nipples that felt like they were going to fall off and gave ds a bottle of formula.

Then my goal became 6 mos. DS will be a year a week from today and I can't see us weaning any time soon. I plan to start weaning him around 2, using the don't offer/don't refuse method. I personally wouldn't feel comfortable nursing a 3 year old, but that's just me and of course those feelings are always subject to change. DS's not 3 yet so I can't say what I'd do.

[trtlmomma]

My first goal was to make it through the first year. She is now 28 months and going strong, plan on letting her self wean.

[Debby in Oregon]

I never had goals with any of my 5. I weaned my oldest when I had to do my 2 week thing in the US Army Res. My other 3 boys were do to being pg with the next. My youngest boy was just over 2 when we found out we were pg and I weaned. It was a belighted ovem :(. I'm now nursing my one and only DD and she's 9 months old. I plan on self weaning.

[RJsMum]

At first I wanted to make it through the week! After we got use to bfding I said 6 mos. We we met that a month ago and dh has said all along that he would like me to do it for a year. I can't imagine giving him anything else so we are still nursing strong and ver often lately! I am nt sure if I want to let him self wean or I am going to wean him. I need to get closer to a year I think and see how things are goiing.

[ButterFlyGal]

My first goal was 2 weeks, then 6 months, now 1 year. Only 3 months to go!