OMG, @PizzaGirl, I’m really glad I hadn’t just taken a sip of my coffee just then. Lol.
Anyone care to share how many months your kids were breastfed?
9-13-51
10-15-28
I worked full-time from 10 weeks. I pumped and my kids reverse cycle nursed
Yes, she did. The similarity was remarkable. 
I breastfed both kids for about a year until they sprouted teeth and started gnawing on me. Then we mutually decided that cheeseburgers were better than breastfeeding.
For the first month with each kid I cried every time I had to breastfeed because it hurt so much. Not because I was waiting too long, but because I was super sensitive. It took about a month for the nerve endings in that area to konk out. It sucked, (no pun intended), but with the second one I knew I just had to make it a month before it got better so it was easier to grit my teeth and hang on.
I tried to pump so my husband could feed them and I could have some downtime not being the milk truck. It didn’t work for me, and that was ok. If I had felt that it wasn’t ok, we would have supplemented with some formula. But we were both ok (if exhausted) with me being the milk truck for the first year. I did start feeding them rice and oatmeal in addition to breastfeeding after about 4 months because feeding them every hour and a half was wiping me out.
That said, while I think breastfeeding is nutritionally optimal, I don’t think the kid’s going to be ruined if you formula feed it instead. There’s a whole giant spectrum of “that’s ok”.
One of these things is not like the others.
15-15-24+ (last one special needs). Back to work at 4 weeks. Baby 1 had one bottle formula/day. #2 and #3 never had formula. I pumped and didn’t have any issues with them transitioning to taking bottles of pumped milk. I get frustrated with barriers hinder nursing, including at hospitals.
If the OP is still around–this has been an enlightening thread. I’ve been on both sides of some of these issues and have read it with interest. I hope everything works out for the best and am glad you can be a part of your grandchild’s life.
@zoosermom I think your description is more apt-pumped at work and nursed at home
9-12-24
I - more or less - let the child decide when to quit, except for my last one. She would have nursed indefinitely. The older two lost interest, if that makes sense. They didn’t transition to a bottle … they just moved on.
8-15-12 The older ones it was more of an evening thing once they got to be able to drink out of a cup.
Well for me, you can’t leave out the reverse cycle nursing because my babies never had a bottle. Not even expressed breastmilk. As a side note, my husband to this day blames breastfeeding for the fact that my son is the laziest human to ever walk the earth. The boy can point, grunt and accept food like nobody’s business!
9-7
I was a bit miffed when the second one started to refuse at 7 months, but went with it. About a year later I was diagnosed with stage 2b breast cancer, so maybe it tasted weird? Hard to say. But creepy to consider.
I asked the oncologist whether this would have been bad for him when I was diagnosed and she said no. But it still weirds me out.
Mine lost interest at about 6 mos, so I went with it. If I had had anyone who had breastfed to consult I would have asked about getting him to continue for a while, but I didn’t.
Why am I suddenly getting images of Robin with his mom in Game of Thrones, or the Last Emperor in his early years in the movie?! There is a time to finally stop…
6 months for me, and DS was the slowest eater imaginable. I watched the entire set of reruns of Remington Steele not to mention lots of Magnum PI and and I think Quantum Leap in the wee hours of the night so it wasn’t all bad.
I’ve always thought the time to stop was when the child can button and unbutton mom’s shirt for her. 
I had one relative who went wayyy beyond that. I have no problem with a year or so if it works for everyone. I lasted for about 4 months or so as I found it near impossible to pump at work given the nature of my job and my work environment.
11-9-8. I was never all that successful pumping. The Medela breast pumps now are so nice and convenient. My DIL loved hers.
Only 2. I had to go back to work after 10 weeks and needed to be able to fit into my uniform. It was just as well, because DS had developed the habit of creating max suction, then flinging his head away from the breast. He liked the loud “pop” when the suction broke. Not to mention the fun yelp from Mommy… @-)
ROFL!
Dads can’t feel the baby move within them.
Dads can’t do labor and delivery.
Dads can’t breastfeed.
Sorry, that’s the way people were designed.
But I imagine that if the dad really wanted to be the one who fed his child, the parents would have come to the decision to let mom pump, so dad could give the baby a bottle.
It looks to me like dad’s fine with sleeping through the night. Grandma may not be fine with the decision, but I’m guessing that an adult who felt that strongly could make a good case for being able to feed the baby that pumped milk.
Men and adoptive parents could use a supplemental nutrition device to simulate breastfeeding.
15-24 for me. I had a MIL who didn’t like that I was nursing either because she wanted to feed the baby. Not change him, not stay up at night with him, just feed him. H was happy it was all on me.
I have great memories from nursing. It was easy for me. However, I will let future DILs make their own choices. If they ask, I will tell them how much I enjoyed it, how easy it made traveling, and then (I hope) I will shut up.