Comments on: After 18 Children, Breastfeeding For Michelle Duggar Continues To Be A Learning Experience

By: Tina

Tina — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 01:34:41 +0000

Wow – I feel very bad for assuming that Michelle didn’t breastfeed, I am still breastfeeding my almost 2 year old, and didn’t get my period until she was 18 months, so I just figured there was no way she could have that many children and breastfeed. It just goes to show how different each woman is! Good job Michelle! You are an inspiration to the rest of us that are dealing with 1 or 2 children at once

By: sallie

sallie — Mon, 03 May 2010 14:56:46 +0000

We discovered the Duggars at 17 kids and have been fans ever since. We TIVO the series.

I appreciate Michelle’s honesty , especially on something so intimate as breastfeeding.
The bonding with your baby is wonderful, but not always comfortable!!
It is good to hear what Michelle has to say about children and life in general.

By: Jamie

Jamie — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:11:12 +0000

BJEAN…I had the same problem and my DR told me the same thing. I knew he was nuts and luckily I didn’t follow his advice. Most of the time you have to use your gut instinct.

I love the Duggar family, thank you for this article. I am pregnant with my fourth child and I truly look forward to nursing. I only nursed my third child, I wasn’t interested with my first two. I had minor problems in the beginning but I was so determined to make it work that the problems didn’t bother me. I perservered and I am so glad I did. I nursed her for 18 months and the only reason I stopped is because I had to take a medication that was not good for her.

By: Bjean

Bjean — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 01:43:15 +0000

ps-Also breastfeeding is so easy, besides it is FREE (if you need an additional incentive). We camped and it was the ONLY way we could do so with a newborn. Consider this: if cavewomen could do it, WHY not you? Don’t overthink it. The human race would most certainly have become extinct if nursing was so difficult.

By: Bjean

Bjean — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 01:39:18 +0000

I definitely recommend breastfeeding. I nursed all 6 of mine, from 10 months to 18 months. I did not supplement with anything else. It seemed to me that my cycles started whenever the baby started sleeping more than 4-5 hours at night, regardless of their age or weight. It seemed that when you are first nursing (which is ‘on demand’ and could be as much as every 2 hrs), that your body is ‘in sync’ with the newborn’s cycle of sleeping and feeding.

I would also add that the earliest I became pg again was when the baby was 7 months old, and the latest was when the baby was 14 months old. Also that I was a very thin woman, not busty at all, and my babies were 8 lb 8 oz. to 9 lb 8 oz. The most trouble I ever had was when I had a breast infection (with my first, I probably was trying to feed ‘on schedule’ not ‘on demand’) and the Dr’s advice was to stop…luckily I had La Leche to call as that was the WORST advice. There is no way the baby was ‘infected’ (if so, the germ would be there before it became apparent to the nursing mother), and only the baby’s nursing helped clear the breast ducts. I had no luck pumping, but as I was a stay-at-home mom, it really didn’t matter. My advice: forget the house, get rest, drink fluids, and enjoy this ALL TOO SHORT time with your baby!

By: Carrie

Carrie — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:16:51 +0000

I am so pleased someone FINALLY interviewed Michelle on this topic. Several of my friends are convinced that she weans her children prematurely so that she can get pregnant again and insist that she’s admitted that somewhere but I’ve searched high and low and I’m sure this is her first interview on breastfeeding. I’ve always felt that the Duggars were unfairly criticized and it’s heartening to know that Michelle not only allows her children to nurse as long as they are able, but that she’s persevered through so many breastfeeding difficulties.

By: Jesika

Jesika — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 16:33:18 +0000

Thank you so much for the article. I have been looking everywhere for the pillow that I have seen Michelle use on the show to breastfeed while standing and walking around. I am going to buy this pillow right away! I have been breastfeeding for 6 months now and don’t have any plans to stop anytime soon. I also have had many problems along the way. I had inverted nipples and had to use a nipple shield for over a month before my daughter would latch on without it. Then was hospitalized with a case of mastitis and continued to pump throughout the 2 days I spent at the hospital. When I returned home i continued to breastfeed although it was very difficult. Then I actually got mastitis again in the same breast. However although at first it was extremely painful (the skin actually was coming off) Lanolin did help and I just continued to breastfeed and now me and my daughter are both happy!

By: Wanda

Wanda — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:10:11 +0000

To Jennifer who wants to have a second baby: I understand the desire to have a second child so soon after having the first. I had it too. But it’s better for your health to let your body recover from pregnancy by waiting until your cylces come back naturally.

Also, I had no clue how much work it is to have two children until I had them both. Mine are 3 years apart. I know several people who have two children who are 12-18 months apart. They have said that it was really hard having two young children that close in age. Both kids still really need you. When they are spaced more, it is easier. It’s just something to consider.

Finally, I wouldn’t supplement. If your child is growing well and getting the nourishment he/she needs, why add formula that is expensive and could be tainted with toxins. I wouldn’t chance it. Mother’s milk is perfectly made for baby by nature. No formula can compare.

Good luck.

By: Lauren

Lauren — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:00:12 +0000

Thank you for this honest portrayal of BF, and from the Mother of 18. It’s fantastic to hear that we aren’t truly alone.

By: Amy Spangler

Amy Spangler — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 04:50:21 +0000

Exclusive breastfeeding is one of the most effective strategies for spacing children. When breastfeeding is used to achieve a safe interval between births, it is referred to as LAM, the lactational amenorrhea method. It is only effective for the first six months after birth (the period of exclusive breastfeeding) and like all methods of child spacing it requires a level of compliance. For LAM to be effective, babies must be less than 6 months of age, exclusively breastfed (no juice, cereal, water etc. or pacifiers), and sleeping no longer than 4-6 hours at a time. In addition, mothers must not have resumed menstruation (monthly periods).

The menstrual cycle you experienced three weeks after your baby was born may not have been an actual cycle but simply a result of your uterus returning to its non-pregnant state, since you have had no evidence of bleeding since then.

I understand your desire to get pregnant, but the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding for you and your baby should be your first priority. Delaying a subsequent pregnancy will allow your body to heal and will minimize the risks associated with pregnancies spaced one right after another.

Once you introduce solid foods, for most babies this occurs around six months, your menstrual cycle will likely return. Some mothers ovulate (release an egg) and become pregnant right away, so you could become pregnant and not experience a return of your menstrual cycle.

Until then, enjoy your time together. Babies are little such a short time.