The 6-month Breastfeeding Landmark

Thinking today about the 6-month milestone for breastfeeding. It's a common landmark date many moms choose as a potential end point. It's a time when for most moms the fog of the early postpartum period has lifted and the family has adjusted to the new addition. For baby, celebrating the first half-year of life is really just another day. For mom, it can signify the lifting of the pressure to provide all of the baby's intake through breastfeeding and / or pumping.

Since many babies are developmentally ready at 6 months to be introduced to solid foods, a decreased milk supply can now be supplemented with solids instead of formula. It's a gradual addition of calories from another source, so it still takes time, but psychologically that can be extremely freeing for a mom. In cases where mom has been under pressure to "teach that baby to take a bottle," by 6 months she has surpassed the need to ever use a bottle. Cups are now a realistic option.

Sometimes just knowing that baby has reached these benchmarks can make a mom feel like now she's breastfeeding by choice rather than necessity. That might even be her incentive to keep going past that original goal date. Most of the major breastfeeding hurdles are in the rearview mirror by that point and support from other breastfeeding moms can provide reassurance that she's likely to have a fairly smooth experience from then on.

Finally, if it becomes clear that her individual baby needs more time to reach the developmental readiness required for solids and cupfeeding, by 6 months the breastfeeding mom has the experience and intense awareness of her baby's unique needs to recognize and respect them.

-Christine Staricka, IBCLC, CCE

@IBCLCinCA