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Expert: - 6/4/2011


Question
Hello Sally Wendokos Olds,

I am wondering how long my child will breastfeed for naturally before they lose interest and I will become fertile again. I do not want to wean my child before they demonstrate a desire to, as I still nurse my almost 3 year old son and year old daughter. My children are 2 years apart at ages 5, almost 3, and one year. I am looking to conceive again in the future and like the children somewhat close in age but I am wondering what the average age is for fertility to return naturally based on the child's needs alone since extended breastfeeding alone for child spacing in this country seems rare in my experience.

Thanks for your time,

Terry

Answer
Dear Terry,

First, congratulations for giving your children the best start in life by breastfeeding them!

It's hard to say when a particular child will lose interest in breastfeeding. Some babies seem to wean themselves at about 9 months -- whereas other children still want to keep nursing at the age of 7 years!

Furthermore, there's no real average age to return to a fertile state. Some women begin to ovulate and become fertile even while they are breastfeeding quite frequently. Typically, though, once your child starts to eat other foods and you're nursing less, you will probably become fertile, but some women don't seem able to conceive until they stop nursing completely. I'm sorry that I can't give you a definitive answer to your question -- the evidence does not allow me to.

So you need to decide which is more important for you now -- to nurse your children for as long as they want to and let your body decide when to conceive, or to stop nursing at the time you decide you want to become pregnant again.

Good luck!

Sally

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Sally Wendkos Olds
Author, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING: Olds & Marks, 4th edition, September 2010, published by Workman Publishing, and available in most public libraries, bookstores & La Leche League chapters.  

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Sally Wendkos Olds

Expertise

What do you want to know about breastfeeding? I can tell you what`s good for the baby, what`s good for the mother -- and the father, how it`s related to a woman`s sexuality, how working moms can nurse, how to overcome obstacles, and lots more. As the author of THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING and author or coauthor of 8 other books and more than 200 articles about child and adult development, I can offer sound, sensible advice on breastfeeding, child care and family issues.

Experience

I nursed my 3 daughters and am the grandmother of 5 breastfed children. My book THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING (written in consultation with pediatrician Marvin S. Eiger, M.D.) was first published in 1972, and in 1999 came out in an updated 3rd Edition by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books. It is now a classic, with over 2 million copies in print. I am now revising this book for a fourth edition, consulting with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D. This new edition will be published September 2009. I welcome any and all suggestions for the new edition. I coauthored college textbooks A CHILD'S WORLD: INFANCY THROUGH ADOLESCENCE, and HUMAN DEVELOPMENT; both are leading texts in their fields and have been read by 2 million students. I am the coauthor of HELPING YOUR CHILD FIND VALUES TO LIVE BY and RAISING A HYPERACTIVE CHILD, and author of THE WORKING PARENTS' SURVIVAL GUIDE & THE ETERNAL GARDEN: SEASONS OF OUR SEXUALITY. My newest book, A BALCONY IN NEPAL: GLIMPSES OF A HIMALAYAN VILLAGE, published in 2002, tells the story of the way of life in a remote village in Nepal, where all the women breastfeed! My book, SUPER GRANNY: COOL PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES, AND OTHER GREAT STUFF TO DO WITH YOUR GRANDKIDS, will be published March 2009. I speak often to professional, parent and general audiences and make many radio and TV appearances.

Credentials I received my B.A. in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, where I minored in Psychology, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude.

Other points of interest I have received national awards for my writing, and am a former president of the American Society of Journalists & Authors. I am listed in the World Who's Who of Women, International Authors & Writers Who's Who, and Contemporary Authors, and am a member of several professional and civic organizations. I believe: that all parents are working parents; that parents employed outside the home need special support; that mothers' well-being is crucial to their children's welfare; and that the family is the best institution in the world and the one for which we are least prepared. My thrills come when parents or kids tell me they were helped by my writing or speaking or just understanding. To find out more about me, go to

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