12 1/2 months old, what's average?

[@llli*rubyplum]

Hi Mamas,

This is my first post, so hello everyone!

My little girl turned one about two weeks ago, and she nurses 7-8 times a day. Would you say this is average for this age? And at what age does it become more like 2-4 times?

I'm asking because since becoming a nursing mother, my cycles have been shorter than they ever were, and I've read that hormones become more normal when one nurses less than 4x a day. I'm just concerned with how all of this affects my fertility.

Thank you!

[@llli*mommal]

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on making it to a year of nursing, and then surpassing that achievment!

There is a really wide variation in what is "average" for year-old babies. Some of them nurse like newborns (10-12 sessions/day) some of them are nursing 7-8 times a day, some are nursing just a few times a day, and some are completely weaned. My kids were both generally nursing 8-10 times per day at a year, and both continued to do so until they transitioned to eating larger quantities of solids at around 14-15 months. Both of them had little interest in solids and remained predominantly breastfed until around 14-15 months, so it makes sense that they needed a lot of nursing sessions. I didn't get down to 2-4 sessions per day until my kids were over 2 years- but again, there is a huge variation in what is normal when you get into toddler nursing!

How short are your cycles? Are you charting? What are your goals, WRT your fertility?

[@llli*rubyplum]

My cycles are 25-26 days (they used to be 28-29). I haven't started charting yet. We moved and I need to figure out where I stashed my basal thermometer! I'll be 42 in September, so I feel like if I want to have another baby I don't want to wait much longer.

Thanks for the response!

[@llli*mommal]

Dig out that BBT thermometer. I wouldn't draw any conclusions about fertility without a couple months worth of data. I know that's hard to accept when you are, like me, an "older" mom and worried about what the future holds for your family plans... But I swear charting is the answer to all fertility questions.