My Breastfeeding Journey: 15 Months of Love, Challenges & Letting Go

Breastfeeding at 15 Months: My Experience

My son is turning 15 months old in just a few days, and I find myself getting emotional looking at pictures from a year ago. Seriously… where has the time gone?

It’s so true what everyone says: the days are long, but the years are short.

I want to remember every single moment with this little prince forever—and sometimes I’m scared I won’t. His giggle, the way he walks like a little penguin, how he pulls Luna’s tail (even after I’ve told him a million times to be gentle)… thinking that one day all of this will be gone makes me incredibly emotional.

The Question of Weaning

Like many mothers, I have been thinking about weaning my baby after 15 months of breastfeeding.

And yet… every time I try, I find excuses not to do it. I postpone it again and again.

Which made me stop and ask myself: Why do I feel like I need an excuse? And… for whom?

It made me realise something uncomfortable—even though this is my body and my baby, I’m still so influenced by others and their expectations.

(My mother-in-law asking every two weeks if I’m still breastfeeding doesn’t exactly help.)

Breastfeeding Is So Much More Than Milk

It hasn’t always been easy.

Samuel was exclusively breastfed until we introduced solids—no bottles for this little prince. Even after starting solids, breastfeeding still took up a big part of our days.

Now, at almost 15 months, he’s weaned during the day (thanks to nursery). But when he’s home, and his Papa can’t put him down for a nap, I still feed him to sleep. Because that’s what he knows. That’s what he needs.

And that’s the thing—how can we stop breastfeeding without considering their needs too?

Breastfeeding is not just nutrition. It’s:

• comfort
• familiarity
• pain relief during teething
• calm during illness
• help falling asleep
• reassurance in overwhelming moments

It’s what helps when cleaning sticky eyes from nursery infections. It’s what calms him during nebuliser treatments. It even helps prevent ear pressure during flights.

And scientifically, it really is so much more than milk.

Breastmilk is a living, adaptive substance. It actually changes depending on your baby’s needs—even throughout the day. It contains antibodies that support their immune system, hormones that help regulate sleep, and the perfect balance of fats, proteins and nutrients. Your body is literally creating a custom-made formula for your baby, every single day.

And still, despite all of this, there is so much pressure to stop.

The World Health Organization actually recommends breastfeeding for up to 2 years and beyond.

And when you look at the statistics, it’s quite shocking—in the UK, only about 1% of babies are exclusively breastfed at 6 months, and only around 0.5% are still receiving any breastmilk at 12 months.

If you’d like to read more about these statistics, you can have a look at the UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative, which shares detailed and evidence-based data on breastfeeding in the UK.

Which makes you wonder… are we stopping because we want to—or because it’s what’s expected?

Gratitude for This Experience

Looking back, I remember how relieved I felt when breastfeeding worked for us.

It’s not a guarantee. So many women face challenges for so many reasons. After my caesarean, I felt incredibly lucky and grateful that it came naturally to me.

I appreciated it every day… until we hit the 1-year mark.

That’s when I started wondering: Why is it so hard to stop?

And more importantly—why should I rush to end something so unique?

Changing My Perspective

I used to think breastfeeding beyond 1 year was… strange.

Honestly, I even thought it was a bit creepy. (Yes, really.)

I compared it to scenes from Game of Thrones. I listened to friends who weaned at exactly 1 year—one night of crying, a cup of water, done.

Back then, I thought they were lucky. Now? I think I am.

A dear friend shared her story with me—she breastfed her boys until they were 3, and years later, she still regrets stopping when she did.

That changed something in me.

Now I trust my instincts. I follow my heart. I don’t want to force Samuel to stop before he’s ready. Our time will come.

And until then, I will cherish:

• This bond that no one else can replicate
• The ability to calm him within seconds
• The comfort I can give him
• The reassurance that even on days he barely eats, he is still nourished

The Reality No One Talks About

Can we talk about the beginning for a second?

Was I the only one shocked that newborns wake every 2–3 hours to feed? And if they don’t—you have to wake them?

No one warned me. But I guess that’s how it goes—we forget the hard parts and remember the beauty.

Still… it was hard. We were lucky overall, but even now (at 15 months), we still have 2 night wakings. Sleeping through the night still feels like a distant dream.

And during teething, illness, or regressions? There were nights I woke every 30 minutes.

And since Samuel refused bottles… Francesco remained the very lucky sleeping man 😄

Breastfeeding & Cravings (Let’s Be Honest)

Oh. My. God. The cravings.

Chocolate? ALL. THE. TIME.

Everyone says: “You’re eating for two” – “You deserve it” – “Breastfeeding burns so many calories anyway.”

Well… that theory didn’t quite work for me.

I gained 14 kg during pregnancy. Lost 4 after birth. The remaining 10? They stayed.

I didn’t diet—I didn’t want to risk my milk supply. And honestly? I indulged every craving.

But after about 10 months, I didn’t feel great in my body anymore. So I slowly reduced sugar… until I realised: for me, the only way was to cut refined sugar completely.

One week of cravings… and then freedom. Now, two months later, I’m back to my pre-pregnancy weight.

And here’s what I learned:

• Don’t listen too much to others
• Every body is different
• Find what works for you

Nutrition for Mama & Baby

While breastfeeding, nutrition matters—for both of you.

Since we are raising Samuel on a plant-based diet, I became more aware of certain nutrients—not in a stressful way, but simply to make sure he gets everything he needs.

Especially from around 6 months onwards, it’s important to know that babies have increased needs for certain nutrients like iron, and in some cases supplementation (like B12 or vitamin D) can be necessary.

I won’t go too deep into this here, as I share separate blog posts on vegan baby nutrition in more detail. But it’s definitely something to be mindful of—and also something I keep in mind when creating my recipes.

You’ll find that many of them are focused on key nutrients, and I’ll soon be adding labels like high iron, high calcium, and more to make this even easier.

Final Thoughts

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this journey, it’s this:

There is no “right time” to stop.

There is only your time.

So trust yourself. Trust your baby. And don’t rush something that is so deeply beautiful.