How long can you nurse?

By four to six weeks, your baby will have worked your milk supply up almost to its maximum. So how will you continue to satisfy her? In fact, while her body weight is increasing, her growth is slowing down. The net result is that her milk requirements won't change much for the next few months. On average, babies have almost constant calorie needs between the ages of one month in four to six months. This means that when you have successfully reached one month, there is no biological reason why you can't nurse exclusively for several more, as long as you continue to nurse regularly. Some mothers can even increase their supply beyond six months. However, exclusive nursing is not usually a good plan after this time, because breast milk no longer satisfies essential nutrient requirements. In addition, the introduction of solid food by six months is valuable because it gives your babies facial muscles the exercise they need for speech in a few months.