Hi all, I'm a new mother and have been advised that I should stop breast feeding at the age of 12 months. I was doing searches on breast feeding and came across this Video on how a British Mother was still breast feeding at the ages of 5 and 9. Would this not emotionally scar children? The Video is here if you would like to see it: http://www.zoobat.com/?p=70
No. Breastfeeding a preschooler/up to whenever doesn't emotionally scar a child. I thought it was funny how Dr. Phil said that breastfeeding past Xmonths old was bad, but when a mother brought in her 15 month old that was pulling her HAIR out in CLUMPS because she was forcefully weaned and pushed out of her momma's arms, it wasn't dr. phil that told her she'd weaned too early/forcefully. A child knows when the time is right to stop breastfeeding. Some kids stop early (10-15 months) and some children need that comfort for a very long time. As long as YOU and BABY are comfortable, happy, and healthy, don't listen to ANY advice about when to wean.
no my younger brother was breastfeed until he was about 4 when he decided to ween himself in other countries many children breastfeed until 7-8 because it one of there biggest forms of nutrition Dr.Sears reccomends extended breastfeeding past 12 months of age www.askdrsears.com
bfing past one is just as great as before! I hate it when you hear that on TV all the time. Supernanny was on one night (i know, that show already has issues to start with), and there was one couple on who's 17 month old was still bfing. Granted, the mom couldn't get anything done with her other kids cuz her baby was constantly on her boob, the show potrayed it as something horrific! In the beginning of the show, supernanny says, "bfing at 17 months?! would someone get this baby a bottle!!!" I was thinking, "only 17 months? WTF?" yeah, and dr phil has some issues with bfing, too. I find it hilarious that he has the dr sears family on there all the time, but he hardly believes in anything they say! I don't know if anyone saw his outburst on the thought of wet nurses the other day...he freaked!
I think past three it becomes less about the baby and more about what the mom gets out of it. IMO, BF till 8 is just crazy.
What does the mom get out of bfing an 8 year old? Seriously? I'm sure that mother, in some part of her, would like to have her body back completely to herself. I'm sure she probably has better things to do with her time. But it's not about her. It's about the security her child has knowing that whenever she needs comforted, she has the loving arms and nourishing milk of her mother. Children hold onto comfort objects all the time, be it sucking their thumb, a stuffed animal, a beloved baby quilt, or in this instance, a breast. At least with breastfeeding, she's not exposing herself to countless mites and dust (old quilts and stuffed animals) or hurting her mouth and teeth structure (sucking her thumb). She's secure, healthy, and obviously a normal functioning child. I think if an 8 year old were still exclusively breastfed, it would be indicative of a problem, and some sort of issue with the mother. But breastfeeding once or twice a week (or more often if sick or stressed out) is completely fine. Just recently (this winter) a family was trapped in a mountain snow storm. The father died while trying to find help. But the mother and her children (5 and infant) survived, the children were fine. Why? Because both of them breastfed. Had the 5 year old been weaned, would she have been in such a healthy state? Probably not. Let's diagnose real problems in people, not fantasize about there being problems where none exist. A mother-child breastfeeding bond is complex and this society and medical establishment know nothing about it, and chose to remain ignorant while throwing out random false bits of opinion. Sorry to be so long-winded. /rant
