| What is wrong with extended nursing?
Posted: 10/6/2009 10:10:24 PM | | What is wrong with extended nursing? Over the years I've seen a lot of talk about extended nursing. Those in the know, as in health practitioners, who deal with this question from clients or patients, seem to all say that it is fine and actually healthy for both the Mom and the infant, toddler or child. Yet most women, even some of those who advocate the practice, have a hard time accepting the behavior they advocate. They often say they feel strange doing it or seeing another woman do it. What's up with that? | |
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| What is wrong with extended nursing?
Posted: 11/2/2009 9:43:11 PM | | I think once the child is old enough to be solely on solids and dairy products (around 1.5-2 years) it becomes inappropriate. It's healthy for mother and baby, helps with attachment, helps mom get back into shape faster, gives the baby extra protection from illnesses, helps the baby get used to eating strong flavored foods (since the flavors change with mom's diet). However, I don't believe that it is or ever will be okay for a woman to whip it out anywhere and start feeding. For heaven sakes go to the bathroom for 30 seconds, get comfortable, and cover up with a blanket before heading back out to the mall or restaurant or whatever...it's just common modesty! IMO | |
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| What is wrong with extended nursing?
Posted: 11/2/2009 10:18:41 PM | | As a former La Leche League leader each situation is unique. Many women around the world breastfeed well past age three. ~Beth~ | |
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| What is wrong with extended nursing?
Posted: 11/6/2009 5:43:19 PM | After age 3 (and that's pushing it), the child no longer needs it. The extended period seems indicative of a mother with separation issues. Allow the child to risk healthy separation so it can individuate- and become an autonomously functioning human!
The "weirdnesses" that a child would develop from serving as an emotional surrogate for its mom are too many and too varied to go into here!
Jewels | |
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| What is wrong with extended nursing?
Posted: 11/7/2009 10:39:59 AM | "The "weirdnesses" that a child would develop from serving as an emotional surrogate for its mom are too many and too varied to go into here!"
Some would propose that the "weirdnesses" that a child would develop from NOT getting the emotional support needed from extended nursing might be much more numerous and severe to the detriment of the child's development. Consider where we are as a culture who stops breast feeding at an age younger than the recommends. The World Health Organization recommendation is that mothers continue this bonding and feeding practice til age 2 or beyond. | |
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| What is wrong with extended nursing?
Posted: 11/8/2009 1:23:13 AM |
JewelsnTools wrote:After age 3 (and that's pushing it), the child no longer needs it. The extended period seems indicative of a mother with separation issues. Allow the child to risk healthy separation so it can individuate- and become an autonomously functioning human!
reputable data that proves your point.
http://www.llli.org/ba/Feb01.html La Leche League International.
Many people are surprised to learn that experts consider 4 or 5 years to be the average age of weaning worldwide.5 Research by Dr. Katherine Dettwyler, anthropologist at Texas A&M University, argues that the natural weaning age for human beings falls between 2.5 and 6 years of age.6 An informal survey conducted by Dr. Dettwyler indicated that many more women in the United States are nursing children past infancy, and she has reports of children as old as ten years old still breastfeeding. So many women are breastfeeding past infancy that two books on the subject have chapters on nursing past age four (MOTHERING YOUR NURSING TODDLER, by Norma Jane Bumgarner, and The Nursing Mother’s Guide to Weaning, by Kathleen Huggins).7, 8 Many people, however, are not familiar with the idea of extended breastfeeding, since older nursing children do not nurse frequently or urgently, and most mothers nursing an older child do not do so openly in public. They may not even admit to their doctors that they are still breastfeeding. It is ironic that our society does not seem to object to children sucking their fingers, pacifiers, or bottles past infancy, but many are outraged when a child who can walk and talk is still breastfeeding. Because our culture tends to view the breast as sexual, it can be hard for people to realize that breastfeeding is the natural way to nurture children.
More and more experts and professionals are encouraging extended breastfeeding, as there is substantial evidence that health benefits continue and increase the longer the child breastfeeds. The current recommendations of the World Health Organization and UNICEF are for all mothers to breastfeed until age 2 or beyond. Studies have shown that the antibodies and immunities in a mother’s milk are more concentrated the longer she nurses, to make up for the fact that the child does not nurse as often. Recent studies also indicate that extended periods of breastfeeding offer mothers protection against breast cancer.9, 10
Children who nurse past infancy have their own developmental timetables. Many nurse for only a few minutes at bedtime, upon waking, or at nap time. Some may go days or even weeks without asking to nurse. Some wean only to resume nursing when stressful events occur in their lives, such as the birth of a sibling. When little ones get sick, most mothers find that the amount of nursing increases. Breastfeeding is primarily for comfort as children pass their first birthday, and there is nothing wrong with that. Some people may assume that if a child is nursing past infancy, it must be influenced by the mother ’s desires or wishes. To the contrary, the child is the one who determines if breastfeeding is going to continue. It is well known in the field of lactation that it is very difficult to make a child breastfeed.
~Beth~ | |
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