To think their is NOTHING wrong with extended breastfeeding or wet nursing?

[Thisisaname]

Look at the comments below

I was researching extended breastfeeding and came across this.
I see nothing wrong with this, I wouldn't be 'scared' for life if I could remember being breast fed or found out I was given someone else's milk.
I think the only 'scarring' would come from going from the natural environment of being fed from something to then finding out a large majority find it sexual, not the actual feeding itself.

[EauRouge]

WoTmania! It seems like ages since I've seen you post, I was wondering if you'd namechanged or something.

I think the whole starting solids/weaning terminology can be very confusing and can lead some people to think that once you start solids then you need to wind down the milk feeds. Even HCPs can get the two confused. Weaning as a process can go on for years.

[WoTmania]

I had indeed NC'd, however the final WoT book came out a month ago and I changed back in honour

And yy to the confusion surrounding solids/weaning I've had to support quite a few mothers recently complaining about bad info re: number of breastfeeds once the are in the middle of the first year.
And it can be such a slow process: DS2 weaned incredibly gradually to the point I wasn't sure he'd stopped; he went from nursing 2-5 times a day to asking every couple of weeks over a 9 month period. I suddenly realised one day that he hadn't asked in a couple of months and that was that. No sign of the DD stopping yet although she has once gone all day without asking and stay with my parents overnight ever couple of months.

[Goldmandra]

The thing is I don't think there is anything to admire in what I did.

I didn't persevere with anything. If I hadn't liked it I probably would have stopped quite early on.

I did it because it was working well, it was easy, we both enjoyed it and there was no reason to stop.

For me expended BFin was a passive process in that I would have had to make a decision and take some action in order to end it sooner.

I think that's what some people don't get. It was a natural process fur us and there was no need to interfere with it. I certainly don't deserve any kudos for it.

[WoTmania]

Goldmandra - agree, making them stop would have been far more effort and heartache (for DC) than letting the process complete itself.

[FadBook]

Goldmantra - I totally relate to your last post. Why "fix" something that doesn't need fixing. A close relative who I have lots of respect for doesn't get why I'm still feeding my 18 month dd. It's not in a nasty way, she doesn't see it as normal or that to stop dd feeding now would be days, perhaps weeks of tears, tantrums and more importantly denying her doing something she actually likes (and I like too). It doesn't make sense to me to physically take action to change something when it's fine and normal for us to continue until she's ready to stop (which by the way seems to have slowed right down in the last week, including her actually, dare I whisper it: sleeping through last night a full 12 hours....sssh).

For you posters who are feeding beyond my dd's age, do you recall sleep or feeding habits changing around 18 months? She seems to be eating a lot more solids. Still has feeds during the day if I'm around but yesterday was the first time that I'd not been around for the day and she didn't demand milk when picking her up. Normally she's adamant she wants milk the moment I walk in ignores feeling of redundancy!

[BertieBotts]

I don't know about 18 months, although that was a very stressful time for us, but at 22 months DS massively upped his intake of solids.

[WoTmania]

can't really remember, I found they all cut down at different points. The other thing I found was that they would go through lulls and then ramp up again.

[OxfordBags]

I agree too about the nothing to admire factor. In fact, I think that idea feeds the notion that mothers whose DC EBF do it for some sort of admiration/recognition/kudos/smugness/whatever. It's just a part of daily life, isn't it? If I want a glass of juice, I get one. If DS fancies a quick boob, he has one. It's not hours spent unwashed and trapped under a forever-suckling newborn getting the dead arm like in the early days (which I didn't mind, despite my description). When people ask why I haven't stopped, the bigger question is why would I? It's nice, it's healthy, it's bonding, it's comforting, it's relaxing, it can be very funny at times (do other people's toddlers try to latch on in silly ways and bring their boobs gifts too?!)... why on earth would I deprive either of us that much positivity for no good reason?

I wonder if part of not understanding why women continue to BF their children past a certain stage is differing lifestyles, ie some people can't see how it'd not be a hassle, etc. I have noticed that, like me, other EBFers I know in RL generally have a more lazy laidback approach to life as mothers (not filling time up with loads of classes and groups, not worrying too much about housework (not being skanky, but relaxed), having a slower pace of life and are, more often than not, SAHMs. If you're busy busy busy all the time with something or other then EBFing would probably seem inconvenient or whatever.

Am not criticising any other type of lifestyle or approaches to parenting, far from it, I hasten to add.

[FadBook]

Definitely Oxfordbags - I'm extremely lazy laid back, and I surprised many family and friends as I wasn't like that in my work or personal life pre dd (very organised, almost regimented life!)

But now, I am very chilled, work part time from home, go to groups if we're up for it (only the BF one as a peer supporter) or just potter about at home or go for a walk. There isn't much routine, just a similar pattern each day; but it varies and I don't freak out if we haven't had lunch by 1pm or if dd had a morning nap instead of an afternoon one

[WoTmania]

Why you haven't stopped... I often tell them that I stopped nursing 30 odd years ago, the DC however....

[OxfordBags]

I might still be nursing, WoT, you never know...

(I'm not, I'm not!)