breastfeeding at 5 (and above?)

[cleopatracomingatya]

fully expecting to get some extreme opinions here.

www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/7286609/mum-breastfeeds-five-baths-naked-normal-break-stigma/

This is the article (and the bath photo is disturbing enough for me as it is)

interested to see the general consensus on this. AIBU to think this is just... no!!

My issue is that the child can't consent to that image being released.

Nothing wrong with longer term breastfeeding or bath sharing with little ones. An awful lot wrong with taking pics of it and putting them in a newspaper

Absolutely this.

Just pump and give it to the child in a cup at this point.

no problem with her feeding at 5. or taking a bath together.

to publish a photo of these things happening at the same time is vile. feel for the poor lad.

Her breastfeeding and bathing with him is her business but those photos may come back to haunt him in the not to distant future. It's all look at me with no thought for the repercussions on her son.

Oh ffs, it's natural. This country in particular has a shitty view on breastfeeding, and articles like this just make it less the norm.

We have boobs. They grew primarily so that we could feed our children from them, if we choose to. Get a grip.

Not too happy about the newspaper choice though, and I'm not even going to click on the link.

I think it's great if it works for them, but no way should she have it posted all over the place.
you just don't.

Just looked at her instagram. She's a blogger and posts mainly selfies, has photos of herself in her underwear to show everyone how big is beautiful (fine by me but not my choice of social media post!), photos of body parts she doesn't like quoting 'I'm soft, I'm squishy' 🤮, etc etc. All fine if that's what you want to post, it's a free country, but it's also super attention seeking. The newspaper article is exactly the same and will no doubt gain her a few followers!

It's no biggie.
Aside from the pic of both of them naked in the bath which I think is a badly judged choice for a rag like the Sun, it's really a normal thing.
If they're both happy, more power to her elbow.

How can breastfeeding at 5 be harmful to the child, if it is their wish to continue? Those of us who have done it know we have continued not because we are damaged emotionally, but because our child wanted to continue and it suited us to carry on, too.

I would never have breastfed in public past the age of 3, because I know how uncomfortable people are around breastfeeding in general, but particularly breastfeeding past babyhood.
I don't like that this got published with photos in the sun, as I am certain their intention isn't to normalise breastfeeding older children, but to scandalise the immense majority that think it is disturbing and "all kinds of yuck".
Those who have done it know it is nothing of the kind, but I can understand how it could seem otherwise if you lacked this experience and all you knew about breastfeeding older children came from glancing at articles such as this one.

Whatever floats their boats is cool with me, however I always feel it’s unfair on kids to post identifiable photos of them publically (whatever they are doing in the photos) as they cannot give informed consent to this . That’s the bit that troubles me

I don’t think the Sun is the correct place for her to print this. I also wouldn’t post a picture of my child breastfeeding ina national print!

However I am sick to the fucking back teeth of small-minded people who cannot for the life of them see why breastfeeding beyond a few months old is beneficial. I don’t care if you don’t like looking at it! It’s nothing to do with you. Breastmilk is designed for humans, no matter how old they are. Would you wrinkle your noses and sneer at a child drinking breastmilk from a cup? No. The breast is the natural form, being used for what it’s designed to be used for!

Breastmilk continues to change and adapt
to the child’s age and needs, for as long as they breastfeed. It doesn’t just suddenly turn to water at 1.

Stop living in a world where women are sexualised so much that the point of their bodies becomes a stick with which to beat them with.

Each to their own, although I detested BFeeding mine. She shouldn't be posting it in the paper though, poor kid is going to get some stick for this.

Urgh hate this article. They are just sensationalising a perfectly normal and natural thing. Everything about the way it's written and the photos have been chosen to make the reader think it's unhealthy and unnatural. I do think she shouldn't put photos of her son feeding out there though. And I personally wouldn't choose to feed until then but would never judge another mother for doing so.

You know why the kid will get stick for this? Not because it’s wrong but because society perceives it as wrong, because children are growing up listening to opinions like the fucked up ones on this thread. So if this kids gets stuck for this, it’s everyones fault.

Stick*

No Namechanged not everyone's fault, but the mother who chose to put what is a private and personal thing, out there in the media for millions to see!

Nothing wrong with longer term breastfeeding or bath sharing with little ones. An awful lot wrong with taking pics of it and putting them in a newspaper

I also agree with this. If a friend finds this article when he's in secondary school it really won't be fun for him.

I get what namechanged is saying, but the boy doesn't get a choice whether he gets to be the face of normalising breastfeeding. It's shit that he may get bullied for this and it's 100% the fault of the bullies and what they are learning from society. That won't make him feel any better if he's picked on. He should be able to choose whether he wants the world to see such an intimate photo of him.

“It's all about the mother and her emotional dysfunction.”

Dysfunction? and what dysfunction would that be? Genuinely curious. Why do so many people bleat that it’s “all about the mother”. Who are all these emotionally dysfunctional women? What is the name of their dysfunction? What exactly are they trying to achieve, do you imagine? Could it be - gasp - nurturing their child? What sinister agenda do you imagine they have?

I couldn’t do it personally - needed to wean earlier for sanity reasons - but I still absolutely get in the bath with mine and it is perfectly acceptable for children of 5 (in other cultures at least) to still BF.

How desperate for attention (and money) was this mum? Those pictures will come back to haunt that poor kid.

I breastfed my youngest until she was 3.5, she probably would have carried on if I’d let her. Also shared baths with both DC until around 7ish I think. Nothing wrong with either of these in my opinion. It’s just boobs and it’s just bathing with your child- sad that people put an adult sexualised slant on something that is completely normal.

No aero, breastfeeding is not a private and personal thing. Do you consider bottle feeding private and personal? How about giving a child a dummy, is that private and personal?
Breastfeeding being perceived as private and personal is what is wrong with you, not her.

Namechanging those pictures are private and personal don't you think! How will the boy feel as an adult seeing them in the media like that for millions to see. She did not think about that. What they are doing, lying naked in the bath breastfeeding is private and personal!

I don't think breastfeeding is private and personal but I do think being naked in the bath is private and personal and shouldn't be shared in a national newspaper unless old enough to consent.

I'm also on the side of breastfeeding and bathing together but not putting naked pictures in a tabloid paper, or anywhere for that matter.