To ask for your thoughts on extended breastfeeding?

[awmamma]

Catching up on Teen Mom UK and watching the bit about Charlie telling Shannon it was weird to still be breastfeeding her 2.5 year old.

Is it really that weird?

DickKerr I’d say mine woke equally as often, but my formula fed baby took much longer than my breastfed baby to settle back to sleep!
Probably because boobs just seemed to solve everything I went by the general rule “if it’s making noise, stick a boob in it’s mouth”

What a way to derail the thread! Way to go! Somehow this happens often on breastfeeding threads...
It really does, it's annoying.

Mine still wakes a little, but that's because it's hot and he's teething, before he had got in the habit of having a feed when I go to bed and then nothing until morning, I'm not really bothered about stopping that as I figure it'll go away in time like the other feeds that were dropped. Teething seems to mess up sleep for all of them, I'm glad that breastfeeding seems to make it hurt less for DS so I can actually help him but I'd really like it over with. I would presume that less breastfeeders tend to do CIO, which might explain less night disturbances because the babies have learned not to call out.

I think there is an age where breastfeeding becomes weird and inappropriate (and potentially abusive). But that’s not 3. But if you are breastfeeding a 16 year old, I would say that’s entirely inappropriate and even abusive. So I’m not sure where exactly the line should be drawn. But some mothers are doing it for themselves rather than their children.

Also breastfeeding makes no difference to eczema.

A 16 year old cant breastfeed, unless they've never lost a tooth.
Again, what are the benefits that the women who do it "for themselves" get out of it?

Also I doubt there has ever been any reliable research into saggy boobs or the cause of them. How would you even measure such a thing. Or control for age or genetics.

As for all the nonsense about some anti breastfeeding conspiracy, there really isn’t one. Quite the opposite. The uk government (among others) is much better resourced than any “formula company”. I got breastfeeding rammed down my throat on the NHS as did pretty much everyone I knew often to the detriment of their mental health. Yet sibling studies would seem to show that breastfeeding benefits are just due to a correlation between the type of people breastfeeding and various favourable outcomes.

I think people should breastfeed or formula feed as they wish but stop judging others. There’s no good evidence that either way makes a difference.

Breastfed both of mine until they were three, it just sort of phased out at three. I got lots of comments about it but not one shit was given even my mum said he's too old, but would defend my decision in public.

@zsazsajuju as in, the women who are "doing it for themselves" are doing so when their child doesn't want to?

Have you ever seen the bit in the film fast food nation where the guy shows the budget all the fast food companies spend annually on advertising, and then the budget given (in USA) to promotion of healthy eating? I don't see how anyone can seriously imagine that the kind of big bucks spent over the years by the likes of baby-killing Nestle is less than the money invested by the Uk government into any bfing campaign!

Sorry, @zsazsajuju, I think you've got the wrong thread. This is not a discussion about formula vs breastfeeding.

And to claim that the UK government has more resources to put into promoting breastfeeding than Nestle has to promote formula... Well, have a read up on it and come back...

I think there is an age where breastfeeding becomes weird and inappropriate (and potentially abusive)... some mothers are doing it for themselves rather than their children.
stop judging others

Yeah, it would be so nice if you hadn't made judgemental comments. When a child loses their milk teeth they can't latch, so they won't be breastfeeding at 16. Nature works like that.

Whatever language you wrap it up in, your meaning is extremely clear and offensive. Why do breastfeeding threads always bring out those who are offended that other women breastfeed? Do we need a warning in the title so that those who find breastfeeding offensive are actually able to avoid the thread? Can there not be one thread on breastfeeding in AIBU that doesn't end up derailed and deleted, or is that the game?

Also breastfeeding makes no difference to eczema

Why are so many people confusing opinion and fact?

A great post from @BertieBotts ..i've found the same thing that toddlers and older children do act out relationships with things and they become comfort objects. My DS used to say 'milky', now it's changed to 'moo'! Once in a crowded restaurant he shouted 'moo moo' across the room and everyone laughed . He wasn't actually having moo as he knew not to do it outside the home. I often get the launching from across the room too! And yes i think it's hilarious and sweet as long as they don't knock you over! It's just a phase like any other and as Bertie says, they grow up fine.

Lol at the idea of nature stopping inappropriate behaviour from adults. It really doesn’t. You do see the odd (odd being the operative word) woman breastfeeding older children. I would say it’s abuse - clearly there is an age where certain things are no longer appropriate. If you are still breastfeeding an older child I think it’s not appropriate. There comes an age where you should have allowed your children to grow up. If you are still bathing them or dressing them or breastfeeding them when they are of an age you should not, yes, it’s pretty creepy

Breastfeeding makes no difference to anything including eczema. There is no good evidence to the contrary

"There comes an age where you should have allowed your children to grow up"

What is that prescribed age, please?

Breastfeeding makes no difference to anything including eczema. There is no good evidence to the contrary

Anecdotally breastfeeding made a massive difference to my daughter’s - anecdata of course but clearly you simply can’t say “it makes no difference” without proof.

It also made a difference to how we dealt with asthma.

If you are still bathing them or dressing them or breastfeeding them when they are of an age you should not, yes, it’s pretty creepy

And who prescribes that age?

What is that prescribed age, please?

I’m intrigued to know this too

I’m 24, my mum is in her early 50’s. If she’s staying at my house or I’m staying at her house, we still share bathroom time. We no longer get in the bath together, but she will sit in the bath while I’m in the shower cubicle etc.
Stuff like bathing with DCs, extended breastfeeding, nakedness when getting dressed etc is only weird if you make it weird.
Children usually let their parents know when they are no longer comfortable with shared baths etc right?
They usually do the same thing when they are ready to stop breastfeeding. Mind blowing I know

Ah, you stopped hiding your language so much. Another one here wondering about the specific age when caring for your child as nature intended switches over into child abuse? I hadn't suggested that nature resolves all issues, only the latch.

I'm also interested in how you know the ages of these children. Asking because my aunt was told several times by interfering busybodies that my cousin should be in school or not in a pushchair when he was only 2. He's very tall, so the busybodies made assumptions.

I think saturn and jupiter are the same planet! I mean nobody has actually seen them at the same time. I also think its a planet just like Earth, the whole made of gas thing just sounds like nonsense to me. You can't have a planet made of gas - that's just stupid. Everyone I know agrees with me.

Sorry - I was just wondering what yelling random bullshit that's completely inaccurate on all levels felt like.

Nope - not getting the attraction really....maybe its because it wasn't the type of bullshit that will make anyone feel bad though....maybe the joy is in belittling others with your factless nonsense?

M3lon.. Hilarious, love it!

zsazsajuju ..are you my mother reincarnated?! you sure sound like her with her bigoted self-righteous digs at anyone who didn't do or think exactly the same way she did!

What a way to derail the thread! Way to go! Somehow this happens often on breastfeeding threads...
It really does, it's annoying.

Ha Ha...says the person who then goes on to talk about other things such as teething and babies waking in the night...when the thread was about whether people it's weird to breastfeed toddlers or not!!!!

Pretty sure that was relevant to the discussion about breastfeeding toddlers. But if it makes you happy to think someone else derailed the thread like you did, then sure, you know best.

I recently had someone express surprise at me still breastfeeding my 2 year old (they wouldn't have known, but he got stung by a bee ), and that there was "still something in there". So many people have no idea how their own bodies work!

Teething is helped by breastfeeding, obviously it takes place during the period of "extended" (natural term) breastfeeding. Night waking is a common theme with all little ones and always worthy of discussion, particularly in this case because toddlers usually have their feed at night and some will want to feed during the night. Both are entirely relevant to the topic. In my opinion.

Wittering on about toddlers swinging to and fro to stretch a boob is just a sideshow. In my opinion.

At the risk of sounding patronising I think if you don't breastfeed you don't always appreciate that it's something that goes beyond food and things like teething and sleeping are relevant

says the person who then goes on to talk about other things such as teething and babies waking in the night...when the thread was about whether people it's weird to breastfeed toddlers or not!!!!

You do know those things are not a derail, right...? They’re a reasonable way for the discussion to go.

Actually I’m glad you’re back - I’m still waiting for you to share these problematic studies you kept referring to.

Breastfeeding is relevant to teething, illness, injuries, tantrums and also bonding (it is a way to reconnect with DS and ease separations when I have been back at work). Only people who haven't BF for extended periods would think that it is just about "food".