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?

I think up to four is fine.
Definitely not school age though.
The poor soul would be picked on kids can be horrible at times.

'Breastfeeding is an unequalled way of providing ideal food for the healthy growth and development of infants; it is also an integral part of the reproductive process with important implications for the health of mothers. Review of evidence has shown that, on a population basis, exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months is the optimal way of feeding infants. Thereafter infants should receive complementary foods with continued breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond.' - World Health Organisation

There are benefits to breastfeeding still at 2 and beyond if you'd like the links?

I think stigmatising or even opening discussions for the potential to berate mothers who do it is wrong and in bad taste, so shame on you. We have enough judgement to contend with as mothers and women.

For that, you get a big fat and yes, YABU.

It's not weird if it's what you want but generally if they are capable of drinking from a normal cup it would be a bit weird in public - I have extended breastfeeding friends and they restrict to mornings and evenings past 2 years old

I'm really fed up of comments from my dad about the fact that I still bf my 2.5yr old and have dd due at Halloween.. Telling me I need to put a stop to it before baby arrives... Why? It has no impact upon his body.. He doesn't generally bf in public anymore just nap times and bed times and I have no issue with it.. If anything its some of my favourite time with ds.

I would hate it, but don't think it's weird for other women to do so if it works for them and their child. It's a very individual thing.

I'm still bf my 16 month old and plan to let her self wean! If by she starts school she hasn't weaned I'll wean her! (3-31/2)

It's no different to giving a toddler a bottle or cup of milk at night x

No, it's not weird. Its unusual but probably not as unusual as you might think. By that age they rarely breastfeed out and about so you wouldn't see it, and mums dont tend to mention it for fear of being judged by other people thinking its "weird ".

Also there seems to be an opinion that toddlers dont want to breastfeed and its "all for the mums benefit / showing off / making a point". Try telling that to my 2.5 year old who has genuine tears and tantrums if I delay her morning breastfeed.

I think 6 months/year is plenty.

I'm going to be honest. Before I had mine I might have said yes it's weird but after having her and nothing happening at a year to make me want to stop BF I don't see it as weird at all.

I breastfed my babies and am very pro breast feeding. I think extended breastfeeding can become more for the mother's needs though and can also be to the detriment of mum's relationship with dad.
I now stand by to be cast into MN room 101 for my outrageous and cruel thoughts.

I saw this women struggling to get on the bus with her bags and pushchair and 3 year old hanging of her boob. That to me is bizarre that a 3/4 year old really needed milk that desperately.

and yes I did offer to help her.

and can also be to the detriment of mum's relationship with dad

No worries in this house, I moved my DH onto Aptamil.

@53rdway 😂

No worries in this house, I moved my DH onto Aptamil.

@53rd

Yes, the 'it's for the mother's perverse needs' and 'her DH really owns her tits and only has to lend them to the baby for six months' views always surface.

@53rdway 😂😂😂😂

I did not say it was perverse. As there is no nutritional need, only comfort in feeding a 3 year old, my thoughts are that the benefit of having the opportunity to be comforted by either parent as opposed to only the one who lactates and having 2 included, happy parents who also have opportunity to work on their adult relationship with one another outweighs the comfort derived from continuing to be breastfed.
I am proud of breastfeeding my children. I also liked getting my body back. My tits do not and have never belonged to my partner.
I knew I would be told I was wrong, but there we are.
Obviously if there was no safe water supply that would be different

I only find it weird when a very small minority of people make a big public display of it with preschool and beyond age dc. There isn’t really any occasion when your average non breastfed 4 year old would require milk in a bottle during the day in public. If they were that ill they would be at home, or if they need/ want milk they’d have a cup.

So it’s the fact this type of parent seems to want the public acknowledgement/ reaction I find weird, because I wouldn’t think about it one way or another if they just mentioned in passing they still breastfeed at bedtime or similar.

@53rdWay it’s for posts like yours I wish mumsnet had a like button 😂

The no nutritional value line is bollocks. Just because a child can survive fine without something, doesn’t mean they don’t benefit from having it. There is plenty of research out there about the benefits of breast milk beyond infancy. Some even suggest that it’s nutritional value improves after 12 months. All the amazing antibodies, tailor made nutrients and other stuff does not just disappear when a child ages. It’s such clever stuff that it simply adapt to meet their needs as they grow.
And so what if it does offer comfort? Isn’t comforting your child a lovely thing? People are so weird about breasts.
Fair enough if people don’t want to do it. Your body, your child, your choice. But peddling lies really isn’t helpful to anyone.

YABU to pretend not to understand why a Mother would breastfeed as long as possible if it's working for her and she was happy to do so; you'd do better to ask "what could we do to encourage more women to breastfeed?" or "how can we reduce the divide between breast/bottle?" or "how could we support more Mothers if they wanted to breastfeed?" Useful questions which would hopefully offer some insight into how women want to be supported rather than judged.

I've found with the DC over the years that what works for me works for me. I no longer look elsewhere for reassurance or advice; if we're all happy and healthy, we're alright.

I couldn't BF DC1 and 2 and felt robbed of the experience. I BF DC3 until she was two and a half and loved it. You do what's right for you and to hell with what anyone else thinks.

I couldn’t bf ds1 or 2 past a week or so so was determined with ds3 to get to 6 months...then I’d stop. I would have said anything past 12 months was weird then.

Currently still bf him at 2.3 and it doesn’t seem weird at all.

I think unless and until you do it you might not realise its more than just a food.

I have to admit I find it really weird, especially when he asks for 'booby'!

Not my tits. Not my business. 👍

DS self weaned at about 14/15 months. I'd have fed him for as long as he wanted to.

It does make me wonder when people say "it's for the mother" though. In what world can you force a two year old to do anything they don't want to, never mind breastfeed?!