To think BF-ing a 2yr old is, um, weird?

[Lucy85]

Well what do you think? I know it's a very emotive subject, but I've seen it a couple of times and it makes me come over all strange.
I BFed my baby exclusively until 7 months when I went back to work, but the thought of doing it now is just plain odd, - not wrong, it's just I can't imagine doing it to someone who can walk, talk, get their own drinks, eats proper food and is too big to lie sideways on my lap.

speedy, probably by having a good look at how it is in those countries with 99% bf rates.

Solo! You're still around! Haven't seen you for yonks, where you been? Speedy has had her "bump" - it's a little girl!

Congratulations to you Speedy aww how lovely . Well for me it was a number of factors, lack of support, my breasts did not seem engorged, and let down was poor. Despite feeding every hour they just dried up eventually.

YABU - but I can see why you think it is weird, it is just so unusual to see.

solo - I'm a crap fb user, haven't been on there for months, which explains why I've still not connected with you on it. Please be patient with me, I'll get there! Will share piccies of DD on fb once I finally sort myself out. Nighty night.

booyhoo - absolutely, although to adopt some of their approaches would mean reorganising our society in some ways. Three things I know about are: (1) Families living closer together, women sharing childcare between the various extended components of their families, so all aspects of childcare become 'owned' by all the women; (2) shared bfing to give a break to women who are struggling; and (3) girls seeing it all the time (as did I - lucky enough to have a sibling born when I was 9) so they grow up believing it's the norm.

To all those on this thread who've bf'd beyond 14 mos, I'm interested to know (if you eventually weaned) how you/ your kids eventually weaned, as it would be useful for me to better understand weaning a child older than 14 months as I consider how long to continue bfing DD.

Right - better hoik my arse off to bed before DD wakes for her night feed.

Night, y'all.

piglet - so sorry you had so much trouble. How very frustrating for you - and I'm sure, for your DC at the time you were trying so hard.#

thumbwiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitch!!!

Right, I really must sleep!

totally agree speedy, it would take quite a lrge societal shift. one that i doubt will ever happen (nor am i saying should) but agree that it is what would improve bf rates.

night speedy!

Just read here that only 1 in 100 mothers continue bfeeding until 6 months - is this true? I didn't think it was that low!

If it is then it explains a lot about society's view of ebf - and also how long constitutes 'extended'!

YABVU.

Of course if you stopped when your baby was still a babe in arms, you will see it as "odd" or however it is you described it as. If you do not stop, then it is a natural progression of BF and a perfectly healthy natural progression of BF.

OF course the thought of picking up your toddler now and BF is going to seem strange to you. That is because you stopped at 7 months. You did not just continue with what you were doing.

Judging others for doing so, is what is odd . We none of us have right to make such judgments on another mothers decision to carry on BF.

I BF my DD until she was just about 2 yrs 3 months. I only stopped if I'm honest, largely due to pressure, or perceived pressure,from others. Like it was a dirty secret. Oh and my brother in a typical brotherly teasing way, saying all kinds of things, which again actually made me feel "like a freak" for doing it. ( he'd incidentally be mortified if he knew it had any baring on it)

She also was beginning to not be so interested, only really really wanted to 1st thing in the morning, and I got fed up with her basically knicking helping herself to it, whilst I was asleep. And waking up cold due to lack of pj top over body, oh and the bouncing of the other one with her hand as she fed happily from the other side, or lifting said other side up by the nipple.

That said, I miss it dreadfully. she's 3.5 now, so also couldnt imagine doing it, but would not have issue with another mother doing so, at all, in the slightest.

So, yes, YABU.

Susiecutie - nearly choked on my apple reading this bit:
"oh and the bouncing of the other one with her hand as she fed happily from the other side, or lifting said other side up by the nipple."

It gave me a as well - so glad DS didn't so any of those!

Cake, that figure represents those bf exclusively, so anyone who started solids earlier or gave a nightly bottle of formula would not be counted even if they were still bf as well. Not sure what the figure is for partial bf at 6 months.

Susie, DS is at that stage now. Trots through and climbs up onto our bed. I always wake up though, wish I could sleep through it.

My Mother's Day card this year said I am 1 in a million. Now it transpires i'm just 1 in a hundred

Seriously though, stats can always be worded to focus the mind differently but surely no one can deny the health benefits of BF til at least 2yo?

I also echo all comments about not sitting in judgement on others. If someone is FF, you don't know the difficulties / lack of support they may have suffered. Likewise, extended BFers should not be told they are wierd!

do any other animals/mammals apart from humans still feed their young with their own milk beyond weaning ?

Bitty - other animals walk from birth, their mothers feed any pup in the pack if necessary. Different species have different requirements & abilities from birth. Humans are dependent from birth in a way that other animals aren't.

By age four, orangutan juveniles are usually weaned, though they may still nurse during periods of stress until they are seven years old, Chimpanzees nurse for 4-6 years,Bonobos nurse for 4-5 years.Bonobos are not weaned until four or five years of age. They are sustained by nursing for the first year of life, and though they may mouth food, they never consume it in the first year.

so yes!

btw weaning in my post means stopping bfing, not introducing solids which I think is what you mean by weaning bitty.

Don't have time to read the whole thread - it's so long now - but has anyone mentioned that woman in America? It was in some trashy magazine I bought at the weekend, a woman bf her 13 year old daughter, 5 year old son and 30-something year old husband. She was talking about the health benefits of doing it.

I was thinking about the whole 'keeping them a baby' thing.
I don't think bf is just for babies. I'm dead chuffed the little fella speaks in sentences, walks for miles and sleeps in a real bed now.
He's a well developing toddler.
And (some) toddlers need milk.

bessie - someone else mentioned that but I don't think we've seen a link to it or any detail. Are you able to find a link to it or scan it or something please?

I also think that as it was an article from america in that high calibre journal of world affair "Closer" magazine, most of us had filled it carefully under the heading Irrelevent Crap From Shit Magazine About Very Odd American

hey, I did say it was in a trashy magazine, I never claimed it was high quality investigative journalism.

It was either Now or Star, if anyone is interested.

Apparently, the mother and daughter agreed that the daughter should give up breastfeeding when she turned 14 because after that it was a bit weird. HEH.

Bessie

I think you have missed that I was attempting to joke.....

TSC - is the 'keeping them a baby' thing in relation to toddlers drinking milk through the day full-stop or the manner in which they drink it? e.g. bottle or breast=infantilising them but cup of cow's milk or ebm would be fine?

I'm not having a go, I agree with a lot of what you've said about the way we infantilise children - DS never had a bottle as he went from breast to cup (otherwise we'd have moved to a cup at 1yr), we took away his dummy at 3 months in the daytime and altogether at 6 months (when SIDs risk goes down).

He only has milk on waking and bedtime, never in the day (excluding his babycino habit!) If he was to need milk during the day then why would it make more sense to give him it in a cup rather than bf?

I dont bf him now btw, I'm just thinking thru this stuff, trying to understand my own views on it really.