Normalising Breast Milk

[Babieseverywhere]

I was nursing my tired toddler in the local library during a children's group, last week. A new mother to the group was asking his age and expressed her surprise that we are still nursing (he is not yet 2 years old) and asked me if I had an issue with giving him cow's milk.

I laughed and asked why would it be better for me to wean my child off my breast milk and onto cow's milk. She was equally perplexed as to why I couldn't see this as a natural progression.

It is amazing how normal it is to use cow's breastmilk as a healthy drink and an important part of our children's diet, yet using a mothers own breastmilk to feed their own child is seen as strange.

No real point to this thread, it just made me think how far breastfeeding's value has dropped in our modern western world.

I do find it odd that as a species we see feeing our children cows milk as more normal then feeding them human milk.

After all I don't think there is another species on the planet that does this.

I don't drink cows milk, but I do consume it in other products so I know I am hypocritical, but... cows milk is meant for baby cows!

I really struggle with this attitude, and will struggle to wean my DTs off my milk and onto the milk of another animal!

Was watching some aussie vet programme the other day and a cow had had a difficult calving, vet had to be called etc. Cow was given about 5 mins to lick calf dry etc then was herded off to the milking shed, back to her duty to produce milk for humans, and her calf, I assume would be fed via some sort of machine. I could've cried for that cow, her udders were huge and I guess she wasn't going to see her calf again.

Am rambling...

You are brave to publicly breastfeed a toddler, do many people question you?

"You are brave to publicly breastfeed a toddler, do many people question you?"

I haven't had any negative reactions from strangers just questions/interest. I don't nurse him that often in public any more, he rarely asks outside the house.

He is still very young and it surprises me that he is considered by others to be too old to nurse, especially as his older sister is still nursing and she is nearly 4.

What surprises me is that people think that they have a right to come up and voice heir opinions! I wouldnt go up and ask a mum feeding her baby formula why she wasnt breastfeeding!

That's good to hear Babies.

Harverina, good point. It's like people questioning me because I don't eat meat, I never question people because they do! Sort of like that anyway

Talking of normalising, I have an issue with baby bottles being used as a logo or label on baby clothes (I won't buy Joule for that reason) as well as being issued as standard with baby dolls.

We've got a long way to go.

yes mrsgf, baby dolls come with bottles and dummies, therefore babies need bottles and dummies, that's certainly what I thought (not that I actually thought about it, that's part of the problem) before I had one of my own.

oh, dont even talk to me.

my mum, a midwife , keeps saying about ds2 (14 months) "he should be going onto cows milk soon" and when i reply that there is no need for that as he is getting human milk she says, "well you know, he probably gets thirsty." i dont understand it, i really dont. where is the logic in that? there is a shocking ignorance about breatmilk across the board, including in the medical profession. i think that is where the problem lies. people dont know the true facts about it.(generally speaking, i know there are some people very well read on breastfeeding)

What irritates me is the picture of a bottle being used to indicate a feeding "lounge".

Oh, people know naff all. I'm always having to correct stuff or answer questions.

Breastmilk is also problematised: full of difficulties to overcome and so forth, superstitions about what to eat, how long to do it for..

However, my dad's dog breastfed seven puppies without any problems at all - she just got on with it.

"I don't think there is another species on the planet that does this"

There are plenty of things that humans do which no other species does. I don't suppose the people who make these comments use your average cat or horse as the benchmark by which to define what is 'normal'.

mrsgordonfreeman, Yep, so many myths to correct. This particular mother thinks breastfeeding causes breasts to sag, I did explain that it was pregnancy hormones not feeding that did this but she didn't believe me.

I often get questions about nursing babies with teeth, does the baby lose out on milk when you tandem nurse and does DH mind that I feed our babies (odd question but a frequent one)

I went to a LLL meeting yesterday - it was an eye opener!

Morloth: Well I followed a bottle sign thinking it would be somewhere to fed my baby (in Luton airport) but it lead me to a disabled toilet with a baby changing mat....

I fed our DS1 for 6 months and DS2 for 10 months (and don't think that is long at all) yet am in a huge minority and am considered an extended breastfeeder - WTF

In what way SPB?

stealth why was the lll meeting an eye opener? Am curious!

It was like MN in real life
People who didn't think breastfeeding was odd, half assumed I'd be feeding both of my DCs, a 'baby group' without any talk of weaning, bottles or getting them to sleep all night in their own bed (that was me, think I lowered the tone somewhat )

I'm curious too Stealth.

DS is 2.5 and still nursing... I'd gladly nurse him forever (well, you know what I mean ) I get some odd looks occasionally but must have perfected my "I dare you to comment" face because I haven't had any. From strangers, anyway.

Wow.

i know, it was fantastic
less bumsex talk though

Ha ha! The one I used to go to was not much like MN. But I can't say why

oooh thats not fair! cat me pleease!

I fed DS until nearly 2 yrs, but not in public after about 12 months, so I think a lot of people assumed that I'd stopped. My mum commented frequently that he didn't really need it any more.

DD is 18 months and I still bf on demand, which is quite a lot at the mo. With DS I used to feel self-conscious that I was doing something odd, especially at baby/toddler groups. With DD I think I've just developed a thicker skin, and happily feed her whilst supervising the craft table at our toddler group for example. I do still get comments, but these are mainly from other mothers along the lines of 'don't you want your body back' , a sort of 'poor you' for not being able to get DD to stop.

I didn't think I had anything to add to this, but just remembered my health visitor's absolute shock and horror that I gave DS (18 months at the time I think) dry cereal for breakfast. I said "Well I eat it dry, so he probably just sees what I have and wants that. He doesn't like it with milk. Anyway he can pick it up better dry and he likes to feed himself."

She suggested I gave him some milk in a cup on the side. I said there's no need, he nurses in bed in the morning, he gets plenty of milk. She said "Well more can't hurt. You should give it a try." I just left it. But then we were at the children's centre (which my HV is attached to) a few days later at lunchtime, and one of the workers there said "Oh there's some corn flakes in the cupboard if he would like some" so I put some in a little bowl for him with some raisins. He was happily picking away at them and she came back and said "Doesn't he want milk? Here, put some in this cup for him." I looked in the fridge and they ONLY had semi skimmed milk. I asked if they had full cream and she said oh no, we're much too healthy for that here. it's a centre for the under-5s! "I think he'll be alright" I said "He gets plenty of milk, I'm still breastfeeding him."
"It's nice to have a change though, don't you think?" she replied. She was watching me like a hawk so I put some semi skimmed milk in a beaker for him. He had about two sips and ignored it!

WHY she was insisting that semi-skimmed, homogenated, pasteurised cow's milk is better/more important for him than normal, unadulterated human milk, I will never fathom. I bet she wouldn't insist that a child drinking cow's milk "would like a change".

Also my other bugbear is that they use crappy sunflower oil spreads at the children's centre on the children's toast